Masterpiece

While in Utah we stayed at Ben's grandpa's house in Ogden. Ben has a lot of memories there. It was really nice that we could stay there. The house is straight out of the 1950's, which is totally awesome, and when Ben sat down in this chair it just reminded me of something I would see on Masterpiece Theater or something. It was awesome!

Temple Square

It has been a busy couple of weeks. After my family left (which was a sad day), I had 24 hours to prepare for a week long road trip. It was a very busy Monday, but we made it!

We had the wonderful opportunity to take the girls to Temple Square in Salt Lake City. We have never done that before, but I am so glad we took them.

My favorite picture of the day:

As we were going through the Visitor's Center, I was struck by how blessed we are. I was really overwhelmed with gratitude for my testimony of my Savior, and for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Recently a dear friend of mine left the church. She has her reasons, and of course I respect those reasons. But as we walked through and I was reminded of all the blessings that I have received because of The Church (and in this instance I am referring to the Mormon church, not just religion in general), my heart simply burst with joy. I love this church! I love that I can teach my kids about Christ, and about living a good life, and to have a support system via the church that helps me lead my children in righteousness. What would I not love about teaching my kids to love and serve others, to not use drugs and alcohol, to study and learn and become the best we can be in this life? Living the standards of the church brings nothing but peace and happiness- what is there not to love about that? Even if it turns out to be a complete hoax, who cares? It brings happiness- what else matters?

Anyway, I was just overcome with extreme gratitude for my family that I love so much, and for the Savior that I love even more. Such a wonderful day!

OK, I'm off my soap box now.

After Temple Square we went over to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, where Ben and I got a lot of our wedding pictures taken. We wanted to show the girls some of our memories from our wedding day. We recreated some of our pictures from our wedding day.

We snuck upstairs at the Lion House, where we had our wedding reception, and showed the girls.

Then we stopped at the Bountiful Temple, where we got married, and showed the girls. We hadn't been back there since our wedding day, so it was fun to be back to where it all started!

 And, we stopped by Arctic Circle for dinner- the same Arctic Circle that Ben and I went to with my parents on our wedding after our ceremony, and after hours and hours of pictures when we were absolutely STARVING and needed something to eat. Once again, we were starving and Arctic Circle hit the spot.

Last Pictures

 The girls put on a play for us- Alice In Wonderland.

And, my favorite picture of the trip on a walk to our favorite pond:

Chatfield Beach

 Thankfully, the weather stayed warm so we decided to head to Chatfield Beach. It was unbelievably empty! But, we lucked out- a rental company was there renting out paddle boards. Because Ben wasn't there to say no, Melissa and I decided to splurge and rent one. I have always wanted to paddle board- and it was awesome! I was quite unsteady, but I was able to stand up which was nice. The girls all got a chance to go out, and Tabatha was awesome at swimming alongside the paddle boat to make sure nobody tipped. We had a fantastic day!

First Folio

After the temple, we decided to go to CU Boulder to see the First Folio- Shakespeare's first compilation of plays, put together 7 years after his death. Without this Folio, we would not have any of Shakespeare's plays. We are very lucky that some of his actors decided to put this Folio together! It is very famous, and it was fun to see it.

It was also fun to walk around campus. I had never been there before, but it is absolutely beautiful!

Family In Town!

We were very blessed to have our family come into town! My mom, sister, and her three daughters flew in for a quick weekend trip. The purpose of the trip was to go and see the beautiful Ft. Collins Temple Open House. It was a drive, but was well worth it! It is seriously about the most beautiful building I have ever seen.

Some people ask, "Why do Mormons spend so much on temples? Why not donate that money to the poor?" I think that's a valid question, so I spent some time thinking about it. These are just my thoughts, so take them with a grain of salt. 

First of all, we DO donate millions and millions every year to the poor and to humanitarian efforts throughout the world, so that concern should be assuaged. But second, I think people respect things more if they have to sacrifice for it. If we just slapped together a building, it wouldn't be special. But, if we put our very best into it- by using the best materials we can find, by not having any imperfections, etc. we tend to treat that item or building better- with more respect. The Lord can dwell anywhere- He doesn't need a beautiful building. But maybe we do so that our hearts will be humbled by the sacrifices made to make that building so that we are better able to allow Him to enter our hearts. I don't have the answers, but I do know that the building was beautiful and it was a wonderful trip!