I Love To See the Temple

We spent a Saturday touring the new Draper Temple.  A couple buses broke down and we ended up waiting for about 90 minutes for a bus-- which is hot and not fun with three kids(especially with fully charged batteries).  Once we got to the temple, all the annoyances melted-- just as you would expect at the temple.  I loved walking through the temple and explaining things like the paintings in a room and how they help us remember that Heavenly Father created the whole earth or that the twelve oxen represent the twelve tribes-- you know Jacob's 12 sons from the song...  and so on.  Ben's favorite part was the celestial room, Noah-- the oxen, Caitlyn-- the room with all the mirrors, Jeff-- looking in the sealing room mirrors with our whole family, Mine-- the paintings in the chapel: Christ and the Rich Young Man, The Pool of Bethesda by Bloch and a ressurection picture I didn't recognize with Christ and Mary.  It really symbolized the things we leave behind when we go the temple-- our worldliness and our weaknesses.  The temple is really the only place where we can be sanctified of those things and it all is due to Christ and his mission to be a Savior for us.  

I remember attending the Jordan River Temple open house when I was very young.  There are so many details from the blue hospital shoe covers to the stained glass windows along the staircase that I can still remember.  I hope my kids remember the way the temple makes them feel and they will desire to go back and learn more.  I am grateful for the unifying experience that doing spiritual things is for our family.

Lest I forget, whoa-- that was some church gym... It was better than any wedding I've ever seen. The cookies were fabulous and the hospitality was great.

DERBYLICIOUS

 Just two weeks into Benja's new Scout Troop, we had major derby stress. Both leaders assured me that they would get us a copy of the rules because there was a Pinewood Derby coming up...... Jeff and Ben spent some time drawing renderings of the car ideas they had.  One fateful Tuesday, I picked Jeff up from work early due to a cranking headache.  From the backseat, Benja informs us that the Derby is tonight because so-and-so (another kid in the Wolf pack) told him at church on Sunday.  WHAT???  After a quick call to the mightly chagrined den mother, Benjamin got to work with Jeff maintaining his stance that a boy should do the work on his own.  50 minutes later, we arrived at Pack Meeting in time to weigh in before the big race.  We didn't realize that a little graphite lubricant on the wheels was allowed, so Ben's car finished dead last in every heat.  Poor guy.  When the races were over, he was acting brave but glum until he realized that his prize for "Most fuel efficient car" was the same king-sized Hershey's bar as the fastest car award.  Another dad offered some graphite grease and Ben's car raced down the speedway during the fun runs.  

Benjamin with the Fuel Efficient "Black Shadow Stealer, #98.

Our very own cheerleader-- too bad she doesn't read yet!