Day 338: Lights at Temple Square

Thanks to the customary generous supply of tickets from my inside source in the Tabernacle Choir (i.e. Pepe), I made it to the Conference Center for last night's annual First Presidency Christmas Devotional. President Monson and his two counselors delivered fantastic messages for the holiday season, and the music by the choir was great, too, as always.

It was a rather blusy day and evening, and it rained on us a good deal while we were outside, but Temple Square in December is still one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Day 245: RSL Beats D.C. United

Last night, Mike invited me to join him, Jana, and the kids at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy for my second Real Salt Lake MLS match of the season. RSL games are always a blast to attend, so of course I accepted without hesitation.

The weather was not exactly cooperating, and after the clock had reached only 3:15, officials suspended play due to lightning strikes near the area. We, along with many other fans, waited for the storm to pass for more than an hour until the game resumed by about 8:30 p.m.

At halftime, Kylee and one other fan were involved in a competition to be named that evening's "King of the Game" (a Burger King promotion), based on their cheering and overall enthusiasm and such. As judged by Leo the Lion, the team mascot, Kylee was declared winner and not only appeared on the video screen of the scoreboard but also won a miniature soccer ball, as well as an RSL scarf.

As for the game itself, RSL really hung in there with the rain, which came and went multiple times throughout the evening, and escaped with a 1-0 victory. Especially impressive was goalkeeper Nick Rimando, who made several crucial saves to protect the slim lead.

Oh, the Weather Outside Is Frightful . . .

Perhaps you've heard the news by now, but in case you haven't: On the evening of November 30/morning of December 1, strong canyon winds – some gusts reaching over 100 MPH, or the equivalent of a grade 2 hurricane – swept through several parts of Davis County, including Bountiful. The power was knocked out all over town and is still out in some places (fortunately, mine was restored after about 24 hours).

Additionally, many trees, including ones older than I am, were knocked over. The neighborhood looks quite different than it did a few days ago.

Regardless, I'm grateful - because things could have been a lot worse. Overall, my second hurricane was actually not as inconvenient as that one I weathered in Puerto Rico 22 years ago.