Once in a Life Time

This past year my family had the wonderful privilege of attending the open houses for the two brand new temples that were built in Utah, the Draper and Oquirrh Mountain temples. What a wonderful experience! Temple open houses are such a special and uplifting experience it was such a blessing to be able to attend two in one year

The Draper temple open house was from January to March 2009, the day we went there happened to be a ginormous snowstorm and it was absolutely freezing! In a way it made the whole experience somewhat more meaningful. It was truly a wonderful feeling to see the temple, steadfast and immovable amidst the encircling winds of the storm. And the transition from the unruly, wild whirlwind we trudged through to get to the warm, quiet and peaceful interior of the temple really emphasized the true purpose and character of the temple. A place to escape the temptations and hardships of the world, a place to feel the Savior's love for each of us, the holy house of the Lord.

Bethy, being the determined photographer that she is, was the only one willing to pose for pictures in the snow.

The Oquirrh Mountain temple was dedicated in August. The day we attended it's open house the weather was absolutely perfect. It was warm, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was a splendid azure blue, the perfect backdrop for the brilliant and stunning temple. They had white tents set up in the parking lot where we would view a video about temples before walking through the gorgeous rooms of the temple. Afterward, both temple open houses had a visitors center where you could find more information about all the temples around the world, as well as some delightful, light refreshments.

I am thankful that I had the incredible experience of attending these temple open houses with my family who I love dearly and who, through the temple, will forever be my family and will always be with me even after we pass through the veil. I am so grateful for temples and their wonderful purpose and the peace that comes through temple attendance. After seeing the beauty and feeling the serenity of the sealing rooms, I am even more excited to be married and sealed in the temple to my future husband and family. I feel greatly blessed to live in an area that has so many temples just minutes away from my home. They are beautiful buildings as well as inspiring beacons.