Family Temple Work

 

Last weekend Keith and I spent a wonderful day in the Calgary Temple with his family.  We were able to complete some of Keith's family temple work.  This was my first time I have ever done temple work for relatives (even though they are my husband's), and it was great to be able to feel that personal connection as we accomplished the work. 

The greatest part of this temple trip is that we were able to seal Keith's mom and her siblings to their parents as a forever family.  Keith's Oma had joined the church when her children were young, and all of her children followed her.  His Opa, however, though always supportive of his family in attending church and activities, never believed in a God and remained an atheist until his death.  Finally, after years of waiting, Keith's mom and her siblings were able to finish the temple work for their father and their deceased siblings, and were able to seal their parents and family together in the temple.

It was an amazing and special day, and I am so grateful that I got to be part of it!  Forever Families Rock!

Edmonton Temple

Keith and I haven't yet had the opportunity to do a session at the Edmonton Temple, however, we were able to help out with a cleaning assignment there on Monday.

Neither of us have ever been to clean the temple before, so we were both excited to go.  It was so neat to be able to do this service.  Due to the job I was assigned, I was able to have an up-close and uninterrupted experience with some of the most sacred aspects of the temple.  Now, I can't wait to go back and to get to work!

I am so glad  that we had this opportunity.  It was a beautiful way to start our morning.

Our Wedding, Part II

We were so lucky to have so many family members and friends from far away come to our wedding.  They came from British Columbia, Alberta, Michigan, Idaho, Washington, Texas--all over.  We are so glad and thankful that everyone could come.  It definitely made the day wonderful to have so many people we love celebrate with us.

Everyone

The Bride's Side

The Groom's Side

The Hinckleys

The McLeans

Our Wedding, Part I

I am finally blogging about Keith's and my wedding.  It only took me 2.5 months, but better late than never, right?  So, here are the details:

We were married and sealed in the Utah Mount Timpanogos LDS Temple on August 17, 2012, late in the afternoon.  Unbeknownst to us prior to the wedding, the temple was undergoing a face lift and so, while the interior was gorgeous and beautiful as always, the exterior was covered in scaffolding.  Not completely ideal for photos, but we worked it out. And the weather was couldn't have been better.  The sky was blue and the sun was bright and there was even a slight breeze to keep the heat down.

Our photographer, Natalie Lundberg, was amazing.  She was so sweet and cute and funny.  She took great pictures and I'm so glad I picked her (I found her through an internet search).  A little note on Natalie is that she was recently diagnosed with terminal Stage 4 cancer.  In reading her updates on facebook, I am amazed yet not surprised at her upbeat attitude.  She is a very strong woman.  Please pray for her and her family if you have a chance.

Here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure.  Check back later for Parts II and III.

(Dress from Alysse's Bridal, flowers by the Flower Patch, hair accessory from Classy Chassis, suit from Mr. Mac, shoes from a street vendor in Taiwan, and hair and makeup by friend Jill Johnson.)

Cardston

The first couple of weeks of our marriage were pretty hectic, what with moving internationally and all.  Due to traveling and such I think I slept on 6 different beds in the first 9 days we were married.  Not restful.

A good thing to come from the craziness of the wedding aftermath was that Keith's brother, Caleb, was married.  We we able to drive the 6 or so hours down to Cardston for the ceremony and reception.  It ended up being a beautiful day for a wedding.

Caleb and Monica

The ceremony was great, and the Cardston Temple is gorgeous!  Of course, we only really got to see the waiting and sealing room, but it was a beautiful, especially the mural in front.  And it was really nice to get to go to yet another temple in Canada.

A fun fact is that my parents went to Cardston and the temple there for their honeymoon, thirty-some-odd years ago.  As Keith and I had only been married for 8 days at this time, I guess one could say we went there on our honeymoon too.  Just following tradition. :)

Cardston Temple

Calgary

Keith and I drove down to Calgary today.  Calgary is 3 hours from Edmonton, and between the two cities is a whole lot of nothing.  It was actually a really nice drive and helped me to finally admit to myself that autumn is finally and officially here (it is supposed to be a chilly 8 degrees C tomorrow.  Brr!).

Anyway, the big reason to go to Calgary was to attend the Calgary Alberta Temple Open House.  We met up with Keith's friends the Van Shaiks (my friends too!!) who live in Lethbridge, 3 hours south of Calgary, and as we live 3 hours north, the temple was the perfect place to meet up.

The temple was beautiful, as they all are.  My favorite thing by far were the stained-glass windows.  Sure, every temple has a little stained-glass here or there, but the Calgary temple's windows were gorgeous.  I think the color is a little more vibrant.  And I loved the door handles too, with molded wheat and roses.  Yet, there were a few things about the interior and grounds that caught my attention, particularly the temple's state of incompletion!!  It was surprising to see that there were things inside the temple that just weren't quite done yet, such as the absent molding around the staircases, the missing grout between the granite tiles on the floor, and some left behind blue painters' tape.  It is nice to know, however, that the work continues on and all will be perfect for the dedication later this month.

With Peter, Karma, Eli, and Braden

It was a little windy...and cold.  Welcome to Canada, Jill!

My little buddy, Eli.

A closer view of the windows.  Picture wheat.

Afterwards, we had a late lunch at Applebee's and then headed home.  What a fun day to be with friends and go to the House of the Lord!!

An Observation

I just realized that I can see the Draper Temple on 14000 South

from my fifth floor classroom window on 2600 South. 

Sweet!

The Lord's Mountain

Last night we went here:

It is pretty.

Aren't Temples cool?

Always a Bridesmaid...

One of my mission companions got married on December 20. It was wonderful, Erin and Travis are happy, and everything was beautiful.

All I have to say about temple marriage is WOW!! I sure hope the old adage isn't true, because I can't hardly wait until I can have my own forever family!

The Bride and Me at the reception.

Erin and Travis coming out of the Temple as man and wife.

Cutting the cake.

On the steps of the Temple.

Click here to see more pictures.

The City's Sanctuary

Today as I was strolling through Temple Square, I was once again struck with the beauty of the Temple and the surrounding grounds. It was a stunning day, with the bright sun, dazzling cloudless blue sky, a hint of autumn in the air, and blooming flowers, and I was overcome with gratitude and love for my Heavenly Father and all that He has given us: the world and it's beauties, the Gospel, and the Temple. While I was strolling through, I took a couple of deep, chi-cleansing breaths and instantly found peace and tranquility. What a wonderful place to come to sit and relax, and just meditate and ponder for a moment! Who needs a zen garden? In the middle of the city is the perfect spot to feel the Spirit of the Lord.

To Texas and Back Again

These last few days I went on a whirlwind roadtrip. On Wednesday two mission friends and I left for the flat plains of Texas to attend the wedding of a common mission companion. It took us two days to drive to Lubbock, TX, one day to attend the wedding, and two days to drive back. Although it was tiring, it was so much fun. On the way down we stopped at every small attraction on the road, learned about cotton plants once there, and then sped our way home. Here are some pics:

A stop in Spanish Fork Canyon.

Wilson Arch, just off the highway near Moab.

Monticello Temple: the original small temple.

The Dino Museum of Blanding. Who knew Blanding was so Cool?

Four Corners: four states at one time, although we're only standing in two in this shot.

Shiprock, NM, taken from the road while moving.

Billy the Kid: an outlaw. Maybe he held up stage coaches. . .

View from the Vardeman's window. It was just so pretty I had to take a picture of it.