Star Valley Temple

 Last Thursday we went to see the Star Valley Temple open house. We went with my grandparents, and my great aunt. They had a bit of a hectic morning, so we started out a little later than planned, but we left in plenty of time for our appointment.

 The trip down was beautiful. The fall colors were really starting to come out, and I got some really nice shots through the car window.

 Kevin was a bit of a pill during the trip, but he did pretty well. Usually, he's a pretty good kid. I read to him some, and he played on the phone some, but he was excited, so he wanted to yell.

It took a couple hours, but we finally arrived at the church next to the temple. We watched a short introductory movie. Our congregation was having a movie party the next night to watch The Good Dinosaur, and so Kevin was sad when he found out that we weren't watching the dinosaur movie right then, but he perked up pretty quickly. There were two sister missionaries who were explaining the movie and the procedure for entering the temple. One of them was American, and the other was from Tonga.

Kevin loved them both, but everytime the Tongan missionary spoke, he would ask a really loud question. First, he asked, "What...what did...What is her name?"

I told him, and then he settled down and listened some more. The next time she spoke, he asked, "What did she say?" very loudly. So I told him again. The sister missionaries loved him.

After we left the church building, my grandparents and great aunt traveled over to the church in their car because my aunt has a harder time walking, so she has a handicapped sticker. Kevin and I took the horse-drawn wagon across the field instead. We had a really good time and met some other nice children and people too.

Once we arrived, we had plastic bags placed over our shoes to protect the interior of the temple from dirt and other things, and we walked through it.

It was beautiful inside! Kevin was pretty distracted by the plastic bags over his shoes, but he really enjoyed the temple. He loved the pictures of the Savior and the beatiful lights. The tour was taken mostly in silence, but I answered his questions when he asked.

Afterward, we took a few pictures.

 This is Kevin's "Thinking face." He does it when he's thinking about things. I think it's hilarious.

 The sky provided a gorgeous backdrop for the new temple

 Kevin was good at posing for me. It was a beautiful warm day.

Once we finished taking pictures, we went into a covered area in the back and stood in line for a group pictures. About this time, Kevin was getting pretty hungry and a little grumpy. He was tired of pictures. I distracted him for a little while by letting him take pictures with my camera, but then the sister missionaries from earlier entered the tent.

They told him, "I remember you! Give me high five!" However, he only hid his head. I explained that he was getting hungry, and they nodded in understanding. A few minutes later, one of them returned and gave Kevin the chocolate kisses and a piece of gum.

He brightened up immediately. After that, he made it through the final two pictures until we were able to go and get lunch.

There was a big picture of the temple against one wall and we all stood in front of it, and they took a picture. Then they e-mailed it to us. It turned out pretty nicely.

We went to eat, and my grandparents treated us to lunch. It was super nice of them to bring Kevin and me with them. We really enjoyed ourselves.

The ride back was equally beautiful, and Kevin did pretty well. He got a little guitar with his kids' meal, and he spent a lot of time plunking the button until it broke.

 That night, as we sat around with Grig and his brothers, I asked Kevin what he had liked most about the temple. He thought, but wasn't sure. An idea seized me. I knew he had been pretty focused on the bags on his feet, so I asked him, "What did they put on your shoes?"

He only hesitated for a moment, and then proudly pronounced, "Garbage."

We have a treasure.

After laughing for a while, we again explained the purpose of the plastic bags that had been placed on his shoes. I think he finally got it.

Hopefully, he won't think they always put garbage on your feet before you go into the temple.

Birthdays and Other Crazy Events

This last week has been pretty eventful. We've been a bit focused on Grig's job and so I didn't talk about a lot of the things that happened. This will have to be my catch-up post. 

First of all, our car broke down again. I was at a relief society meeting, and after I came out of the church, the car wouldn't start. We tried to jump it, but it wouldn't hold any kind of charge. We had to leave it in the church parking lot. One of the men who was there offered to drive Grig into work, if he needed a ride. That was very kind of him. However, it turned out that Allopex had the next two days off, so Grig was able to borrow his car while we tried to get ours figured out. 

The next day was my birthday! I turned 29. It's hard to believe that I'm almost 30. I guess I'll just have to enjoy my last year of being in my 20's. 

I had a pretty great party. Kevin made me a cake while his dad was at work. He did a pretty good job. He tasted it every few minutes and told me that it was still yummy. 

After Grig got home, we had a birthday party for me. I finally got to open my presents, which had been sitting next to my computer and mocking me for the last couple of weeks. I was pretty excited about my gifts. I got Kim Possible Season 1, a microphone for the computer (so I can work on more Atomic Otter Cinema videos), a new swing for our playset, and the book "Avatar: The Search." We finally know what happens to Zuko's mother. Allopex and Havelock joined us for the party. Grig's taking the picture, so he's not in this one. 

 However, he did help Kevin finish my cake. They're quite the pair.

 Arkhon wanted to help with the cake too, but he behaved himself. Kevin, on the other hand, was feeling a bit mischievous. I had spice cake with a cream cheese frosting. It was pretty yummy.

 Then, the next day, my grandmother was kind enough to pick me up and take Kevin and me to her home for another party. My sister was up visiting, and so we had breakfast together, and then they gave me cake again! I love angel food cake, so I was pretty excited. We had a fun time visiting with family, and my sister revealed the gender of her baby. I felt pretty loved afterward. It is nice when people think of you.

 We had our car towed that day, and found out that our battery was dead. Our mechanic is amazing, so they got our car started and Grig went and bought a new battery and put it in himself. It ended up costing far less than we thought it was going to. We're grateful it wasn't the alternator.

That same day, we had Loki (Arkhon's brother) come and stay over. They really love each other, and he enjoyed playing with his brother. They wore each other out.

 He stayed with us for a couple days, and we all enjoyed having him around. He's a lot fluffier than Arkhon, but he's smart and he figured out our house rules pretty quickly. They're both really good dogs.

Arkhon's on the left, and Loki's on the right. 

Loki's a little heavier, but Arkhon is faster.

 Another exciting event this week is that we were invited to a birthday party with one of Kevin's friends. They invited us to go bowling with them. It was Kevin's first time bowling and he loved it!

 Every time he'd knock over a pin, he'd do a victory dance and spin around. It was pretty adorable. We sure do love our boy. He and the birthday boy also danced to the music in between their turns. They had a lot of fun.

The family also has a little girl who is quite the snuggler. Kevin just adores her. He loves to kiss her and push her cheeks in and play with her. Here is a picture of the three of us cuddling.

 After we finished our game (which I didn't win, though I was leading for a while), we had cake. It was a really yummy Reese's cake. We're really grateful that they invited us to join them for their party.

 After we finished eating and opening presents, we let Kevin "drive" on one of the games. He's not actually driving. We had to leave soon and didn't want to go spend money on the arcade, but he sure thought he was. He wasn't very happy when we had to go home to go to bed.

 Sunday, we went for a walk around a nearby temple. The gates were closed, so we walked all around the outside, and then went down a nearby trail. We had a great time, though Kevin is really into eating snow right now, and that's all he wanted to do.

 The next few pictures are from the trail we were walking on. Half-way down, we saw a deer trail going up the mountain. I was a little nervous about leaving the human trail, but it was really fun, and steep. We saw deer tracks, and made our way back up to the sidewalk. It's good to do things that are brave sometimes.

We didn't even die!

 One last thing I wanted to add. Kevin loves to sword fight with Allopex. The funniest part though, is the fact that every time they sword fight, Arkhon goes and gets his "sword" as well. He grabs a rawhide bone and brings it over. He'll fence with his bone to the best of his ability. He loves it when you knock it out of his mouth. Here's a picture of him sword fighting with the other two.

That ends a pretty crazy week!

A Whole Year

I realized today, that we have been in this home for a whole year now.

We moved in on February 9, 2015. It's crazy how time flies.

We have really loved this home. It has been so wonderful to have our own house and yard. We've made quite a few repairs, and had some exciting adventures.

When we first moved into the house, it was in pretty good shape. The yard hadn't been worked on in a while, but we saw a lot of potential. The roof leaked around the chimney, and there were a couple of frightening paint jobs. The water ran at a boiling temperature for five minutes, and then went cold, and chunks of dry wall had been removed and then amateurishly placed back in without being completed.

I was so excited to start working on things.

Fast forward a year.

We fixed the water problem almost immediately. It turned out that the plastic tube that went into the brand new water heater was only about a foot and a half long. The water went cold so quickly because it was only sucking hot water off the top. The plumber inserted a longer tube...and it was fixed!

Our yard after we first finished raking it.

We did a lot of yard work, and planted a pretty successful garden. We grew peas, onions, lettuce, and cherry tomatoes. I planted corn too, but I planted it too late, so it never reached its full potential. We had a really good pie cherry and apple crop. We've cleaned out the two sheds, and filled one with fire wood from trees that we've had to remove and limbs we've had to cut off.

Kevin helped me pick the cherries

We've repainted two rooms, a bathroom and a bedroom. We've filled in most holes with plaster, and cleaned the carpets. We paid someone to fix the leak on the roof, and it seems to be holding pretty well.

Newly painted bathroom

Newly painted bedroom

Kevin has grown three or four inches, and Arkhon has matured into a wonderful dog. They are best friends, and love to play together.

This was taken before we purchased a lawn mower. The grass was beautiful!

Dakota died in our home, and we buried her ashes in the backyard.

Our beautiful old girl

We lost two fish, and decided not to have anymore of those for a while. Our snake has also grown a great deal.

We've hosted some birthday parties and have had three of Grig's siblings live with us. We've had some pretty amazing fun moments with his sister and some pretty scary moments as her health plummeted and she had to fly back to Virginia. We were sad to see her leave, and hope that she has a successful surgery soon.

Argent and Grig's mother making a snowman with Kevin

We've really enjoyed having Kevin's uncles here, and we have learned a lot from both of them. Kevin especially loves playing with them and is always excited to see them. In the morning, if they sleep in late, he goes downstairs and wakes them up by saying, "It's morning time!"

Uncle Allopex

Uncle Havelock

We've had a great snowfall this year, and found out that our front yard has a pretty good sled run. We've made snowmen and a wigwam using branches found in our yard. I'm hoping it snows some more so it will look like an igloo.

We've now had every holiday in this home, and it's been so fun to decorate for those! We had a great turnout for trick-or-treaters, and I really love our neighborhood. We've made friends with most of our neighbors, and simply adore them. (Many of them either have children or dogs, and if Kevin isn't friends with their kids, Arkhon is friends with their dogs.)

You can't really tell from this picture, but these two love each other!

I love this place. In the past year, it has evolved from a house into a home. It is a place where I feel comfortable and safe. We want it to be a home, a temple, and a haven for anyone who enters.

I think we're making pretty good progress toward that goal, and I'm excited to see what the next year brings!

Let It Snow

Saturday morning, we woke up to go to the temple to find that it had snowed a TON.

It wasn't 36 inches, but it was about over a foot, and it was still coming down.

We had extra kids at our house, and had planned on dropping them off before going to the temple, so I ended up shoving the driveway while Grig and the kids got ready. The snow was heavy and wet, and it was a lot of work.

We got out of our house at the right time (at about 8:15), but the roads were so bad that it took us nearly 45 minutes to get somewhere that usually would have taken 20. By the time we got to my grandma's house to drop Kevin off, we were over an hour late.

Regardless, we trekked on. It really was beautiful, and though occasionally icy, for the most part, it was a pretty enjoyable ride. We played a game called "Who Has a Garage?" and were able to easily point out which cars had been parked in the garage and which ones hadn't.

There were quite a few cars buried up to their lights in the snow, and we were very grateful that we had a garage ourselves.

We stopped and picked up my Great Aunt on the way, and by the time we got to the temple, it was about 9:50 a.m.. We had been planning on getting there at 9:10. We made it to the 10:30 a.m. session.

We had a great time, and enjoyed participating with my great aunt. It was fun to spend time with her. I also really love the Spirit at the temple. You walk inside, and it's like everything outside is muted. It's quiet and calming. It is wonderful because it's a good chance to feel peace away from the cares of the world and receive needed answers from our Heavenly Father.

By the time we got out around 1:00 p.m., it had stopped snowing. We were a little disappointed, but the roads were a lot better.

We had been planning on going on a badly-needed date afterward, but since it was so much later than we had originally planned, we accepted Grandma's invitation to eat with her and enjoyed talking to my grandparents and aunt instead.

Then, we went home.

After we got home, it started snowing REALLY hard for a while, but cut off a lot sooner than we wanted. For some reason, both Grig and I enjoy heavy snow storms. I don't really like old, dirty snow that stays around for months, but I do enjoy large amounts of fresh stuff.

Kevin and Arkhon really enjoyed it too. Kevin helped his Great-grandma shovel their sidewalks and driveways with a little kid shovel they had, and when we came home, they let us take it with us.

As soon as we got home, Kevin began to shovel our driveway (which was once again full of snow). We're going to go out and shovel today after he wakes up, I think.

Our yard still needs it.

This picture was taken during the snowstorm. All of the stuff on the railing is new.

Relating to Sariah

In the Book of Mormon, it talks about a woman named Sariah. Sariah was a righteous woman, and married to a prophet. However, at one point, the Lord commands Lehi, her husband, to send their sons Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi back to Jerusalem to get the plates of brass, which contain the scriptures and a historical record of their family.

Time passes and Sariah begins to doubt. She calls her husband a "visionary man" and was sure that her sons had died.

In 2 Nephi 5 it states,

2 For she had supposed that we had perished in the wilderness; and she also had complained against my father, telling him that he was a visionary man; saying: Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.

 3 And after this manner of language had my mother complained against my father.

 4 And it had come to pass that my father spake unto her, saying: I know that I am a visionary man; for if I had not seen the things of God in a vision I should not have known the goodness of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem, and had perished with my brethren.

 5 But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness.

 6 And after this manner of language did my father, Lehi,comfort my mother, Sariah, concerning us, while we journeyed in the wilderness up to the land of Jerusalem, to obtain the record of the Jews.

I have always had a hard time relating to Sariah. I had always thought, why did she doubt, didn't she know her husband was a prophet? What was she so worried about?

Her sons returned from their mission successful, and Sariah said the following:

 8 And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she speak.

After her sons returned, that's when Sariah gained her testimony that her husband was a prophet, and from then on, we don't hear of her doubting again.

Saturday, while Grig and I were at the temple, he received revelation concerning our family. My husband is not a prophet, but the Lord does give him (and me) revelation about our lives and how we should guide our family.

I had a hard time, because I hadn't felt the same thing. However, as I prayed to receive my own confirmation of what my husband felt, I overheard some men next to me talking about Nephi's journey back to Jerusalem and how when the Lord gives us a commandment, He will provide a way for us to accomplish the things that he tells us to do (1 Nephi 3:7).

Grig and I have a very equal relationship. Usually when we pray for guidance, we both receive confirmation of what the Lord wants us to do. However, sometimes, only one of us will feel something. Grig has trusted in my impressions in the past, and I am learning to trust in his, even when I don't feel the same. He's a very good man, and trying hard to do what is right.

Sometimes it's easy to doubt someone we love, just as Sariah did. However, I felt the Spirit testify to me that I need to trust in my husband and honor his role as husband and father. That was a good enough answer for me. That doesn't mean that I still don't have to push down doubts occasionally, but it means that I know that I am doing what the Lord wants me to, and He will provide a way for me to have faith in my husband's words.

If I can have sufficient faith and believe, in due time I will see that my husband was correct, and then, like Sariah, I can say, "Now I know of a surety." Until then, I am learning to trust in the Lord, and in my husband.

Link to this picture's source

Dyeing Easter Eggs

So far, our Easter schedule is working out great.

Yesterday, we spent nearly the whole day cleaning our house. For only having lived here for a couple of months, you wouldn't think it was that dirty. Some of what we cleaned was from the previous occupants. Grig washed the windows on the outside and the difference is spectacular!

The house feels great, and I would nearly feel comfortable letting the Savior come and visit. That was the whole point.

After we finished cleaning, we dyed Easter eggs. It was Kevin's first time, and he loved it!

He dropped his first egg into our plastic cups of dye, causing the fluid to slosh everywhere. After that, he was more careful. He was really excited when he pulled the first egg out and it had turned blue.

After his second egg was finished, though, he told us the eggs were done and he didn't want to dye them anymore. He had a great time, though.

Here are all of our eggs. From left to right (we had two eggs each, we put our eggs in the same column) you have Kevin's eggs, my eggs, Grig's eggs, and Argent's eggs. She left just before we remembered to take pictures.

Today, we were going to go on a family hike, but Grig and I ended up make a hike to the temple instead. That was also appropriate, we felt, because mountains are often symbolic of temples in the scriptures. We still want to go on a hike this week, but we ran out of time today. Grig had a fishing appointment with a friend, and by the time we returned home, it was nearly time for him to leave.

We put some desks together that a family member had given us, and reorganized some furniture.

Things looked pretty great afterward.

We're still hoping to be able to go on a hike at some point this week. We're looking forward to it.

For anyone who's wondering why Grig is at home instead of at work, it is not his fault. They told everyone in his department not to come in this week. They use the excuse that they don't have enough parts, but some of Grig's co-workers told him that they do this nearly every year to match the kids' Spring Break. He'll be back to work next week, and even though we don't appreciate the reduced paycheck, we are grateful to have him around so much. We've been having a fun time.

It's made Easter week that much more special!

Mormon Monday: Temple Dedication and the Spirit

Yesterday, we attended the Ogden Temple re-dedication.

When we build a temple, we try to make a building fit for our Heavenly Father to dwell in. That's why we try and make it beautiful and use the best materials possible. We want to give the Lord our best.

It was a beautiful event, and the Spirit was very strong. The Ogden temple was dedicated before, but after renovations, it was re-opened to the general public for tours. We weren't able to attend the open house (where anyone could enter), but they broadcast the re-dedication in our area.

When a temple is dedicated, it becomes a House of the Lord. It is meant to be a sanctuary from the world and all outside influences. This is why is it so important to be keeping the commandments and as clean as possible before you enter the building. This is why it is so restricted. The feeling in the temple is a very calming one. As the scriptures say in John 14:27:

 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Often times, people may claim that they've never felt the Spirit of the Lord. This may be true for some of them, but you'd have to try awfully hard to never be in a place where the Lord's Spirit can dwell. I think more often, people just don't recognize the Lord's Spirit when they feel it. Galatians 5:22-23 say:

 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,gentleness, goodness, faith,

 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

When we feel peace, love, and joy, we are feeling the Spirit. He will testify of truth and guide us and strengthen us.

When we are baptized as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are baptized and confirmed or born of water and of the spirit (John 3:5). To be confirmed is when you are given the gift of the Holy Ghost through proper authority. This is a promise from the Lord that when you keep His commandments, always remember Him, and take the Savior's name upon you, you will be accompanied all your days by the third member of the Godhead. Previous to the confirmation, you can feel the Spirit occasionally, but after the confirmation, He is with you always.

When I was a kid, I was baptized and confirmed at the age of 8. However, I went through a point, where I thought that I had lost the Spirit through wickedness. I was about 11 at the time. I remember being really concerned about it, but I continued to try to do my best.

I would get reassurance from time to time that the Spirit was still with me, but I thought that I had never felt Him really powerfully.

Then, one day when I was 18, I entered a building where the Lord's Spirit could not come. Suddenly, inside of me, I felt a hollow feeling. I felt almost sick. I was only in this building for a short time, but right afterward the group I was with went to one of our church buildings. As I walked through the doors, it was as though a great wind flooded back into my heart and I felt peace. I realized that I had never lost the Spirit. I was just so used to having Him with me, that I didn't recognize the feelings when I felt them. I couldn't identify the Spirit in my life.

Since then, whenever I teach lessons at church or in my home, I try to point out to those around me when the feelings that the Spirit kindles are present. It has helped me notice how frequently I feel Him, and I think it also helps those around me learn to identify Him.

I am so grateful for the blessings of the temple. When ever I enter the Lord's holy house, I am flooded with peace and calm. There are very few places like it in the world today. The world is so noisy, that unless we stop to listen, we often won't hear or feel the still, small voice of the Spirit.

I encourage everyone to listen. I'm still learning how to know when He is speaking to me, but I know He does. I am so grateful that the Lord cares enough to take notice of our lives. I know He loves all of us, regardless of the choices that we have made, and He wants us to return to Him.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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