Temple Tour

Two states and seven temples...and it's not out west.  Five of the temples are in one state.  Four of them are considered "Temples of the Restoration" and three of them have yet to be built.  But prophecies have been made, lands have been consecrated, and the ground is holy.  So our family decided to take a temple tour.

It was a fun experience.  We probably didn't do it justice...but with six kids under the age of 12, we did our best.  If nothing else, we exposed our kids to our love of temples.  These edifices are truly the "House of the Lord" and house the most important work mortals and immortals are involved in.

So what are the seven temples in two states?  Two are in Illinois and five are in Missouri.  We'll take you on our tour...  

Temple #1: Chicago (but we didn't travel north to get a picture...).  Here is a picture and information if you're interested.  Hopefully that's not cheating...

Temple #2: Nauvoo (but the first temple we actually visited :))

We've relocated back to the Nauvoo Illinois temple district.  It's interior and exterior is unlike any other.  The spirit in this beautiful city is inspiring.  We hope to bring our family here as often as possible.

Temple #3: Adam-ondi-Ahman

I had never considered this a temple site.  But according to Heber C. Kimball's records, it is.  The site was dedicated by Brigham Young in 1838.  

The valley is where Adam blessed his posterity after being driven from the Garden of Eden.  And it is here that Jesus Christ will come and hold a grand council.  

How cool to stand in such an historic and prophetic location!  To know who was here and who will be here...

Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.  And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel. (Doctrine and Covenants 107:53-54)

There is an area of Adam-ondi-Ahman known as Tower Hill (below where Peter is showing some intimidating moves).  While in this area, Joseph Smith identified remains of a Nephite altar or tower.  About a half mile from this location, Joseph also identified three altars built of stone where Adam offered up sacrifice.  The exact location of the structures are not known today and there is no visual evidence remaining.

Temple #4: Far West

After viewing the other temple sites, it really hit home at this location...that the Lord knows how to choose real estate!  When I think of Missouri and Illinois, I don't think of incredible views from the top of a mountain.  But there are elevated areas where, if at just the right spot, you can see for miles around you.  It was the case in Nauvoo and in Adam-ondi-Ahman.

And it was the case in Far West.  This location sits high above the valley.  A picture would not have adequately captured the view.  But if you get a chance to visit, take notice of the panoramic view of the valley around Far West.  It is amazing what a little elevation can do.

Significant events occurred on this holy land.  The name of the church was revealed here.  The first great missionary call "to go over the great waters" was given here.  And the law of tithing was revealed here as well.  

Temple #5: Independence

The Garden of Eden...and the future site of the City of Zion and the New Jerusalem temple.  The millennial world capital. 

Maybe I'm a sucker for well-manicured and beautiful empty lots of green grass.  But Karen and I remember standing in the open field where the Nauvoo temple once stood.  And now the temple has been reconstructed.  So we wanted our kids to have a similar experience.  These lands have all been dedicated.  So even though a temple doesn't reside here yet, the land is holy and there is a special spirit here.      

While the above is the "temple lot" where the New Jerusalem temple will be built, the larger temple lot is actually 63 acres and was purchased by Bishop Edward Partridge for $130.  Joseph Smith revealed a plan that featured a complex of 24 temples on the 63-acre temple lot.  The church currently owns approximately 20 acres (where the visitor center and stake center are located) of the original 63 acres.  The remaining acreage (including the temple lot for the New Jerusalem temple) is currently owned by other break-off groups of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

We ran around the field to identify each of the cornerstones.  While the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) was excavating for a temple in 1929, they discovered the northeast and southeast cornerstone markers.  Because of the Great Depression, the Church of Christ was never able to construct the temple.  Our church has maintained good relations with the Church of Christ over the years...hopefully we'll be able to acquire this land soon.  

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. (Article of Faith 10)

Temple #6: Kansas City

About 15 minutes down the road from Independence, the Church has completed construction of the Kansas City Missouri Temple and is currently holding an open house.  This temple is scheduled to be dedicated on May 6, 2012.  

Temples are not regular places of Sunday worship for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It is a place where sacred covenants are made with God.  It is a place of higher education where we learn where we came from, why we are here on earth, and what life after mortality is about.  Eternal families are created here in beautiful wedding ceremonies as husband and wife are joined not "till death do us part," but sealed for time and all eternity.  

Temples are sacred buildings that link Heaven to Earth.  Each one is a "House of the Lord" where His spirit resides.  Prior to the dedication of a temple, the general public is invited to an open house to visit and learn more about temples and their purpose.  So we took our children.  It was a great family experience.

Temple #7: St. Louis


Traveling back across the great state of Missouri on our return home, we passed by the St. Louis temple.  This is where Karen and I were married...where our eternal family was organized December of 1999.

Temples are sacred structures dedicated to the eternal work of God.  We love visiting them often and hope our children will acquire that same love as they mature in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Still Catching Up

It has come to our attention through a source who shall remain nameless, that we have not blogged in a while. So here is a little snippet of us settling into our new home.

  Yep, there I am in all my magnificent catlike-ness. I did in fact kneel on the fridge in order to paint above the cabinets, there was really no other way to get up high enough. Plus this shows how dedicated I was to getting that family room/kitchen painted a lighter color:)

I don't really know what to say about this, just that she's a keeper:)

Now today, I was in the kitchen icing some sugar cookies, and I turned to stretch and noticed this happening. Our sweet little six year old Peter, took a moment this afternoon to sit and read the Book of Mormon. He then proceeded to tell me that the beginning of Alma is the best part and he just read "like 4 parts!" I'm not sure if he meant chapters or verses, probably the latter. Regardless, it doesn't get any better than moments like this.

Where Do We Begin?

First, Merry Christmas!  There are no Christmas lights up...no tree...no nativity scenes...but we do have stocking on the mantel.  We just moved into our new home last week and unpacked the last box a few days ago.  We didn't have it in us to unpack our Christmas items just to box them up again in a week or so.

My goodness.  It's been quite a ride for our family since October.  How about a quick recap?

I interviewed for a Corporate position at State Farm in October, was offered the position in October, Karen and I spent a week in Las Vegas for a CPCU conferment, Karen and I went on a house-hunting trip in November, we moved, spent a week in St. Louis for Thanksgiving, I started my job the Monday after while Karen and the kids stayed in St. Louis for another two weeks, and we moved into our new home in December.

Vegas was...eh, nothing that appeals to us.  Everything outside the strip was fun and the food was incredible (and incredibly expensive).  So we spent as much time as we could away from the "entertainment."

The temple was beautiful and a wonderful retreat.  It backs right up to the mountain on one side of the valley.  You can see the white spires from miles around against the brown rock.

And then when you go on the other side of the temple and look back towards the valley, it's quite a contrast with the temple elevated above the "world."  The Church sure knows how to make a statement.

And they have built a Stake Center alongside the property of the temple.  It has a beautifully landscaped desert garden.  Making arrangements to visit the temple was probably the best part of the trip. :)

But the next best part was a quick trip over to Hoover Dam.  It really is massive in person.  If you look behind the dam, you'll see a solid white line on the mountains.  That was the level of the water back in the 80s.

The bridge was completed recently.  There is no longer through traffic on the dam itself...which makes it much safer for all the pedestrians!

It really is amazing how they just built into the rock.  It was the best dam tour ever. The tour guides really enjoy using that joke in many different scenarios. :)

The lights of Vegas were beautiful.  We stayed at Caesar's Palace.  If you haven't been before and plan on going, watch out for the mini bars in the room.  Everything is weight-sensitive so if you pick something up out of the fridge, it automatically charges your account.  Nice.

And who needs to spend all that money for a show?!?  There is plenty of free entertainment along the strip.  The volcano is quite a production at the Mirage.  And it was super hot, too!

Karen and I could have spent all night at the fountains of the Belagio.  The music and water show was even better than Ocean's 11.

Larger than life doesn't even begin to describe what design engineers and architects have done in Vegas.

And this might have been the coolest intersection.  We played the role of the tourist and walked up and down the strip.

It was fun to see this familiar face on a billboard.  Karen noticed a nice touch on Gladys' finger...

See that?  It's a diamond CTR ring.  Love it!!!

So that was a quick recap of our trip to Vegas back in October.  We have so much catching up to do on our blog.  Maybe we'll get around to it...maybe not.

But we definitely need to share a few more select pictures.  Our family left Virginia the weekend before Thanksgiving.  A wonderful friend came over to take the kids after the movers drove off so we could clean the place.  Karen and I (ok...mostly Karen) did one last deep clean in our attempts to make the house more presentable for potential buyers.  Then we picked up the kids and brought them by the house one more time before driving west.  

We had them take their shoes off and run through the house.  Then it was time to say goodbye.  It wasn't easy...and there were definitely some genuine tears.  This picture pretty much captures it all.  The three youngest don't quite comprehend what was happening.  But the three oldest knew exactly what moving meant.  

Leaving was hard.  We made many good friends and created some incredible memories.  It was a beautiful part of the country (though we won't miss the trees that towered over our house and dumped leaves in our gutters year round).

And 800 miles away and a month later, we can finally call this new house our home.  Maybe we'll post more pictures of the new place.  It's amazing how quickly we've been able to settle in.  The neighbors are wonderful and the house will meet the needs of our growing family.

This last picture is an exact opposite of the kids leaving their home in Virginia.  The roles were reversed - the youngest (represented by Luke in this picture) was emotionally over-stimulated and was excited to finally be with Mom and Dad again.  The oldest (represented by Mark in this picture) couldn't wait to explore the new house.  I remember that feeling when I was his age and my family moved to St. Louis.

Good times.  Good times.  We're excited for the new adventures that await us here.  And we can't wait to record them here on our family blog.

Happy Halloween

Halloween is one of those holidays that has created a lot of tradition and good memories in our family.  

I can't lie - pumpkin carving is no picnic.  But it's fun to take the kids and choose pumpkins.  It's fun to choose a design.  It's fun to clean out the pumpkin (it really is a satisfying feeling to completely gut a pumpkin).  But the actual carving?  Mom and Dad's hands hurt for a few hours afterwards!

But seeing the final product makes it all worth it.  Neither Karen nor I remember carving pumpkins as a kid.  So we're enjoying it now as bigger kids.  Next year, we might let Mark carve his first one.

The costumes are another fun tradition.  It is now requiring a "family council" as the older kids get older.  And next year we might have to move away from the theme.  But for this year, we still pulled it off.  And Karen, as always, did an amazing job with the costumes.  There are a few individual shots below...only because the faces are so darn cute.  And then a couple of group shots.

Karen incorporated the theme into the candy bags, too.  The cops had "evidence" bags and the robbers had money bags.  How cute is this little robber?

I can't help but think of Barney Fife from the Andy Griffith Show when I see Peter and Luke in their cop outfits.  This group was a hit when we brought them to State Farm today.  It brightened up everyone's day.

Here's a group shot of the "Cops and Robbers."  Mark's candy bag was his ball connected to the chain.  And James' was the jail cell he was holding onto.  There was a hole at the top of each of the bars that deposited candy into the compartment below.  Brilliant.  

And we converted the red wagon into a Paddy Wagon.  Luke had Eliza in custody.  She looks angry in the picture below...and Luke looks frightened because he's trapped in there with her! :)

We love these kids so much.  And we enjoy dressing them up each year.  Mark will be 12 next year...so this era may be coming to a close.  We'll see what happens next year.

Hope everyone enjoyed a safe and happy Halloween!

Peter Michael

It's still birthday season in our family.  Peter is the last of the kids for a couple of months.  He turned 6 last week and enjoyed time with family and friends.

His primary teachers came to pay him a visit.  How sweet are they?!?

Karen and I were in Vegas during his actual birthday (don't judge...business conference with pre-determined travel dates).  So Grandma took a picture and emailed it to us.  

We love this kid.  He's super lovable and pure sweetness.  Happy birthday, Peter!!!

Luke Preston

Our sweet little Luke has turned four! I can hardly believe it!

Very excited about birthday presents, does it get any cuter than that?

 This boy loves Leapsters, Legos and Diego.

Cake time! He was very excited about his Captain America cake!

This cake was really easy to frost, but the baking was a challenge. In the end it turned out pretty cool.

 See the cool layers?! Luke thought three colors of cake was pretty cool.

Mark Owen

I think "happy" might be an understatement for this boy when he opened one of his birthday presents.

Rejoice much?

For the little entrepreneur . . . if he hasn't given you the business plan spiel, just ask, he will:)

He even loved the cake despite my lack of artistic skills when it comes to superhero heads. It is hard to believe that he is eleven, but we have certainly been blessed to be able enjoy watching him grow this far and we are looking forward to the future!

Eliza Rose

Our dear little Eliza turned two last week! We can hardly believe how quickly the time has gone. 

 Here she is loving her new chimpanzee, and styling her fabulous bead necklaces.

Of course we got a shot of the whole crew getting very excited about a very pink cake. Birthday Season has begun:)