Tonight I got to do my first session at the Draper Temple. It was kind of spontanious. I got up this morning and just decided "I think I'll go to the Temple tonight". The Draper Temple is probably only about 10 minutes away from my work so, why not?
During the session, I sat behind a young girl going through for her own endowments. I'm assuming she's getting married this weekend. Watching her do everything for the first time reminded me of how nervous I was when I went through for mine. I couldn't help but be excited for her. It's such an amazing experience and to share it with your family makes it even more special. She had quite a support group with her. I didn't realize how big her group was until we got into the celestial room. She had parents, friends, and even grandparents. What an exciting time for her.
That's one of the best things for me when I go back to the Temple is remembering the feelings I get each and every time I go. I feel like different things stand out to me each time. It gives me comfort about some things and makes me ponder others. I like to be reminded of our Savior's love for us. I love the feeling I get as soon as I walk into the celestial room. The Temple is truly a holy place on Earth for us and we need to take advantage of it. Speaking of Heaven on Earth, I came across a beautiful hymn while I waited in the chapel for the session to start. Just another example of neat things that can happen in the temple...
Growing up in a family where the kids LOVED to give my parents a hard time, I always wondered if that would come back to me when I decided to start a family. I got a bit of peace of mind when I got my patriarchal blessing. I was SO elated about a part where it says that my children will love to be in my home because it will be a safe haven for them and for their friends. I get teary-eyed whenever I read that part because I feel that it was a direct answer to my prayers. I don't think it can be misinterpreted either. It's pretty clear. Anyway, I came across a hymn called Home Can Be a Heaven on Earth. Ever heard it? I haven't. I just happened to flip to it. Here are the words:
Home can be a heav'n on earth When we are filled with love,
Bringing happiness and joy, Rich blessings from above
Warmth and kindness, charity, safety and security
Making home a part of heaven, Where we want to be.
Drawing family near each week, We'll keep love burning bright.
Serving Him with cheerful hearts, We'll grow in truth and light.
Parents teach and lead the way, Children honor and obey,
Reaching for our home in heaven, Where we want to stay.
Praying daily in our home, We'll feel His love divine;
Searching scriptures faithfully, We'll nourish heart and mind.
Singing hymns of thanks, we'll say, "Father, help us find the way
Leading to our home in heaven, Where we long to stay."
I like the first verse the best. I took this in as another reminder of how important family is and how important it is that we keep it strong by following the council of our church leaders. F.H.E. is an awesome way to do that. I want to start doing Family Home Evening with Howie. That's one thing that we haven't even discussed! Yikes. We are bad. If we get into the habit of it now, we'll be able to share some neat lessons with our kids someday. Well, I think that is a long enough blog entry! Thanks for reading.
She was so nervous to do the little presentation that the teacher had taught them. They sang a song about all the different seasons of the year.
Each little kid was given an award of some kind. Mercedes's was for the "Sweetest Little Helper". She does love to help out!
The school teacher put together a little video of pictures of their entire school year. It was nice to see all the fun activities they did. Each kid got to take home a copy of the DVD. It was a neat little presentation. We let Mercedes pick where she wanted to go for dinner afterwards. So we ended up at(where else?) McDonald's! Yummy. Congratulations Mercedes! We're so proud of you.
The weather was perfect for doing this trail. It was overcast all day. The sun peaked out at us a couple of times, but for the most part it was nice. There weren't any trees for cover, so we were glad the sun was hiding.
The island was pretty much what I expected it to look like, but more. I had no idea the views would be so amazing. All the greenery reminded me of something you would see in Scotland. The real views come from the middle of the island. Not around the edges.
Another big reason why we didn't make it to the summit is because the bugs on the island can REALLY get to you. They have a real problem when it comes to bitting gnats. We thought they would be the worse at the bottom of the island because it's closer to the water. But, no. The bugs like it up high, apparently. By the time we turned around I had them in my hair, my ears, AND my nose. They were terrible! They warned us at the entry gate, but we still insisted on going. (Especially after a 40 minute drive to get there!)
Me rockin' some seriously white legs. Sexy.
Howie really likes to be outdoors, he just doesn't know it until he gets there. This is the reason why we got there so late. I had a bit of trouble getting him out of bed. Sometimes you just gotta take his blankets away, flip on the light, and hope he stirs until he just decides to get up. We ended up leaving the house around 12:30 and didn't start the hike till around 2:30pm. If it were all up to me we would've been up there when the island opened, but that's just me. Funny thing is, while we were hiking, Howie says to me "Truth be told, it would've been better if we started this earlier." Just then the heavens opened and shined down on me for that glorious moment. He had a big "I TOLD YOU SO" coming his way. 
The picture below shows how far we got. That peak in the middle is the summit. I wanted to keep going, but due to time restraints, we couldn't. Maybe someday we'll try it again. We're thinking about trying it again this year.
The island really is beautiful. We had a lot of fun checking it out. We've heard there was a little stand on the island where you could buy buffalo burgers so we went to find it. Unfortunately, it was closed when we got there. Man, everything closes early on Saturdays! Anyway, it was a really fun day.
There were a lot of countries highlighted, so I'll just post pictures of my favorite gardens and call it good. Here is a cute little replica of the Eiffel Tower in the France garden.
I have to be partial to this one because I've been to the real thing! This is a tribute to Stonehenge in England.
Here is the opening to the Japan garden. This is probably the biggest garden they have there. Well, the United States one is probably the biggest, but they really don't have a whole lot in it!
Howie standing on a bridge in the Japan garden. The tree behind him is a beautiful cherry blossum tree. I wish the picture showed more detail, but oh well.
The garden that is, by far, my favorite was the Switzerland one. They have a huge piece in it to tribute the Swiss Alps. It's impressive! They got pretty creative with this one.
If you've never been to this garden, I highly recommend it! Especially if you have kids. They would love to see all the things they have put in to pay tribute to the different countries. There are a ton of countries highlighted throughout it. Here they are: United States, Sweden, Great Britain, Switzerland, Norway, Holland, Finland, Italy, Lebanon, Japan, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Scotland, China, India, Canada, Africa, Wales, Mexico, Brazil, Philippines, Korea, Russia, Ireland, Vietnam, France, and Tonga! The gardens are located off of 1000 S. and 900 W. in Salt Lake City. Go visit them! 
My favorite moment of the evening was when Bret held his hand out to a girl and she took that as an open invitation to jump up on stage! He quickly let go of her hand and walked away saying "SECURITY!"
If you watched season 1 you would get it! Anyway, it was a blast and I can't wait until they come back to Salt Lake again. Thanks Henry!
This is probably my favorite picture of my Mom and I. It's one I have cherished.
Even though we drove my parents nuts at times, they still love us. I hope to do the same when I have kids!
My Mom always made sure we never went without. I absolutely adore her for that.
While in Arches National Park, we also visited Windows. Shown here is the North and South Window. You can hike into the North one, but you can't easily get into the South.
Another temple down! I'm looking forward to next month. Howie and I are going to Yellowstone for our 1 year anniversary and I'm hoping we can stop in the Logan Temple on that trip.