One of our most favorite things to do as a family is to attend temple open houses. We've made it to quite a few in recent years, and I love the tradition it has created. If the temple is within a day's drive, we're there! And so we found ourselves getting our tickets for the Idaho Falls Temple a couple of months in advance, and anxiously awaiting our day-trip to Idaho. We left early on Saturday morning and a short 2 1/2 hours later we were in Idaho Falls. Easy peasy. :)
This temple is special to Danny's family. His Lovell grandparents were sealed there, and his mom received her endowment there. The outside of the temple remains the same, but they updated the entire interior. Though everything is new, they kept the 1940s feel...and it's unique and beautiful. Especially the hand-painted murals in every instruction room, where specialized restoration artists were brought in to repair and freshen the murals. The kids kept commenting on how Great Grandma Lovell was married there, and I could tell they felt the family connection to this temple. Johnny was especially excited to see his favorite part, the baptistry. And this was the first open house where he was able to walk around the font and be face-to-face with those twelve magnificent oxen. Sophie's favorite part were the chandeliers, which were shaped in star patterns and were breathtaking. Claire's favorite part is always the Celestial Room, and this temple did not disappoint her. And each of our children look forward to looking in the mirrors in the sealing room and seeing our family extend into eternity. And me? Well, I love how familiar and comfortable our children are getting inside the temple. I can't wait until we can do baptisms together and they can really partake of the spirit of that holy house.
This temple is special to Danny's family. His Lovell grandparents were sealed there, and his mom received her endowment there. The outside of the temple remains the same, but they updated the entire interior. Though everything is new, they kept the 1940s feel...and it's unique and beautiful. Especially the hand-painted murals in every instruction room, where specialized restoration artists were brought in to repair and freshen the murals. The kids kept commenting on how Great Grandma Lovell was married there, and I could tell they felt the family connection to this temple. Johnny was especially excited to see his favorite part, the baptistry. And this was the first open house where he was able to walk around the font and be face-to-face with those twelve magnificent oxen. Sophie's favorite part were the chandeliers, which were shaped in star patterns and were breathtaking. Claire's favorite part is always the Celestial Room, and this temple did not disappoint her. And each of our children look forward to looking in the mirrors in the sealing room and seeing our family extend into eternity. And me? Well, I love how familiar and comfortable our children are getting inside the temple. I can't wait until we can do baptisms together and they can really partake of the spirit of that holy house.
Because we were in Idaho Falls and had all day to spend there, we finally took the opportunity to visit with Larry and Karen Rounds. Larry was an advisor of Danny's at BYU-I during his time at Badger Creek. That time there was very impactful for Danny, and Larry took Danny under his wing. You can look back in your life and see the times the Lord placed someone, and angel, in your life. For Danny, Larry was one of those people. We always want to stop and see them on our way to and/or from the cabin, but it never seems to work out. We were so excited to get to spend the afternoon with them! And I know Danny was excited to show off his family. :) They were kind enough to feed us lunch, and then their grandson took the older three kids on some rides on the four-wheeler. After lunch, Larry took us to see their pigs. I was shocked when all of a sudden my children were in a pig sty running around on pig poop playing with pigs!! We did not bring the right clothes for pig-play. :) But when in Rome, right? The kids had a ball, and Johnny even managed to ride a pig for a few steps! It was such a fun experience, though Joey was frustrated he couldn't play too. :)
What a wonderful day we had! We are so grateful for the blessings of the temple in our life, and for the blessing of good friends and family. Danny and I drove home with our hearts full of gratitude for the abundantly blessed life we are privileged to live. And we are truly blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment