Temple Square

Sunday evening, as we were sitting at the dinner table, Lyle asked if we wanted to go downtown and spend the day at Temple Square.  Well, of course we did!  So, we got up Monday morning and headed off!  We didn't have any plans set, we just parked the car and started walking.  Wherever we eneded up was fine with us.  We came out in City Creek and made our way to Temple Square.

 

The first building we visited was the Tabernacle.  I'm not sure if Sean has ever been inside before, but I don't think he has.  I love this building.  I've been to countless General Conferences there, as well as State Choir while I was in High School. 

As we exited the Tabernacle, I noticed something on the Temple that I've never noticed before.  Every time I go to the Temple, I come away with some type of new knowledge.  Usually that pertains to the session or what happens inside the building;  today, it was something on the facade.  Do you see it?  The Big Dipper constellation is on the side of the west facing wall of the center spire.  I've never noticed that before.  I'm positive it represents something...but I'm not sure what.  Not yet.

We headed across the street to take a tour of the Conference Center.  Lyle and I have been inside for various functions, but Sean has never been inside.  So we figured today was the day.  He was very attentive to the Hostess and asked numerous questions.

This scuplture of President Monsen was recently unveiled.  It's such a great work of art!  Looks just like him!

After the tour of the Conference Center, we went across the street to the Church Office Building to see off the observation deck.  Sean was extremely apprehensive about being that high, but I tried to reassure him that there was no danger of him falling off the building and that it was essentially surrounded by tall windows.  He was still nervous, until we got up there, and then had a great time.  While grasping tightly to my hand for the first few minutes.  LOL

The one and only picture of me that day.  And it's not even one I'm particularly fond of.  However, over 12 years ago, I married this wonderful man inside this Temple in the background and I could not have made a wiser choice.  He is my pillar of strength, my best friend and my soulmate.  Yes, I believe in soulmates.  Love him.  So much.

We headed over to the Beehive House next.  In all my years of living in Utah (my entire life), I've never been inside the Beehive House.  It was such a great building!  It's amazing to see the woodwork and the type of skill that was involved in regular buildings during that time.  You just don't see it anymore.  I loved the curving staircase.  And the various levels.

We finished our day on Temple Square by watching the Joseph Smith movie in the Legacy Theatre.  As we came out of the theatre, the sun was setting and the lights on the Temple were on.  There was such a peaceful feeling that settled over us and Lyle and I took the opportunity to stand by the reflection pond and discuss with Sean the impact the movie had on him.  It was a great teaching moment as we urged him not to take the gospel for granted, to recognize the Savior's and Joseph Smith's sacrifice for us and how eternal families are the ultimate goal of this gospel and our time here on earth.  Lyle and I both cried as we bore our testimonies to him.  It was a teaching moment for us as well.

We ended the evening by eating at Wingers.  It was such a great day.  There was no arguing, no fighting, no stress.  Just a warm, fall day, filled with the Spirit and the people I love the most. 

Roberts Family Fundraiser

A member of our community recently passed away due to complications during childbirth, leaving behind her husband, a newborn baby girl, and a 4-year-old little girl. The community rallied behind her husband and organized a community fundraiser yard sale/bake sale. I spent the entire day saturday at the local charter school, painting faces to help bring in donations. At the end of the day (and they're still not done raising money), we'd raised over 15,000! Insane! It goes to show what a community will accomplish when one or two brave people say, "I will make this happen". The husband was about to lose their house, and I think now he and the kids can stick around.

Asylum 49

I went to my first Haunted House last night. Asylum 49 in Tooele. It's an old hospital that is apparently truly haunted. They have ghost tours and ghost hunts January through July...then they start preparing for Halloween and the haunted house. I was extremely apprehensive about going. Jamie planned a girls' night and told me I had to go.

After dinner, we headed to the Asylum and my stomach was in knots. We all hit the port-a-potties before we went inside (Angie A. said she was going to die because there were so many germs...haha). It was fairly creatively decorated on the outside; we bought our "tickets" out of the back of an ambulance with lights flashing, our "tickets" were hospital bracelets, and the line was separated by IV bags and drip lines. I screamed right when we walked in the door. I had seen a shaking decoration (like the motion-activated ones) through the door when groups before us had gone in...so I was expecting it. What I wasn't expecting, was for the decoration to be an actual person who came up behind me and breathed in my ear and when I turned around, these freaky eyes were just looking at me. I was pretty much NOT ok through the first half. We had to go down this pitch black tunnel that had a sloping ceiling and the walls closed in on you...you couldn't see a thing. It was awful. There were plenty of chainsaws and amputated limbs, bloody walls and screaming "patients", but there was also some creative sections too that didn't scare me as badly; a maze made out of jail cell walls and decorated with only glow-in-the-dark Jason masks, outdoor corn maze, room of mirrors maze, black light carnival room and a circus tent maze...it took us forever to find our way out of that last room. Jamie stayed in front of me the entire time, letting me squeeze the life out of her hand and bury my face in her back. Rebecca S. clung tightly to MY hand...even though I wasn't much of a comfort as I was relying on Jamie for my own comfort. Angie A. just marched right ahead and bravely led our group through every maze and every room.

I can now say I've gone through a haunted house, and I can now say I'll never go to another. I just have no idea why people think that type of thing is fun!? It's a good thing we ended the night with ice cream at Cold Stone. Ice cream can cure almost any fear.

WHAM!

There are still moments when I'm smacked in the face with what a miracle Ava is (well, both of my children, really...but right now, it's about Sis).  I'll be going along, doing my day-to-day thing, when...WHAM!  my breath is taken away by something and I'm overcome with emotion at how blessed we are to be parents...and how blessed we were/are to have gotten little Sissy here without any additional medical help.

Today...that WHAM! hit me while folding little princess panties.  Panties!?  Really!?  Cute little pink panties with yellow lace stitch edging and Rapunzel on the front.  I'm not ashamed to say I hugged them.  I'm so grateful I get to fold little panties.  Truly a blessing.

Legos Everywhere!

Sean and I enjoyed some bonding time lately. A lot of bonding time. We spend two days rebuilding two of his large Lego sets. I'm not really sure how "playing" with Legos entails destroying them...but whatever.

Our living room looked like a hurricane hit!  Legos everywhere.

There were several points where Ava could not stand it a moment longer and started throwing the Legos in the air like confetti!  Luckily, Sean magnanimously volunteered to read her a book so I could continue building.  Wasn't that kind?

In the end, one Secret Agent Mobile Command Center, and one Secret Agent Mission Helicopter were successfully reconstructed.  Sean says he's not breaking them anymore.  But, that's what he said last time. We'll see how long it lasts.

Incidentally, two days of sitting on the hard floor?  My butt hurts.  A lot.