logan utah temple

as the ms ride was on saturday, we decided to take friday off and drive up to logan and enjoy the day together. we had a picnic lunch, and then headed to the temple. this is the first "pioneer" temple we've gone to, rather than a "modern" temple--it is full of history.

the logan temple was dedicated in 1884, after taking seven years to complete. it is built with siliceous limestone, a hard and compact stone, just right for load-bearing--it isn't simply "glued on" for cosmetic appeal. when they wanted to have finer details etched into the outer architecture, they used sandstone, a softer stone for carving and molding. the limestone was originally whitewashed so the temple would be completely white on the outside, but the paint was allowed to chip off, and today we see the beautiful original rock texture and face. the windows are still the original pioneer design and wood, but the glass has been updated. instead of a moroni on the top spire, there is a weather vane.

we learned two things from this temple. first, we liked the idea of using two different types of stones. the harder, denser, load-bearing limestone vs. the softer, easily-shaped sandstone. the Lord definitely needs us to be like both these stones. when we have a testimony, we need to remain firm in it, putting our foundation in Christ. we need to be load-bearing so that when we are converted, we can then strengthen our brethren, as Christ admonished during the last supper (luke 22:32). we also need to be like the sandstone. we need to be teachable, moldable, shapeable, allowing the Lord to improve us and use us in the right time and right place. demonstrating the ability to be shaped (humility) is the ultimate reflection of Christ in our hearts.

second, we liked the pattern in the windows. this pattern--the overlapping "v" shaped lines--was repeated throughout the temple. it may have been a traditional pattern in the 1800s, but it reminded us of the godhead. It was especially neat to see the keystone at the top of this pattern. the godhead is composed of three separate beings--God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. their mission/wills/powers intersect and intertwine, and they are capped by the power of the atoning sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. without that keystone, we would crumble.

oquirrh mountain utah temple

just in case you are following along on our temple excursions, you may have noticed we changed our outings. at the beginning of the year, we planned to visit every utah temple this year, and planned which months we'd be visiting each temple. we quickly realized we simply don't have the resources to travel and visit further away temples every single month. so we stayed local for march and april, and then went to the oquirrh mountain utah temple in may. if we ever find ourselves on a trip, you bet we'll stop in the local temple, but we need to keep it as close to home as possible in the mean time.

oquirrh mountain temple seemed to us to be a reflection of utah. it sits at the base of the oquirrh (pronounced o'-ker) mountains, and faces the rest of the salt lake valley. from its position on the hill, you can see the three other temples in the valley:

draper utah temple (exact top center of the photo) :

jordan river valley utah temple (the lower center) :

and salt lake city utah temple (this is the best photo we could get of downtown salt lake...the temple is in there somewhere) :

the outer and inner architecture, as well as the paintings, murals, decorations and design, reflect the natural beauty of its indigenous surroundings. the outside granite mimics the mountains. the paintings depict familiar utah meadow- and mountain-scapes. there are beautiful, tall, flowing staircases that make you feel like you are cascading down a mountain waterfall. the color scheme is very natural, and you feel like you are walking along corridors of birch trees. the very structure--inside and outside--rises straight to heaven, which in turn pushes our minds upward.

it was a beautiful reminder of the simplicity of the gospel, the wonder of the creation, and how much peace we can find in the Lord's creations that surround us. there is definitely a calming influence in the natural world--we can find God and His hand all around us.

"There, in the house of the Lord, you can learn what you need to know to be truly free. There, tucked away from turmoil and strife, is the chance to be totally unselfish—a rarity in today's world."

—Robert L. Simpson

ms ride 2010

for the past two years, david has been an integral part in organizing a ups team to ride in the ms bike ride in logan. he is the "wellness champion" at work--no joke, this really is his title! as wellness champion, he gives a short wellness tip each week, leads stretches at the beginning of the day, and promotes various wellness activities throughout the year. ups has sponsored the team both years--this year they got new, matching jerseys! they look so great!

the ms ride is run by harmon's grocery store, and it's officially called utah's "best dam bike ride". it's a funny title because nowhere on the course do the riders cross a dam, pass a reservoir, or even see a creek. it's beautiful scenery, no doubt--starting in logan and riding through farmland just over the idaho border, and back--but no dams involved. everyone calls it the ms ride. all riders have to raise a certain amount of funds to participate, and all proceeds are donated to the multiple sclerosis foundation. it isn't a race; it's a ride. you can choose to ride 40, 75, or 100 miles. this is one of the best rides i've participated in. i rode last year, but this year i cheered on team ups. it was a completely different experience for me. when you're riding, you are so totally focused on riding well, not bonking, staying safe, and making sure the riders around you are riding safe. there is no 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place, you are riding simply to ride, but you of course want to do well and ride strong. this year was so much more relaxing because i got to cheer everyone else on. after seeing them off at the starting line, i sat back at our tent reading for a while, and then headed back to the finish line to watch the early riders come in (the 40-milers).

the atmosphere was amazing. everyone is super friendly; the riders are all grinning as they cross the finish line; tons of people are sitting at the finish line clapping and cheering everyone on; the volunteers hand out medals to everyone as they cross the line, and say "thank you for riding". there is a spirit of gratitude and service instead of competition. it touched my heart to watch these riders. most were dressed in the regular biker attire: spandex, road bike, clipless pedals, etc. but anyone can ride--there were people in shorts and t-shirts, little no-speed cruiser bikes, reclining bikes, tandems, parents riding with their children.

some rode for dedication (notice the cast on left leg):

some rode for a personal reason, and hung the medal around her neck:

some wanted to start early:

and others were emotionally invested, either for themselves or someone they knew:

what a great cause to participate in.

and others, well, they were just dang hot:

thank you for making me fall in love with you over and over again--from good causes to spandex, being a leader to having a tender heart.

catching up

catching up with the last two months (has it really been two months since i've posted something?--i keep meaning to do this sooner). we've had a busy spring and start of the summer. we've vacationed, planted gardens, celebrated our 6th anniversary, survived a 30th birthday, templed, and rode another century...more blogs to come! for now...a quick catch up:

welcome back to the best place on earth to vacation, if you're into the sitting-on-the-beach-without-a-worry-in-the-world type vacation. we went back to the dominican republic in may with some of my family. it was an extremely relaxing week (with exception of the flight there...the only time i've needed a "sick bag" during this whole pregnancy...baby does NOT like to fly). we spent our time

scenery-ing:

aqua-nauting:

strategizing:

improving our swing:

water aerobic-ing:

filling our non-alcoholic tropical drink quota:

munching:

thank you, family, for such a wonderful time! it was great to talk, play games, hang out, and eat, eat, eat!

we got our garden beds ready and covered the surrounding area with the weed "mats" and black mulch. because "black mulch is sexy"... that may or may not be a direct quote from david...

lots of growing at home:

cucumber, red, yellow, and green bell peppers, jet star and beefsteak tomatoes, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkins, yellow summer squash, zucchini, and red and yellow onions. i think our eyes were bigger than our garden beds...but it all looked so good at the nursery! who could pass up the chance to grow all those yummy fruits and veggies?! fresh salsa, homemade tomato sauce, and pumpkin carving, here we come! i think i may need to learn how to can...

june 19th was our 6-year anniversary. we looked at each other in disbelief--have six years really gone by already?! we love being together. our marriage is the best thing in both our lives. we feel so blessed the Lord directly placed us in each other's path--we couldn't meet again the way we did if we consciously tried. we've improved each other, filled each other, and each day continue to complete each other.

we usually go somewhere or do something together to celebrate our anniversary, instead of exchanging gifts. this year we decided to go to the nursery and beautify our garden beds in the front yard. we can't believe the number of plants we got, but the majority of them are perennials and will hopefully continue to beautify our yard in years to come. **thank you**, robin, for helping us do the back-breaking job of planting everything...especially when you thought you were coming to utah for a nice wedding visit and not manual labor!!

a fence popped up in the last few months. just planted the seeds and up it sprouted! ha ha. nice little picket in the front, and private along the side of the house that runs parallel to a public walkway. we love it!

oh, and we've also been growing this:

26 weeks and counting. if you suck it in, i'll suck it in. maybe. no guarantees.