We started our trip on Thursday, just before school got out. We drove to St. George and stayed with Ken and Karman Wilson (Ken is Wendy Spooner's brother). They are too much fun and so generous. We love their family and Arthur, their dog!
Friday morning, after pancakes at the Wilson's, we drove the rest of the way to Provo, to Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Randy's house. We got settled, ate lunch and quickly got dressed to go to the Temple Open House. We had tickets for 2 pm. We waited in line in the COLD underground parking for about 25 minutes. The line was huge but moved quickly and they had heaters every once in a while to defrost you.
By the time we got to the theater room for the introduction, the kids were wiped out. Laney and Daniel rested until the film started. It didn't look comfortable to me.
Susanna snuggled with her daddy.
This was the first temple wall they saw. Silly kids, so dramatic.
These interior photos and captions are from the LDS.org slide show site found HERE.
The main entrance to the Provo City Center Temple includes a reclaimed stained glass image of Jesus Christ that dates back to the early 1900s that came from a Presbyterian church in New York that was demolished.
A sealing room inside the Provo City Center Temple.
An instruction room.
Oval-shaped baptistry of the Provo City Center Temple.
The celestial room on the top floor of the Provo City Center Temple.
The chandelier and ceiling inside the celestial room of the Provo City Center Temple.
Bride's room in the Provo City Center Temple
A three-story staircase inside the Provo City Center Temple was crafted out of wood, keeping with the Victorian interior design of the tabernacle.
Needless to say, it was breathtaking!
It was hard to get opened-eyed, non-squinty photos with all the sparkling snow.
This was the 5th try for a good picture in front of the temple backdrop. This was the only one with all the eyes open, and it was taken inside without the blinding snow.
After our tour, we went back to Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Randy's house so the kids could play in the snow and Richard and I could have a little time to relax.
They were overjoyed! The last time we had played in the snow was 2011, when Susanna was almost 3 years old. They couldn't really remember it.
Aunt Marilyn truly is a GREAT aunt! She played with the kids and taught them how to make snow balls. She is awesome!
That evening we had dinner at the Lyon's home. It was a wonderful evening. I always love to hear the stories that go with each of his paintings. It was wonderful to see their art studio completed and to see what he is working on. Of course I had to purchase a few things while I was there. I love this portrait of the Savior and all the little details with the field and flock behind him too.
Howard has amazing talent! His paintings are beautiful, both his sacred and secular pieces.
You can see more of his work here: Howard Lyon Fine Art
Saturday morning we got up and ready to play in the snow again.
Laney needed a hug from her main man, Daniel Kellis, so we popped in and he loaned us a sled and a couple of saucers for the day. It was great to see him.
It was their first time sledding and building a snowman. They were in heaven!
Penguin racing down the hill!
Yes, I was there too.
We had to get a picture of the snow covered Mount Timpanogos. Richard's dad grew up at it's base, so it is our family mountain. Something about it always feels like home, although I think I feel it more in the summer, when I'm not frozen.
That evening we saw Pippen at Pleasant Grove High School. They did an incredible job! The kids all loved it too. Richard read a lot more about it that evening and all the underlying meanings. We all have the songs stuck in our heads. It is a great show, but I was glad we got to see the PG version at a high school.
The star-stricken kids wanted a picture with Pippin. He had already changed and put on his glasses when we caught up with him. Susanna said she was so nervous. He really was amazing in the lead role.
The whole reason I even knew about the show, was my long time friend Julie Elcock had posted that her daughter was going to be one of the lead characters. I was thrilled to find that it was the same weekend we would be there. It was wonderful to catch up a bit with her and to enjoy her talented daughter.
I stole this from her Facebook post about her talented daughter Abi. She was a riot in the role of Fastrada the Queen, and has a great voice!
Sunday morning we enjoyed sacrament meeting with Marilyn. There were beautiful testimonies of faith through loss and tragedy. One man had lost his 50 year old son in an avalanche and a young woman from Taiwan shared about a recent earthquake that devastated her home town. Thankfully her family members were all spared.
Then we drove to Salt Lake City and Temple Square. We went straight to the Church History Museum to see the I Am A Child Of God painting by Howard Lyon, featuring our darling Sara, but they are no longer open on Sundays since the recent renovation. We were bummed, but we still enjoyed the temple grounds and an organ concert in the Tabernacle.
The little girls fell in love with the sister missionaries and can't wait to serve missions of their own.
Many of the sisters told us that they have Temple Square sister missionary friend who are serving for 3 months in San Diego, where our Elder Josh is serving. It was fun to feel close to him through them.
We spent the evening having dinner and talking at the Bytheways. The kids played Quelf, a ridiculous game, and had a ball. Richard had a nap for a bit, John said he was proud of him for sneaking one in. Kim and I talked and talked. Her parents were there for most of the evening too. We love the Loveridges as well.
Other than this first picture, Laney was the one to photograph our visit there.
For the last while Richard and John were deep in conversation as were Kim and I and the kids were every where, having a blast with their Bytheway "cousins".
Monday morning we said our goodbyes to Marilyn and Randy and headed home after a wonderful long weekend.
Other than a few crazy car trapped wiggles and silliness, the kids got along with very few conflicts. It was close quarters for us, since we usually travel in our big van, but we survived and had a great time!
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