Did I REALLY Just Do That?

In 1974 I was living in Provo, Utah and had the opportunity to have been ordained a Seventy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the previous year.  The Seventies Mission Bookstore was located on the block between First North and Second North and First West in Provo.  Proceeds from books sold were donated to the Church to assist misisonaries that were unable to fully pay their own way on their missions.  I think that this was the second time I had been involved in the meetings where these donations were presented.  The first one had been in the previous year, and one of the General Authorities from the Council of Seventy was the speaker, after which the tradition was to have an ice cream banana split (make it yourself). 

This second year, Elder Hartman Rector Jr. of the First Council of Seventy was the speaker.  As was the custom, he was presented with a check that represented the profits of the Seventies Mission Bookstore and he spoke to the two stake's Seventies and our wives.  After the meeting, everyone met in the cultural hall at the back of the chapel where banquet tables had been set up in a long row.

Laden with ice cream, bananas, and various toppings, the lines formed on either side of the banquet tables where we would have our "build your own" banana splits or ice cream sundaes.  Several people were in line before my wife and me on the one side of the banquet tables, and others were going up the line on the other side of the tables.  Everyone was visiting as each "built" their own dessert.

Generally, there were three flavors of ice cream--vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.  I had split a banana lenth-wise and placed it in the banana split dish, scooped one of each of the three flavors, and proceeded to add two or three various toppings like carmel, strawberry, chocolate to the scoops of ice cream.  I was deeply involved in "building" my banana split when it came to the whipped cream I was going to place on top and did not notice that Elder Rector was going up the other side of the table building his very own banana split directly across from me.

We were all dressed in our Sunday-best suits and attire.  I had never used whipping cream in an aerosol can before.  As I tried to figure out how to put the whiipping cream on the top of my banana split, I bent the stem of the can and WHOOSH! A stream of whipping cream shot across the table and across the chest of Elder Rector, covering his navy blue suit coat, white shirt, and tie!  I could have crawled between the cracks in the hardwood floor of the cultural hall!  As he looked up, he simply gave me a smile (which certainly didn't help my embarrassment), got a napkin, and brushed off the whipping cream.

I couldn't believe that I had just done that!  I apologized quickly, and my wife and several others around us quickly helped me figure out how to get the whippping cream out of the can where I wanted it to go!

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Comments 4

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Tom Cormier (website) on Monday, 19 March 2012 12:42

OH Geez Golden that is hilarious!! I can see your face now. Of all people, you did that, and of all people to the Elder Rector!! Great story. We are all human and this is a fantastic way to prove it.

OH Geez Golden that is hilarious!! I can see your face now. Of all people, you did that, and of all people to the Elder Rector!! Great story. We are all human and this is a fantastic way to prove it.
Janet Holt (website) on Tuesday, 20 March 2012 02:07

I'm sure when he saw the look on your face he couldn't help but smile. Great story--and one I'll bet is told often by Elder Rector!

I'm sure when he saw the look on your face he couldn't help but smile. Great story--and one I'll bet is told often by Elder Rector!
Joyce Stone (website) on Monday, 26 March 2012 23:53

That is a wonderful story! Kind of reminds me of the story about Elder Packer throwing the piece of cake at the missionary as he was teaching them how to "serve" the Gospel. Aren't you glad it wasn't chocolate ice cream?

That is a wonderful story! Kind of reminds me of the story about Elder Packer throwing the piece of cake at the missionary as he was teaching them how to "serve" the Gospel. Aren't you glad it wasn't chocolate ice cream?
Golden V. Adams Jr. (website) on Tuesday, 27 March 2012 12:19

Chocolate ice cream? I guess that would have made it much more memorable for Elder Rector--a much more difficult cleaning requirement. ;>)

Chocolate ice cream? I guess that would have made it much more memorable for Elder Rector--a much more difficult cleaning requirement. ;>)