A Utah Trip

Before our quick visit to Utah this summer I hadn't been there since the Christmas after we moved to IL. So. Math. If we've lived here 2 years, carry the 3, minus 11 times three quarters of 9....it had been a year and a half and some change. Making that the longest I've ever not been in Utah in my entire life.

We went out there for the wedding of Brett, one of our very favorite people in the world. I am a crazy paranoid (did you know that?) about traveling without (also with) my kids. So, I reaaaaallly really wanted to go because I didn't want to miss that wedding for anything, but I also didn't see how it was even a little bit possible for me to set my crazy aside and travel without the tots.

Of course, I dealt with this problem by ignoring that the trip was coming up. I pretty much had decided there was no way on Earth I was going, so I let everyone think I was and then I'd just never show up to the airport.

But then I kept feeling a little nagging thought that I needed to JUST DEAL WITH IT and go. It was this constant idea that there was something I needed to hear in Utah, so I should go. Because this idea  wouldn't back off, I did, somehow, manage to pack a bag like 15 minutes before I had to go drop our kids off at my parents' house.

I did it. I got on a plane. I flew away from my kids (I'll save you some time - Yes my arms did get tired from all the flying) and didn't melt down even twice about it.

We had a bit of parking drama and it quickly became a miracle that we even made our flight, but I know you don't want this story to go on EVEN longer than it's about to, so I'll spare you that tale. Gird up your loins, we're not even close to done with this.

So anyway. Utah.

I think it's The Stranger where the dude is always ranting about how a person can get used to anything. Eventually anything will seem normal. And I think he's right. Sometimes ole Camus really gets things spot on. Unless I'm remembering wrong, in which case, whoever else wrote it gets the honors. But, the point. It's so easy to forget how green NotUtah is. All the trees and just, greeness becomes so normal that it's still pretty, but just how things are. It was a little shocking to me to realize how dry Utah really is. All those summer news reports from my childhood about drought and I was like, whatev, this is normal, and now I'm like HOLY DROUGHT. 

Reference pictures (also note, IL has terrible roads because we now pay our taxes by walking straight up to a politician and sticking the money directly in his pockets instead of even pretending the state uses the money for anything real):

IL in July.

UT in August.

But it really just reminded me that different things can be really pretty in their own way. I don't think the yellow Utah summer is ugly like I once would have. Now I think it's actually kind of striking in its weirdness. 

Once we were in Utah it was a crazy whirlwind of trying to see as many people as would accept us last minute (we love to plan.) as we could. We bounced from house to house and saw so many friends and family and friends that feel like family that at the end of the day I would just stare at the wall from being so socially overwhelmed in the best way possible. It was just so good. 

I had three non-people seeing goals for our trip. 1-Eat garden fresh Utah tomatoes (no one in IL lets them get ripe...angry feelings) I went to see my cousin Heidi and my aunt Allyson and BAM. Allyson fed us tons of garden tomatoes. A great visit plus tomatoes. They know what's up. 

The #2 thing I insisted we do, was go to the Ogden temple open house. I love the Ogden temple so much. It's where I first did baptisms for the dead and I went to all my stake conferences before I was 16 in the tabernacle next to the temple so I have so many pleasant memories there. When the church announced that they would redo the temple I couldn't think of a more deserving temple for a total overhaul than my home temple, but I always felt sad I wouldn't be there to tour the finished product.

Well. Good news everyone. We happened to be there. The new temple did not disappoint. I've been in many pretty temples, though I'm hardly a temple expert. Before Ogden I thought nothing could compare to the the Nauvoo temple. Ogden blew it out of the water. I have never seen anything quite like it. Every window, every door, every wall deserved to be stopped and stared at. Plus. The Celestial Room. Geeeeez. I wish I had words. 

I am a flawed picture taker...so of course I have none, but I did steal one from Sarah! Hi Sarah! 

We also saw Adam's sister, who drove in from Nevada, at the temple and had a nice visit with her and her 5 tots. Including Miss Aria, who(m) I had never met. 

Now. The whole reason we took the trip.

The wedding.

Remember how Camus and I said you can get used to anything? I am used to the tiny-ness of the Chicago temple and it's itsy bitsy rooms. It had been so long since I'd seen the Salt Lake temple that I forgot how GIGANTIC it is. I couldn't even fit it all in the picture without becoming less lazy and you know...backing up.

 Then I stood at the very bottom and took a picture up. Which means nothing to you (BUT LOOK AT IT ANYWAY) because it just seemed so much taller than I remembered. I cannot imagine what it took to build this temple, but after spending so much time in Nauvoo this summer and reading family history and becoming more familiar with all the trouble the early church members went through, I love how permanent the Salt Lake temple is. I think it would have taken a lot of faith, after bouncing around from place to place for so long, to say, we are going to build something so enormous that it will take 40 years (prolly, they were less than aware of that going in...doesn't matter) to finish. FORTY YEARS. That's dedication.

We also learned that this temple is built like a fortress, with pylons (I have no idea what a pylon is, did I just invent that?) 40 feet deep. It's even built to withstand cannon fire. It makes sense, the pioneers probably were legitimately concerned about having somewhere to be protected, spiritually and physically, after the awful fest they'd endured. But, again, I love that faith. It's like they built a sign that said, we are done running and we are not going anywhere any more. The prophet told them, and they believed it and put something out there to show their faith. It's hardcore.

But. The wedding. This wedding will probably forever be the most amazing sealing of all time. I told you I had this feeling that I needed to go to Utah to hear something. I kept wondering when that would happen and after sitting in the sealing room for 10 minutes I got my answer. 

We were sitting, waiting for things to get started when I looked up and saw the sealer walk in. The man I saw looked an awful lot like . . . this:

Or...exactly like him. I saw Elder Holland come in, but most people hadn't. Right after walking in he turned his back to the majority of the room to talk to Ashley's (Brett's now wife) grandma. I didn't really want to talk, so I started punching Adam a little bit and squeezing the death out of his hand with my non punching hand. Because, hello. LOOK UP. Finally he looked at me and said WHAAAT and I motioned over and that was about the time the rest of the room noticed and there was an audible noise of surprise from the room. 

Everyone settled down quickly and Elder Holland began to talk. Fast. And for a long time. He said a lot of interesting and thought provoking things. He cracked a couple funnies and he taught some valuable marriage advice. All of that was good, but it was not something I'd fly across the country for. But what I would go further away and longer from my kids for is to hear him testify of Jesus Christ.

We're taught that apostles are special witnesses of the Savior, but I don't know how much I had thought about that before. Elder Holland didn't say anything crazy or reveal anything new, but I understood better how special it is to hear the testimony of an apostle. I had been in a room with Elder Holland once when my dad was put in the stake presidency, and after that I remember how I felt, which is summarized by my non-LDS friend, Kyle, who afterwards said "I don't know why, but I'm just so happy." This was the exact same feeling. After comparing the experiences and how different, but both great, I realized what I was feeling. 

My main thought is that I really don't think it would have felt even a little bit different to sit with Peter, Paul, or any biblical apostle and hear them teach about the Savior. I really believe these are men called by God to teach about His Son. I think it was exactly like this in the New Testament. I wasn't gathered around him on a hillside or some weird amphitheater, but in a room in the temple. But why wouldn't God want us to learn just like the people in the New Testament did? The same feeling comes with General Conference and the testimonies there, but it's even more effective when it's in a smaller setting and more personalized for the people there. Again. There really aren't words, but I feel incredibly blessed to have been invited to Brett and Ashley's wedding and to have felt the spirit I did there.

Plus they are just really a fantastic pair. When it comes to being blessed, we're beyond blessed to be friends with so many good good people. I hope someday we can get to know Ashley, but we love her just knowing Brett picked her and because she has to be awesome to have picked Brett. There was so much love and such a solemn feeling of goodness at this wedding. If I could bottle the feeling I'd spend every dime we'll ever make on getting some for all of you.

Also, the whole reception was book themed. So. Pretty freaking awesome. It was just the cutest thing in the world. 

#3 on my list was to see BYU. I love BYU. Have I told you that? Because I LOVE BYU. We have so many many many happy memories there. Even the unhappy ones seem happy (like every day of every winter). We took a picture. One. It's not good. But. BYU! We were walking across the street and I was like WE NEED A PICTURE BEFORE WE LEAVE! And Adam was like, ARE YOU ON THE DRUGS AGAIN? So anyway, we had .2 seconds to get a picture before we started getting hit by cars. Success

And then we traveled home. Got home at 1am. Chatted with Jan-o until 2am, I went to ward council at 7am before the kids even woke up, which was the sadddddest thing in the world. I really wanted to wake up these babies. But that's just asking for a cranky day. But eventually! I got to see them again and all was well in the world again.

It was a crazy trip. But fun and amazing and I am so so so glad we went.