Salt Lake

We couldn't go down to Utah without a stop at the temple and conference center.  Here's the gang, with mom taking the picture, in front of the falls on the conference center.  After going inside the center we joined a group and took a tour.  It has been many years since any of us have been inside and I think Ben was just about 3.  I love all the pictures and other pieces of art work in the center.

This picture is a shot of the balcony seats in the center.  Because we went down at conference time those of us that were old enough went to a conference session in the center.  It was sooo neat.  The Spirit was so peaceful and for the first time in 11 years I could pay attention to every speaker and gain that much more from the session.  I love my children but when they are young they do tend to make paying attention a difficulty.  Anyway, these are the seats that we sat in.  The white parts are the bottoms of our seats.  Kinda makes you scared to think you are literally just hanging there.

A picture of my stripling warriors

This was a picture I took the last time we were at the center.  On the roof is a whole new world you would never imagine could be there.  The plant life alone is amazing with full grown pine trees and more.  However, there is also a fountain, the start of the water fall and this glass mural.  If you look closely it looks as if Ben is holding the girl's hand.

So, I had to get another shot with him by the same girl just to capture the passing of time.

Here's all of us at the fountain with the trees growing around us and the temple behind us.

No stop to the temple would be complete without a stop to the visitors center and a picture of the family with the Christus.

If you can't tell by Lexie's look, by the end we were getting tired and grumpy.  After our site seeing trip we went to see Doug's father, step-mother and adopted sister.  They are a different type of people and one I'm not that comfortable to be with.  The children don't know them and so were a little antsy, but they did hold up fairly well.  They were also a good excuse to not stay too long.  After that was our second trip to Thanksgiving Point which I already told you about and then a birthday dinner for Doug.  Roy took us all out to this Brazilian restaurant for dinner to celebrate.  The food was amazing and the atmosphere was great.  It was an all you can eat soup and salad bar and then as long as you want them to they will come around periodically and carve off freshly cooked meat off of this huge skewer.  I was so full, but there was room for dessert since I found a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Store in the same mall area. 

Here is Doug playing his birthday tambourine while the workers sang to him.