Young Women New Beginnings

Bob and I had the privilege of attending the Young Women New Beginnings program in our ward a couple of months ago. It is always such a great evening, and the Young Women leaders do an incredible job with everything they do. This was definitely no exception. The theme was based on Dr. Seuss's "Oh The Places You'll Go". One of the leaders, Lori (a truly gifted and creative kind of a gal), changed the words to Dr. Seuss's writings, and adapted it to the New Beginnings theme. She did an amazing job...

They also had a display of each of the values, with a Dr. Seuss-ical quote that went along with it. And they made these cute pom flowers in the colors of the values, to go along with them. Perfectly Dr. Seuss-ish!

It was a really great evening. How blessed these young women are to have such wonderful leaders, and to be a part of such an incredible organization. They have the opportunity through things like this New Beginnings program (and all of the other activities and lessons) to continually add layers and strength to their armor. Who wouldn't want that for their daughters? I'm so grateful for the leaders and teachers my daughters had when they were in those teenage years. They both LOVE their Young Women years, and have the fondest feelings and memories of their experiences at that time. So, if you're a Young Women leader, recognize that what you are doing will impact those girls for the rest of their lives. Literally. And thank you for all you do.

Amazing Race Youth Conference - Day 3

This is the fourth post in a series about our Amazing Race Youth Conference. I thought it best to break it up, so that there wasn't an overload of information on each post. As it is, as I'm writing the posts, I feel like I'm constantly thinking, "Let me sum up". (Name the movie...) The previous posts regarding The Amazing Race information can be found by clicking on Day 1, Day 2 - morning, Day 2 - afternoon and evening.

So, here we are on the morning of Day 3...

Day 3

We began this Saturday morning with Temple Baptisms. We purposely didn't make that part of The Race, since we didn't want the kids to rush through such a special experience. So, for those who wanted to (again, not making anyone feel uncomfortable or pressured in any way), we had them meet at the church and they were driven up by Team Parents. They were scheduled earlier in the morning, so we planned for everyone to meet at the church afterwards to begin The Race at 10:30, and that gave them plenty of time to be at the temple before that and get home and get ready for The Race.

At 10:30, they all met at the church building, and we had one of the senior-age girls give a 10 minute devotional to start us off. It was wonderful, and just what we needed to start the day. Now, at this point, I will tell you that we had a couple of teams that were getting pretty competitive and perhaps complaining about each other not doing a task right, and so on and so forth. During the night, I tossed and turned wondering how I would make everything be okay the next morning so that no one would feel unfairly treated. I came up with a brilliant idea... After the devotional, I brought out a terracotta pot that had 8 small gnome plant picks in it. Each team was to send someone up to pick a plant pick (say that 10 times fast) out of the pot. When they picked it, they looked at the bottom of it to see what order they would be leaving that morning. Sooooo, it was basically shaking it all up and making it "fair" to everyone. They left 2 minutes apart, and they all felt good about the shake-up, and they thought it was part of the original plan. I didn't bother to tell them otherwise. :)

The clue they received said, "Many hands make light work. Teams will now make their way to 9600 S. and Highland Ave. Look for the race marker. Assemble project as a team. Once completed, show it to _________  to get it checked off and received your next clue. Be sure to take your project with you for use later in the race."

They all climbed in their cars and drove to the address, which happened to be The Home Depot. We had a marker in the front of the building on a window, and they were to go inside and find someone who would give them a project to build. I'm going to stop right here and give a little side-note about this stop. We had planned very carefully with an employee from The Home Depot regarding this stop. On the day of The Race, Bob and I called our Home Depot contact as we were driving there. Much to our dismay, they said she wasn't working that day and no one could get in touch with her. She had totally forgotten, or blown us off, or whatever. Ugh. BUT, to Home Depot's credit, they quickly assessed the situation, and made some stations back in their lumber area, and quickly got employees to be there. All before any of our youth arrived. It was so devastating to be let down by the one employee, but so miraculous in how they totally stepped up to the plate and made that stop absolutely seamless. Yay, Home Depot!

This is Bob, putting the race marker on the entrance

Teams running into the store

Working on the project

I love how their make-shift tables are pallets of wood

The kids all built a birdhouse together, as a team. They had to build it correctly and have it checked off by an employee there before they could get their next clue. The next clue read, "You have worked on a project together as a team. You can be proud of your work and the outcome of the birdhouse. Your next task is two-fold. First, go outside and find __________ in the parking lot. She will have a box lunch for your team. Your team may stop anywhere you choose to eat your lunch together. Second, after you have eaten, you will again work together as a team... this time to serve many ward members. Drive to 615 E. 8400 S. Park in the east parking lot and send a team member to go inside the door. Find a Task Supervisor for instructions."

So, the teams all drove around the parking lot until they located a car marked with the Amazing Race marker. The ward member who was called as the Food Chair for The Race, was there with yummy box lunches for the teams. All of the teams decided to drive to that next destination (which was the Sandy Dry Pack Cannery) , and then stop to eat their lunch there before going in to the building. We recorded their order of arrival at this stop, since we would all be starting the activity together, at the same time. When they were all finished eating, and ready for the project, we had a representative from the cannery come out to the parking lot and talk to all of the youth about what the process was for the cannery, and what the guidelines and regulations were. And then, we gave them all of their lists of items they needed to can.

Eating lunch

Fun to see all those different colored shirts scurrying around!

Notice the green Task Supervisor shirt (my sweetie pie)

Task Supervisors making sure the orders are correct. The one
who looks like a deer caught in the headlights is my oldest.
He had quite a responsibility keeping hundreds and hundreds
of cans straight.

And of course, as the boxes were being put on the trailer,
a hailstorm ensued. They were quick to get everything
covered, and it turned out just fine. Whew.

To do the planning for the stop at the cannery, previously, we sent out information to all of the adult ward members telling them that as a ward, we had an opportunity to order dry pack food from the cannery. We didn't tell them the youth would be canning it, because we didn't want the youth to know this was part of The Race. The ward members just thought this was a rare opportunity to get things pre-canned from the cannery, instead of having to do it themselves. Those who were interested returned their order, with a check, by a certain date. Then, I divided the items up so that there were 8 different lists that were equal. So, each team had their own list of cans they needed to fill and can. We had a ward member in charge of bringing a trailer over to take the cans and deliver them to our warehouse in Draper, where my son was waiting. He then arranged them in stacks belonging to different members according to their orders. His was a crazy job, to be sure! 

The cannery planning took some real organization and detailed work, but we wanted it to be in The Race, so the kids felt they did something really great for the ward members. It was something different, that most of them had never done before, but actually was needed, and SO appreciated by the ward members. It was a really great stop!

After they finished their canning, they got checked to make sure they had each and every item on their list, they helped pack it on the trailer, and then they were given their next clue, which read, "You have given a valuable service to our ward members in helping them to stock their pantries for emergency preparedness. As a team, get in your vehicle and make your way to the store that ___________ manages."

They had to know (or figure out) what the store was, and the answer was WalMart. They all drove to a specific WalMart in the area, and followed the markers once they got there. There was an employee waiting in the store with instructions as to what their task was there. The task was to take a shopping cart that was pre-packed with items, and put the items back on the shelves WHERE THEY BELONGED. Each team had a cart and an employee to walk along with them and to make sure they put the items back where they should go. It was fun to walk around the store and see the various teams trying to find the departments for different items.

Reading the instructions

After they finished that, they had to find items to total $200.00 (within 10 cents), and have them rung up at a certain cash register. They had fun doing that one, too, and worked well together as teams doing it. Fun task. And when they were done, they had to find the employee in the Garden Department for their next clue. WalMart was kind enough to make snack bags for each of the kids. That was an added bonus, as we didn't ask them to do that. Each youth was given a bag full of snacks and a Gatorade. As they got their snack bag, they were given the next clue, which read, "Teams must make their way by car to Daybreak and find Oquirrh Lake. Look for the markers at the north end of the lake and park somewhere close. Continuing to follow the race markers, find a Task Supervisor who will give you your next clue."

I had pre-arranged with the folks at Daybreak, so they knew we were coming. I wanted to know what we could and couldn't do there, so it took some coordinating. When the teams got to the lake, they looked for a Task Supervisor (in a green shirt) and were given their next clue, along with a box. The clue read, "Open the box and inflate the little row boat. After it is fully inflated, two of your team members must put on life jackets, get in the boat and paddle around the lake (using the enclosed map) until they find the four different Task Supervisors located on and around the lake. Collect a token from each of the Task Supervisors. Once all four of the tokens have been collected, return to the dock, deflate your boat, and return the boat and oars to the Task Supervisor on the beach for your next clue."

The floating Task Supervisors

A Task Supervisor on the dock, and a boat making their way there

This was a fun stop for them. They were able to run and play and be rambunctious and it was all okay. We had purchased the inflatable boats from Dick's Sporting Goods. It ended up being the best and cheapest route for us to go. Plus, having to inflate the boats just added some more steps to the task, which is good in The Amazing Race. We also had previously told the Team Parents to bring two life jackets for their own team's use. They had to track them down and also return them, which cut down on the running around for us. We had Task Supervisors located on three different docks on the small lake, and then also had a couple of Task Supervisors in a paddle boat, floating around, so the teams had to find them and chase them down.

When they had finished the task, they were given this clue, "Make your way by car to ___________ for the next stop in the race".

The next stop was our warehouse, where they were given paint so that they could paint their birdhouse (the one they made at Home Depot).  After their birdhouse was painted, they where directed to a load of cans and lists that they needed to load into their vehicle so that they could deliver the food storage cans to various members of the ward. After their car was loaded (which was enough time for the birdhouse paint to dry), they went to the homes on their list, and delivered the specified cans to each ward family who had previously ordered them. They also took their birdhouse to a pre-determined name of a ward member who would benefit from a short visit and a little gift from the youth.

After they finished those two stops, they were to open up this clue which read, "You are nearing the end of the race. Make your way to the Simons' home for your last task. Your memory is about to be tested, so be ready to work together as a team to finish the task."

After arriving at our home, the teams were each given a packet of laminated cards, which had the name of each of the stops on the three days of The Amazing Race. They had to put the cards in the order that they actually did each of the activities, and then have them checked by a Task Supervisor. This was easier said than done, and it took some thinking, remembering, and working together as a team.

Teams running up my front walkway

Working on the order of their cards

Bragging rights, for sure!

Once they had them in the correct order, and it was checked off by the Task Supervisor, the entire team raced to the Amazing Race mat, to finish the race. When all the teams checked in and completed The Race, we gave them all a key ring and a little treat. We had told them all along that there was no grand prize and to just enjoy the journey (hoping to help them not be as competitive), so they weren't expecting the winners to get anything but bragging rights. The point of The Race was to experience tons of different things in just a few days, and while they were doing it, to serve, to grow, to work, to learn to love team members, etc, etc, and they ended up doing just that!

After everyone was done, we ate dinner together (again, coordinated by our Food Chair), which was yummy Cafe Rio salads and mini bundts for dessert. And then, as they got comfortable, our bishop talked to them about their experience on The Race, and wrapped it all up in a nice way.

Yay for an awesome food committee!

At the very end of the evening, we gave them all a key ring and a little treat. We had told them all along that there was no grand prize and to just enjoy the journey (hoping to help them not be as competitive), so they weren't expecting the winners to get anything but bragging rights. The point of The Race was to experience tons of different things in just a few days, and while they were doing it, to serve, to grow, to work, to learn to love team members, etc, etc, and they ended up doing just that!

There was also a little bag of M&M's attached that had all of
the colors of the teams... all mixed together

And about two weeks later, we had a fireside for all of the racers and Task Supervisors. They were given an opportunity to share their thoughts, if wanted, and afterwards, we gave them all photo books we had put together of the race. The Team Parents had taken photos all throughout The Race, and our special photographer had also taken photos. So, we had tons to choose from as we put the book together. We wanted something tangible that they could have to remember the race by through the years, and it was just the thing. I had a "2 for 1" coupon for the books from Picaboo, so we were able to basically get them at half price, which just fit within the remainder of the budget. Yay!

As I mentioned before, there was A LOT of planning and coordinating for this youth conference. We spent a lot of time going to each of the stops (sometimes multiple times) to make sure we knew the time we needed to allot for driving there and then accomplishing the task.We also made many phone calls and visits to people who worked or managed the different stops. We didn't want our kids to be disruptive at the stops, and wanted to make sure we were doing our activities within their requirements or regulations. We didn't want to leave a bad taste in anyone's mouths, and as far as I know, we were successful in keeping everyone happy!

So, as a recap, the stops/activities were:

Day 1:
Word search posters to determine which teams the kids are on
Cutting and prepping fleece blankets
Running down Porter Rockwell Trail to find a series of words
Going to a ward member's home and finding hidden plastic balls

Day 2:
T-shirt handout
Ensign Peak hike and devotional
This is The Place Monument
   several different activities at this stop
Salt Lake Temple grounds - count the stars on the east side of the temple
Temple Square - find a familiar couple
Lion House - lunch
Church History Museum
Family History Center
Deuel Pioneer Log Home
Brigham Young Historic Park
Brigham Young's Grave Site
Salt Lake Cemetery
Temple Quarry Hike and For The Strength of Youth Activity
Snowbird Tram Ride
Pit Stop: Dinner, Speaker, Bonfire

Day 3:
Temple Baptisms
Church Building Devotional
Home Depot
Box Lunch
Sandy Family Home Storage Center
Wal Mart
Oquirrh Lake at Daybreak
Warehouse in Draper - pick up cans and paint birdhouse
Deliver cans
Deliver birdhouse
Memory Cards
Dinner & Speaker

I have loads and loads of information about the various stops and what planning went in to each stop, but after this long of a post, I think you get the idea. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have regarding our activity.

For information about the entire Amazing Race, 

click below on the specific days.

To read about Day 1 - click here.

To read about Day 2 - morning, click here.

To read about Day 2 - afternoon and evening, click here.

Amazing Race Youth Conference - Day 2 (afternoon & evening)

For those who haven't seen the first two posts about our Amazing Race Youth Conference, you can read the first one here, and the second one here. For today's post, I'll cover all of the activities for the remainder of Day 2. I've got some photos from the stops, but for some reason, I can't find all of the photos. But, I do have a book that we made afterwards, so I've copied some of the pages here and there. Not the best copies, but at least it gives you a better idea than not seeing any photos at all.

On the last post, we left off with the kids all arriving at the lunch spot (The Lion House). We ended up eating lunch around the same time, and then at a certain pre-determined time, the teams left the lunch area two minutes apart, in the order that they arrived. This helped to shorten the times between the teams, because we had some really seriously competitive teams, and then some that basically took time to smell the roses all along the way (which may have been more enjoyable for the adults than for the kids... just saying). This departure from the lunch stop got them all closer to each other time-wise.

So, there were two different clues given at this point. It was split up so that we had basically half of the teams going to one stop, and the other half going to the other... and then afterwards, they would switch and go to the stop the other team had already been to.

One of the two clues read as follows: HISTORY SQUARED - Make your way by foot to the west gate of temple square. Safely cross the street and go to the location where one might find interesting facts about one's ancestors. Find the Task Supervisor in the lobby and ask for the "Scavenger Hunt" sheet. Complete the hunt as a team, and then go back to the same Task Supervisor in the lobby. They will check your work and give you your next clue.

The other of the two clues read: HISTORY SQUARED - Make your way by foot to the west gate of temple square. Safely cross the street and go to the location where one might find interesting facts about church history. Complete the enclosed sheet as a team and then locate a Task Supervisor in the lobby to have your work checked and receive your next clue.

So, we had a Task Supervisor located in each of the lobbies -- the Family History Center and the Church History Museum. In the Family History Center, there was a Scavenger Hunt Sheet that was actually provided by the Family History Center for youth to use to get to know the facility.

After the team completed that sheet, they went back to the lobby where the Task Supervisor gave them this clue: "Now that you are an expert in genealogy, it is time to become an expert in church history. Make your way to the Church History Museum and complete the enclosed Scavenger Hunt Worksheet. Once that is finished, make your way to the Deuel Pioneer Log Home. To obtain your next clue, you must have your team photographed in front of the log home and turn in your scavenger hunt to the Task Supervisor located near the home."

In the Church History Museum, we had a Task Supervisor located in the lobby, where they were given a worksheet that we had made up, based on the activities and items located in the museum.  There were several questions they had to find the answers to, as well as photos that they had to have taken, as a team.

(sorry for the grainy photo... I couldn't find the original)

After the team completed the sheet, they basically got the same clue as the one just above, but it sent them to the Family History Center first, and then the Deuel Pioneer Log Home.

At the Deuel Pioneer Log Home, I had a friend stationed there as the Task Supervisor. They had to prove to her that they had been to the Family History Center and the Church History Museum, and then they had their team photo taken in front of the log home.

Once that was completed, she handed them a clue, which read: LINCOLN LOG PHOTO OPP - Make your way on foot as a team to the Brigham Young Historic Park, which is across the street (east) from the Church Office Building. When you arrive, the Team Parents must open the enclosed envelope and follow the instructions.

It was pretty great to see all the
teams travelling around together
in their matching shirts...

So, the teams made their way to the Brigham Young Historic Park, which is a walk (or jog) of a couple of city blocks. When they got to the park, their Team Parents opened the envelope with the clue. It said: Teams should now make their way to the place Brigham Young is buried. Don't be confused. He is not buried where most of the prophets have been laid to rest. To find his grave site, travel south on State Street to 1st Avenue. Go east on 1st Avenue until you find the small cemetery. Locate the clue box to receive your next clue.

The teams then walked to the cemetery, and when they found the clue box, took a clue out for their team, which read: WHO KNEW? - Take a team photo with Brigham and the children on the bench. Take a rubbing of his name on his gravestone, then return as a team to your team car. Now make your way to where all but 4 of our later-day prophets have been laid to rest. Find a Task Supervisor near the Cemetery Office for your next clue.

When the teams made it to the Salt Lake Cemetery, they found the Task Supervisor there, who gave them the next clue. It read: LEARN FROM THE PAST - You are now at the Salt Lake City Cemetery, at which most of our prophets and many other church leaders have been buried. Find the headstones for the following prophets: the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 15th. When you get to each grave site, have a team member read the enclosed paragraph pertaining to that person, and then make a rubbing of the name of the prophet. When you have completed all 5, return to the Task Supervisor to receive your next clue. Remember to be respectful of where you are. NO RUNNING OR YELLING.

After the teams visited all of the listed grave sites and made the rubbings, they brought the rubbings to be checked by the Task Supervisor who was still located by the cemetery office. They were then given the next clue, which read, "During the construction of the Salt Lake Temple, it took 3 to 5 days to transport the granite stones from the quarry to the construction site. Make your way to the quarry in the "little canyon". Park and locate the Task Supervisor in the parking lot for your next clue."

And this next stop was a doozy of a stop. The teams got to the Temple Quarry Trail parking lot, and found the Task Supervisor. The clue read, "DON'T BE THE WEAK LINK: You have been given a bucket of chains. Your task is to connect all of the chains into one long chain. To connect the chains, send one team member at a time on the Temple Quarry Trail loop. They must find a Task Supervisor on the trail and mention one of the 17 concepts from the For The Strength of Youth. If they name one correctly (that hasn't already been named by someone else), then the Task Supervisor will give them a carabiner, and your team member will return to your team and connect two pieces of chain with the carabiner. A 2nd team member will then go out until you have named all 17 of the concepts, and received 17 carabiners to connect your chain pieces. Once you have all 17 carabiners attached to the chains, make one trip around the entire Temple Quarry Trail with ALL OF YOUR TEAM MEMBERS holding some part of the chain the whole time. When you have returned to the parking lot, look for the clue box for your next clue".

teams trying to come up with the 17 concepts while
their team member was running on the trail

team member who just gave one of the concepts
to the Task Supervisor located on the trail

Notice the chain in their hands, which they
are all holding on to as they run around the loop

Can I just say we almost killed off most of the adults and several of the youth? They were so pooped by this part of the race, that they were practically dragging by the time they were finished with this activity. We made sure to tell them beforehand that they couldn't look up the answers on their phones or on their For The Strength of Youth cards in their wallets. They needed to put their heads together and think about the concepts. This was a learning experience for everyone, as they thought long and hard to come up with all 17 concepts.

The next clue read: What do they call people who go down south for the winter? As a team, make your way to the resort with the same name. Drive to Entry 2 and park near the resort center / tram. Using your CONNECT PASSES, get a ticket for each team member for the tram ride. Ride up as a team and locate a familiar person from the ward. Have them take a photograph of your entire team, and then they will give you your next clue."

The teams rode up the tram as they got to Snowbird. Once they got to the top of the mountain, they had to locate someone familiar (my son). He was sitting down on the ground over the ledge, just checking out the lovely view, so they had to look around quite a bit to find him. When they found him, they got this clue, SOARING OVER UTAH: You have just soared along a 1.6 mile cable and up 2900 feet to the top of Hidden Peak, which sits at 11,000 feet. You have been involved in a wide variety of activities today that have tested your mental and physical abilities. Proceed to ------- East and --------- South where you will be fed literally and figuratively so that you will be ready for tomorrow's race. Park in front and follow the arrows.

The teams all arrived at our friend's home (who lived outside of our ward and stake boundaries). They checked in at the Pit Stop Mat, and had their team photos taken, and also had their arrival time documented on the poster.

They were all treated to a barbecue dinner, and then a fantastic speaker, David A. Christensen. We had thought about playing games after that, but honestly, they were all so tired out from the day, we just roasted marshmallows afterwards, sat around and talked about the day's activities, and then the kids were taken back to their own homes to sleep for the night.

Before they left for the night, we told them we would be doing Temple Baptisms first thing in the morning. This was part of the youth conference, but not part of the race. We had the girls go at a certain time, and then the boys at another time. We told them beforehand that this would be part of the youth conference, so they knew to prepare for that. We didn't want it to be part of the race because we obviously didn't want them rushing through that special experience, and we also didn't want it to be obvious if anyone wasn't able to be there for that part of the activity.

We told them that after the temple trip, we would meet back at the church at 10:30 on Saturday morning, ready to continue the race.

Now, I haven't given every planning detail of each individual stop and activity. There is way too much to include here. Just know that each of the stops required a previous stop or two by us. We had to make contact with people (if the stops had people other than ours manning it), and we had to check and recheck the time involved in the stop, so that we could coordinate the day's events pretty accurately. We didn't want one team to get ahead of all of the others by too much time, so once in a while, we'd have a "rest stop" where we'd all catch up with each other, like at the Lion House lunch stop, and also the cemetery. Then, we'd have the teams leave in the order they arrived, two minutes apart.

Check back for post(s) on Day 3, the final day.

For information about the entire Amazing Race, 

click below on the specific days.

To read about Day 1 - click here.

To read about Day 2 - morning, click here.

To read about Day 3 - click here.

Amazing Race Youth Conference - Day 2 (morning)

Okay, just so you know... Day 1 was just a little appetizer for the two following days in our Amazing Race Youth Conference. Day 2 was packed to the brim, and exhausting (in a fun and happy way) for every person involved.

To read about Day 1 - click here.

To read about Day 2 - afternoon and evening, click here.

To read about Day 3 - click here.

Beforehand, I had asked a young-adult girl to be the Race Photographer, and gave her specific places and times, so that she was able to photograph teams coming in, and working on the activities. I also had the Team Parents take photos all along the way, and there were some clues that required photos to be taken of the team doing the activity.

Day Two: We had everyone meet at the church building at 7:30 a.m. Friday morning. The teams were all given their t-shirts, which they were to wear for the rest of the youth conference. Each team was given a bag of snacks and waters to keep in their coolers and then they were all given the same set of instructions: "Get in your car and follow the enclosed driving directions. As you travel to your first destination for the day, have team members work together to solve the enclosed puzzle about this particular destination. When you have solved the puzzle, you will have a better idea of where you are heading. As you continue to drive, play the game in the brown box. Have each team member take one paper out of the box and choose which question on the paper they would like to answer. Everyone should take a turn, including the Team Parents. Continue to play until you get to your destination." 

For this first activity of the day, we weren't racing quite yet. We planned it so that we all left around the same time and arrived at Ensign Peak together.

The puzzle mentioned in the above clue was just a word puzzle about the history of Ensign Peak. And the game was sort of an "ice breaker" game so that the team members would get to know each other quickly on the 20 minute drive to Ensign Peak. We put several questions in a little brown box and just had each team member answer one (or more) of the questions as they rode in the car together. When they arrived at the trail head, they all waited until all of the teams arrived, and then hiked all together up to the top of the peak. Once there, we had a devotional by a member of the bishopric, and then had a big group photo.

Don't you love those t-shirts? We actually had people asking
if we were from the show...

After the devotional, the teams were given their next clue, one at a time (two minutes apart), in the order they came in on the previous night. The clue they were given said, "DELIVERING DELIGHT: As spectacular as the view is from Ensign Peak, it can't compare to the joy we feel as we do what the Savior instructs in Matthew 25:34-40. When your entire team is in your car, read the scripture together, as well as the enclosed information about Primary Children's Medical Center. Make your way to Primary Children's to deliver the blankets your team made last night. Park in the parking area north of the hospital and go to the north information desk that is shaped like a boat. Ask the security guard for Marie _______. Give your blankets to her to receive your next clue."

Beforehand, we had dropped the clues off to our contact at the hospital, so she was able to give the kids their next clue. She was really excited about being a part of our Amazing Race, and also so very grateful for the blankets the kids would be delivering.

The clue that Marie then gave them said, "Drive your team to the place shown in the photo. After parking, head to the ticket desk and using your CONNECT PASSes, get a wristband for each team member. Once you all have your wristbands, go back to the place on the photo and count all the people depicted on the entire monument. When you give the Task Supervisor (positioned near the monument, and wearing the green t-shirt) the correct number of people, he will give you your next clue."

The Team Parents were given enough CONNECT PASSes for every member of their team. These were purchased beforehand, and included the admission for a few of the places we would be stopping at along The Race. By buying the CONNECT PASS, we were able to save some money.

By looking at the photo, the teams were able to discover that the next stop was This is the Place State Monument. They stopped there, and did what was instructed on the clue that Marie had given them.

There are people depicted on all sides,
and on the top, too!

These are the kids trying to give the correct answer to
my son, who was a Task Supervisor at this stop

Once they counted up all the people on the monument (easier said than done!), they told the Task Supervisor the number, and if they had it correct, she gave them the next clue. It read, "DETOUR - TRADE OR TRAVERSE: A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In the DETOUR, teams must choose between TRADE or TRAVERSE. In TRADE, teams must use the enclosed pocket map to choose from a variety of traditional pioneer trades. Possible task locations are underlined in the "Open Buildings" section of the map. Each team must choose two locations to visit. At each location, EACH team member must complete their own craft before moving on. Crafts requires some skill, but handy teams may finish this task quickly. After each team member has completed BOTH crafts, locate one of the two roaming Task Supervisors within the park. They will check your work and provide your next clue.
In TRAVERSE, teams must use the enclosed map to locate the train stop. Once you get to the stop, the entire team must wait for the next train to arrive and board the train. Travel together in the train, round trip, returning to the same stop. The task doesn't require any skill, but teams may lose time waiting for the next train. Once you have completed a full train ride, the team must locate one of two roaming Task Supervisors within the park to receive your next clue."

Pretty self-explanatory, really. The two roaming Task Supervisors were my young adult daughter and her friend, each wearing the prescribed green shirt. They wandered around the park so that they weren't completely easy to find. Once the teams came to them with their tasks completed, they were given the next clue: "A WALK BACK IN TIME: Your team must complete any two of the following four tasks: 1-Working as a team, locate the item you see in the enclosed picture. Once you have found it, you must take a team photo by it. 2-As a team, locate the Deseret Alphabet Placard. Once you have found the alphabet, you must decipher the following message: (and then we included a message written in the Deseret Alphabet). 3-As a team, go to the historic ZCMI store and find a pattern for a women's basic pleated skirt. Locate the exact amount of fabric the pattern requires and the price of the pattern. Write the two answers below. 4-Locate the building displayed in the enclosed photo. Once you have found it, you must count the number of all the white fence pickets that surround the structure. Write the total below. 
When both tasks are finished, go to the Task Supervisor outside of the park, by the monument, for your next clue."

And after they finished two of those tasks correctly, the Task Supervisor outside of the park, gave them a clue that read: "FOREVER FAMILY: Drive your car and park in the Public Parking lot on the corner of West Temple and North Temple. You will use the enclosed money to pay for the parking. Go on foot to the edifice that took 40 years to build. Count the stars on the east side of the building. Once you have that number, locate a familiar ward couple who is enjoying pondering what takes place in this beautiful edifice. Give the correct # of stars to the couple for your next clue."

One of the teams trying to count the stars
on the east side of the temple

They all drove to the specified parking lot and then figured out that the edifice was the Salt Lake Temple. When they had counted the stars on the east side of the building, they looked around the grounds for a familiar couple (who was a young-married couple from our ward) sitting on a bench, talking and looking at the temple.

They gave the teams their next clue after they told them the correct number of stars. The next clue read, "If Brigham Young could see how beautiful the surroundings of his home are now, he would be so pleased! Continue on foot to the location in the photo".

That clue sent the kids to the courtyard between the Lion House and the Beehive House. A Task Supervisor was there with a clue that sent them all inside of the Lion House for lunch. The clue said, "GUESTS AT BRIGHAM'S TABLE: Using your CONNECT PASSes, go to the Lion House for lunch. Let the hostess know that you are using CONNECT PASSes, and she will give you the options for your lunch. Do not spend more than the CONNECT PASSes will cover. If you do, your team may be eliminated. After lunch, return to the courtyard and stay there until the Task Supervisor dismisses your team and gives you your next clue. Teams will leave in the order they arrived, 2 minutes apart, with the first team leaving no earlier than 12:00."

Some of the Task Supervisors enjoying a well-earned
lunch at the Lion House
(The kids on the left and right belong to me, and the one in
the middle is my daughter's friend... oh, how we loved being
able to depend on these kids!)

And that brought them all to lunch, where they were able to eat at a regular pace, knowing that everyone would be leaving 2 minutes apart, regardless of when they finished eating. We had a large tri-fold poster there, where we wrote in the order of the teams arriving, so that we wouldn't get that confused when it came time for them to leave.

Now, I think this is a good place to stop. We've only made it through a few hours of the second day, but we don't want to overwhelm... Stay tuned for more Amazing Race info!

For information about the entire Amazing Race, 

click below on the specific days.

To read about Day 1 - click here.

To read about Day 2 - afternoon and evening, click here.

To read about Day 3 - click here.