Manti experience

Over the weekend I was there in Manti for the temple announcements. Sometimes I have these pinch me moments for my job.

We got word from the Church that something big was happening, so my boss asked if I'd like to go, and he said JB could go with me.

We got there Friday evening (it took 2+ hours) and stayed overnight, then went over to the Manti Tabernacle for the event.

President Nelson appeared via video to announce a new temple in nearby Ephraim. I got goosebumps and all excited, but of course I was in the reporting zone of quickly posting the information and alerting the news station. The announcement means more capacity for the area, which meant the plans for Manti's renovation could be downsized, and allow the pioneer-era murals and artwork stuck to the walls to actually stay put.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Sister Sheri Dew and others from the temple building department and presiding bishopric where there. I got to speak with Elder Rasband afterward. He's vaccinated, I'm vaccinated, so we got to take off masks and it was great to see smiling faces again. He was very kind, and shaking hands. It felt great and optimistic for the future of our church and the end of this pandemic! After, I was chatting with some of the other church officials off the record, and said it was hard to get a temple baptistry appointment. Once said, "Tell more people to get vaccinated!" and then he said, "But this is for a short time, it will get better."

JB was a huge help, taking pictures and video for me that I was able to send back to the station and post on social media. That's the hardest part of my job, juggling everything at once. Then it was a long day of filing reports for the newscasts, and getting extra sound for stories to use the following Monday/Tuesday on other angles while I was in the area. 

We drove over to the soccer fields for one of those interviews, and it was just a different feel there. In Salt Lake City, people are all afraid to look at each other and people still wear masks outside and while vaccinated, even though you don't have to. There, in Manti, people were living life.

Now, about the AirBnB that my boss's secretary booked last minute. It was so sweet and kind of funny.  It's a backyard tiny shed/house that's around 100 years old behind the main house. It has a low-flow toilet and shower behind a curtain in the corner, a lean-to small kitchen pantry you go outside to access,  and a five foot bed. JB is six foot two. There was a record collection that a vintage collector would die over, but I could never get the record player working. 

(Picture taken with timer)

There were all kinds of birds (chickens, quail, pheasant) in pens outside the window that sounded like small train whistles. And the NICEST hosts. He grew up in the main house and was a pilot and met her in Taiwan; she is from the Philippines and the proceeds from the AirBnB go to help a school they own there. They came back to Manti to help take care of his 95 year old WWII vet father, who was out there moving sprinklers when we pulled up. They gave us homemade breakfast including fresh eggs and Tang, and homemade fruit leather from their fruit trees for the drive home. 10/10 I highly recommend this place.

We got home that afternoon, and Max and Ben had organized cleaning the house. I was very proud of how well they handled the kids overnight.