Memories by Mauri Liljenquist Nelson

A heart felt thanks to Mauri for sharing some of her memories of Caprece with us! She says these are three distinct memories that she has of Caprece.

1. When we were in Young Women, we took a temple trip. I have an idea that we went to Washington DC on a big bus, but I don't know why we wouldn't have just gone to Atlanta. I remember Lisa Condrey was on the bus playing Yahtzee the whole way, so maybe she'd remember where we went. Caprece had a little stereo on the back of the bus, and I remember two songs from that trip that I associate with her. Lean on Me and Richard Marx' Endless Summer Nights. I was probably 12 or 13, and I thought Caprece was so grown up and so cool. Ever since then those songs remind me of that trip and of Caprece.

2. Just after Caprece's mission, she and I were both in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Maybe the summer of 1993 or 1994? I didn't know she was going to be there, and she was so excited to be back in her mission area again. Each day part of the opening exercises was for everyone to stand and recite the Standard of Truth. I remember Caprece actually leaping up in her excitement to participate in this moment. The force of her testimony and her love of the gospel seemed so obvious to me then. I always remember that moment as specific evidence of that testimony that guided all of her life.

3. Finally, I remember participating with you and Caprece in a stake mini-MTC for the youth a few years ago when she was pregnant with Abraham (is that right?). (Yes, that is correct. Matt was training at FLETC and Caprece was pregnant with Abe.) You can probably figure out the year. My mom and I taught about sewing on buttons and ironing shirts. You two taught about meal planning, grocery shopping, and recipes and meal making. You gave out this little recipe book, and I still use it for a couple of my standard recipes. I love the chili recipe I found there! This was probably the last time I saw Caprece. I saw her serving others and the Lord, working together with her sister, sacrificing to bring a precious little spirit into the world, and focusing her life around creating her eternal family. Most of all tha'ts what I remember about her.