Self-conscious citing of the photo at left: I do not know what the appropriate method is to give credit to photos found on Google image searches. This one is a lovely picture of the Draper, Utah Temple of the LDS church, and came from a4gpa on flickr.com. I liked this photo because it was taken at night, which is when we visited the temple--so the view was just this striking to us as we drove up in a little ferry-van.For those who don't already know, temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like the one pictured above, are different from ordinary chapels or meeting houses (pictured below). Temples are special places of worship where baptized church members may go
only when they are living good Christian lives and adhering to the highest of moral standards. We go to the temple to worship, pray, and ponder as we learn and make sacred covenants with God. Meeting houses, on the other hand, are open to both church members and visitors for any Sunday service or weekday activities.
After a temple has been constructed, there is usually a period of time during which the general public may take tours inside. After this "open house" time period, then the temple is dedicated to God, and only people following the specific tenets mentioned in the paragraph above may enter in.
Jerry and I have a Korean friend who is very curious about the temple and has said he would like to visit the open house with us soon. We are very happy for him to go and experience the peaceful beauty of that place. We attended once already, as we went this past weekend with a family from our neighborhood. Here we are pictured among photographs of temples from all around the world, which is appropriate because our party that night consisted of a Puerto Rican, a Chinese, and a few Americans. Nearly as global as the display.
We also had a chance meeting up with Uncle Carl, Aunt Becky, and their family at the refreshment table after our tour. How fun to see them and chat a bit. Here is one more picture taken at the display area located outside the temple (in a local chapel):
No photos allowed inside the temple itself...so there is some motivation to go see it for yourselves! One of my favorite parts of the inside is how local artists have painted murals on the walls. These paintings depict the surrounding Wasatch front, so the mountains inside the temple look just like the mountains outside. Also, the bridal changing room is spacious and exquisitely decorated. When we entered the sealing room, where countless families will soon be united for eternity, I felt very full in my heart. I took some time to reflect on my own marriage in the temple to sweet Jerry.
I have made a concerted effort to keep this blog as non-sappy as possible, but will go ahead and take this opportunity to just say once and for all: How wonderful it is to me that a man of such intelligence, understanding, and kindness saw fit to be my partner through this life and forever. I love you, Husby!
Here he is reading to that Lo. He is covering the baby's eyes because the story being read is about Jesus healing a blind man: "Imagine what it would be like to have no sight, and then suddenly be able to see again." Also note in this picture our sleeper sofa is pulled out, and we prepared our extra queen-sized bed in Lo's room (which he isn't using right now). We had some Young Single Adults (YSA) stay with us for a couple nights this past weekend as part of a church conference in the area. We feel pretty "grown up" to be able to host guests like that and it was fun getting ready for their stay. The YSA's were really sweet and we look forward to helping again in the future. 
On Friday night, we went to a great bowling party with more than a dozen friends. Our friend Jacob won a free bowling party for himself and 20 friends, so we felt special to be included in his "top 20." =) Thanks, Jacob.
We took that Lo swimming for the first time in a real pool! Too bad we forgot the camera for the actual pool time, but here he is in the living room right before we went as I slathered sunscreen all over his squishy baby body. His swim "trunks" are the cutest thing ever. I'll have to post a better pic of them soon. He seems to like being in the pool. Lots of looking all around in awe, and a bit of tentative splashing. He splashes more in the bathtub than in the pool. I also dunked him under the water a few times, blowing in his face first to help him take a breath. He didn't mind.
On Saturday we visited another Church historical site in the area, the Isaac Morley Farm. The little pathway they have through the trees is one of the more gorgeous places on earth. I saw flaming red cardinal bird, and a smoky black squirrel. This site is where Joseph Smith prophesied that the LDS church, just a small band of followers at that time, would one day grow to fill the nations of the earth. I am excited to see that prophecy unfolding, as nearly every country on earth now has opened to the spreading of Jesus Christ's restored gospel.
And speaking of religion, we visited our friends of another faith on Memorial Day with a trip to Amish Country. That Lo got to pet more horses and other cute farm animals, and we delighted in eating fresh Amish foods. My favorite was a lemon pie, though we had some tasty fried chicken and sweet potato fries as well. To get this photo of Lo driving the mini buggy, we had a whole team effort. (check out the video). Thanks to our wonderful friends for all the love they show that Lo. It always warms my heart to see people giving attention to our precious baby boy.
One of the Amish co-ops was having some special events where they let us get pictures taken in a real buggy. Also, note the videos of our time in the petting zoo and with the buggy horse (unhitched). I'm so amazed how quick those Amish horses trot along with a buggy full of people behind them. The horses are Standardbreds (I asked).
