Ogden Temple Open House

Two days before we left, the Ogden Temple swung it's doors wide open for the beginning of it's open house.  A two month long process where an anticipated 700,000 plus patrons will walk through this sacred building.  

The previous temple was completed in the 70's, but because of  structural concerns it was torn almost completely down and re built.  I loved the old Ogden temple, and I was a little disappointed when they announced the reconstruction, but after walking through today with my littles and seeing their eyes light up and answering questions, I'm excited I got to share the open house experience with them.

Grandpa Blake, Uncle Sean and Uncle Ryan couldn't stay around for pictures.  It's ok, there will be a next time.  In fact...As of yesterday, the Marturello family is officially scheduled for their very own sealing on December 27, 2014.

We struggled with the decision to postpone our sealing just so we could have it performed in Ogden, but I am so happy we did.  I know a temple, is a temple, is a temple, but it feels so right to be able to be sealed in the temple where we walked through as a family and "picked out" our sealing room.  Ogden is home and I can't imagine doing it anywhere else.  

For those of you who haven't been to the open house I encourage you to go.  Soon the temple will be quietly busy, and closed to the general public.  If you have questions about the temple and what it's purpose is, now is the time to ask.  There are so many volunteers just waiting to answer your questions.

We also took the time to visit the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers museum today with our cousins.  All that looking at "old stuff" made us hungry for ice cream.  I don't think you can visit the temple and downtown Ogden without a stop at Farr's Ice Cream Shop.  At least I can't!

I am so envious of their vintage ice cream signs and their minty green walls.

Hand dipped does taste better.  Ben wanted proof of all the flavors offered.  He's determined to try them all.  Today's flavor choice?  Egg nog.

Their sign is so groovy.  This little ice cream parlor is an Ogden institution.

 One last pic. Alan kept saying, "mom, it's the temple we went to", and then pointing with his ice cream at the spire in the distance.  The ice cream didn't fare too well, but I know the feelings he felt in the temple will stay with him for a long time.

"For the temple is a holy place where we are sealed together.
As a child of God, I've learned this truth. A family is forever."

Farm Day in the City

We happened to catch the Ogden Farmer's Market on a special day this summer.  Farm Day in the City!!  I love that Ogden still has so much agriculture around it.  The farmers brought live stock and tractors and descended on downtown Ogden.  It was such a new experience for my three littles.

These baby calves were literally days old. One of them had only been born the night before. I was astounded that we were allowed to touch them.  It was pretty amazing.  I've never seen so many kids so quiet at the same time. They really got it, and they were so respectful of the sweet little ones.

Grandma inspired our visit.   I'm so glad she suggested it.

This photo (although blurry) is courtesy of Ben.  He couldn't get enough of this striped baby pig.

"I got this", he says...

A-man needed a boost, but was thrilled when he got to ride.  I think he would have stayed all day if we'd let him.

Finally Sadie got her turn.  I got to ride with her.  Our cowboy host even held her while I got on the horse.  I hadn't been on a horse for so long.  I'm glad our city eyes and ears and noses got a good dose of the country this summer, even if it was only for a few hours on a Saturday morning. Thank you Ogden, and Weber County Farm Bureau.  We thoroughly enjoyed our little taste of the country.

Lessons from the Dothan Cloth and Carry Club

I don't have many soap boxes.  I used to, and I might have some in the future, but for a while now I've subscribed to the same mantra as one of my friends.  She has pledged not to judge other parents, and I decided to join her a while back.  I didn't proclaim it or anything, I just thought, "that's a really good thing to do, I should try it too, I bet I make a lot more friends," and I have.

It isn't always easy.  There were the parents who refused to let their child be Harry Potter for Halloween, (really?,  all they would have had to do was tie a black towel around their kids neck and give them a stick to hold).  Or the countless numbers of parents who tether their children to leashes in the airport, or the ones who guard nap time as sacred and refuse to alter their schedule by even 10 minutes to accommodate someone else,  etc.

I've tried to shrug it off and recognize that I do my fair share of yelling in public, (and private) and there was the time Sadie screamed the entire 3.5 hr flight from Atlanta to SLC, and just last Sunday we showed up to church with Sadie only in her diaper, her dress in the diaper bag.  I'm sure I've had my fair share of eye rolls and inward groans from random strangers.

Anyway, the back story to today's post started Friday.  I branched out and took Sadie to a Mommy and Me Yoga class.  It was fun, and I met a friend.  She's from here, but she doesn't really act Southern.  Not that that's bad, it's just, I like my friends a little crunchy, and crunchy's hard to come by down here.

So,  back to my new friend.  I commented on her son's shoes, and we started talking about kids clothes.  She asked where I was from and when I said Utah, she beamed and said, "almost everything I get on line comes from Provo, Ut.  Have you been there?  Um, yes, I've been to Provo, mostly we Northern Utahn's try to avoid it like the plague, but I could tell she envisioned it as some sort of creative mommy Utopia, so I tried to say only nice things about it.

We bonded over baby shoes, and Provo, and yoga.  She took my number and texted soon after, inviting Sadie and me to a play date.  I was thrilled.  I officially had a new non-church, non elementary mom, non parent of a kid on a sports team, friend.  It only took me a year.

Then this morning happened.  We arrived, late, but only a little bit.  We talked a bit and everything was going well until she introduced me to some of the other moms.  Apparently its a thing to go to the park at 9:00 am here and all the other mothers seemed to know each other.  The new mom introduced herself and my friend followed it up with, "she runs a fun Face Book group called "Dothan Cloth and Carry".  Having my crunchy friends really came in handy here, because I knew exactly what she was talking about, cloth diapering and baby wearing.  Both things I whole heartedly support, and have used, in the past.  Unfortunately I spoke those last words out loud and the shut down was immediate...

"Hmm, why don't you use cloth now?"

"So, you don't use cloth at all?!?!"

"Which carrier do you prefer? Ergo or Tula?"

"Really?, Ergo?  I don't know anyone who likes their Ergo better than their Tula!"

"Being a mom is my job and I want to do things the right way."

"Well, our Face Book group is a secret group, so if you search you won't find us.  We're picky and  like to keep our members to only those who cloth diaper exclusively and embrace baby wearing."

Yup, there was more but I won't bore you with the details.  I've already rambled long enough. It ended with her saying, " nice to meet you, Robyn" and telling my new friend she'd be in touch with specifics about the next play group.   Suffice it to say I don't think I'll be invited to any more playdates even though she orders a lot of her cloth diapers from, you guessed it, Provo.

The craziest part was, when we were alone again my new friend said, "they act all organic, but most of them shop at Sam's Club, and feed their children Nilla Wafers, can you believe it?!"  Oh no, I didn't have the heart to break it to her that I was out of Nilla Wafers and on my way to Sam's when the play date was done.

Two of my besties sharing a hike, sharing good advice, even sharing, and wearing, babies.

This is the second playgroup I've been excluded from in this town.  One because my hubby isn't a med student and now this.  I know the obvious answer is to start my own, and maybe I will. Right now though, I'm nostalgic for the crunchy and not so crunchy friends I left behind.  Friends who have taught me about essential oils and gardening, teething necklaces and honey bees, good yarn and how to knit it, chicken raising and baby wearing, and everything in between... but mostly I miss their ability to look past the fact that some of us are not as far along on the crunchy scale, and recognize that Nilla Wafers really are cheaper at Sam's Club.

Consider me lesson learned. "Judge not lest..."  I get it.  Bring your high fructose corn syrup and your Huggies, or your chia seeds and green smoothies.  I won't judge, and I might even make a new friend or two.

Impressions

They beat me out the door.  I'm sure it won't last, but I'll take it when I can get it.  Their shoes were tied, and hair combed, they even brushed their teeth. I remember when Ben had the superhero backpack and Alan was addicted to Lightening McQueen.  "Batman is for little kids,"  Ben informed me as I sewed on his Gryffindor patch.

Freshly minted 1st and 3rd graders.

Joining Mamabyrd in her weekly Impressions post.  Feel free to join us and leave your own either here or there.

Pine View

Pine View Reservoir is the closest thing there is to a beach in Ogden, Ut.  It's just a short drive away and so when your cousins call you and ask if you want to go for an evening swim you say, "yes!"

One of the perks of having Huntsville dwelling friends is knowing how to get to the local free beach. It's a little bit of a walk, but that walk is BEAUTIFUL, as evidenced by the four cousins making the trek in the above photo.

A dinner picnic on the beach and then a dip in the lake....good idea, Aunt Sunni.

The Wilkinson's

Grandma and the grand young'uns

Some cooperation among cousins

Still working on that log...

A lingering goodbye.  She really didn't want to leave. Can you blame her?  Two of our favorite families live just down the road from this beautiful beach.  Can you say, "spooled rotten"? Seriously though, we're completely jealous.

I feel rather lucky we have beaches in both of the places we call home.

Malan's Peak

 

Today is our last day of Summer vacation.  As we have our last lazy non-scheduled day I thought it was fitting to remember one of our favorite summer adventures.

We hiked Malan's Peak as a family.  Elevation 6,943.  We left at 7:00 am to beat the heat and surprisingly, made it home well before lunch time.  I think my pack of snacks and water almost weighed as much as Dean's pack with sweet Sadie.

Starting out. Beautiful Taylor Canyon.  It's been the backdrop to most of my life.  It kills me we don't have the mountains right up the street anymore.  We almost made it to the first bridge before we stopped for water.

 Grandma Jojo had never been to the top of the peak before.  This is the second mountain we've climbed together.

At the look out.  The halfway point.  The peak looks deceptively close.

Pointing out Grandma's house, their old elementary school and the university.

Ben Lomond Peak in the distance.

Ben on one of his many "short-cuts"

They all beat me to the top.

Sadie almost made it.  After all that "hiking" she was just worn out.

You can see the Gummy Bears Dean used to bribe Alan and Sadie to keep going.

Coming down you use all the muscles you didn't use going up.  Muscles most of us forgot we have. I hadn't been to the top for a few years.  We have a goal to do it again next time we visit.  It will be December by then and the trail might be dusted with snow.  Another chance for us to remember that in the end "it's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves" -Edmund Hillary