At the Atlanta Airport, Gabe and Max found a frozen yogurt stand. Two very happy boys!
We belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Right after Christmas 2013, my parents left their home to join the Church and Family History Mission located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Due to our pending, yet still undated move, we decided to go visit them and my brother Ben who lives in Provo, Utah this summer. It was a privilege to see my parents serving the Lord full-time. This is a summary of our adventures during that trip.
The boys were sooooo, excited to get to ride on airplanes to get to Utah. I think it may just have been the perfect excuse to play on their Ipods as much as they wanted.
My parents live right off Temple Square. For any who have never been to SLC, Temple Square is the center of the city. It does indeed hold a temple (probably the best well-known temple) for our church in the square. Salt Lake City was built around that square. Even the roads count off North, East, West and South of Temple Square. We walked less than 10 minutes from my parents apartment, past Temple Square, and to their offices in the Church and Family History Library.
This is the Conference Center. We walked on a wide sidewalk between it and a babbling brook built between the sidewalk and road. Twice a year, people gather here from all over the world for a general broadcast by LDS Church Leaders. This building covers six acres and has a garden on its roof.
Our first glimpse of the Salt Lake City Temple on our walk to Mom and Dad’s offices. We were still outside the square when I took this picture, and I have some better ones, but it thrilled me to see it so close and I had to snap a picture.
This is a closer picture of the Conference Center. A waterfall falls from the roof and down another pool for each story until it reaches ground level where is collects before recirculating back up to the top to be used all over again.
Once we made it to the Church and Family History Library, I was surprised how few books and how many computers were available. Most of the materials are kept in one of the climate controlled vaults that take up the majority of each floor. A couple of them are even cold enough to make you need a winter coat upon entering them.
Gabe and Max relaxing in the Library and checking out the magnifying glass bookmarks they had just received.
This is my dad (the man in the forefront) in his little windowless, air conditioning less room with all the extra computer hardware that he uses to keep the buildings machines up and running. His responsibilities are slated to change soon, but this is where he was when we visited.
A picture of my Mom at her cubicle. Mom’s job description is a bit more muddled. She contributes to an assortment of things. Right now, one of her major undertakings is to review, and revamp the training materials for all the new missionaries coming in to the mission and then to do that training.
I had to take this picture to show Bobby the view from the break room.
Next are some various pictures I took of the temple on our first day there. Thought I would put them in for anyone who likes to look at the temple.
This is the first face Max gives me when I take their picture in front of the temple. So MAX!
I’m really glad I got my parents to pose in front of the temple. I bet they don’t have one yet.
This is my favorite. I was pausing to take another photo when Gabe and Max realized how close we had gotten to the temple and dashed off in their haste to get there even faster. I have a hard time visiting the temple. Something about the lighting makes me physically ill. I have had many migraines, dizzy episodes, shivering episodes, even passed out – yet I still love to go. And we do go nearly every month because no matter how hard it is to get through it, no matter how draining it is – it is also empowering. I leave the temple feeling rested – like my battery has been recharged. And I hope my boys always feel the same urgency to get to the temple – to reconnect with their Maker. I hope they always RUN to the temple.
We headed over to the Church History Museum. Specifically, we were looking for the Interactive Book of Mormon exhibit. But we also visited one on the 100 years of Scouting (which Gabe greatly enjoyed) and one featuring information and artifacts from all of the modern-day prophets which was also great, but I got to see increasingly less of it as my children tired.
Max’s favorite part of the Book of Mormon exhibit was fishing off Nephi’s boat.
This replica of the Angel Moroni is only 3 feet shorter than the one that adorns the Salt Lake Temple.
We also spent time with my brother Ben both in Salt Lake and Provo. The first morning we were in Provo, we headed to the BYU campus, hoping to get into some of the museums. We were walking toward the Book Store where I was scouting reading material for Bobby when we passed a young lady. I could see her looking at my boys, so I looked up and said hello when surprise knocked me on the head. I knew this girl. She looked at my face to respond and realized that she knew me too. We had attended the same ward when we lived in Michigan. She laughed as she told me that she saw our family and was thinking “Oh, that’s wonderful. Look at that family with two little African-American boys.” Which I guess makes more sense when you know that she has two younger African-American brothers. One was adopted the year before we adopted Gabe and other the year after I believe. It was great to catch up. I am sorry I missed the rest of her family who were coming out there the next week.
After walking around the BYU campus on a hot day, I suggested we stop at The Creamery. The boys loved it so much that we went back another day too.
We did eventually make it into the Dinosaur Museum. The boys had fun with the cast of this giant Crocodile head. I regret not taking a picture of the Giant Ground Sloth skeleton too. It stood taller than Ben (6 foot) when on all fours. Massive!
On the weekend, we headed to the zoo in Salt Lake City with my parents and brother. $6 Icees aside, we all had a great time. It was bigger than it looked on paper.
Dad just had to see how long Gabe’s arms were compared to the gorilla’s. And of course Max had to join in the fun too.
Max REALLY wanted to ride the wolf on the zoo’s merry-go-round. I think he cared more about this wolf than he did the real wolves.
On Sunday, we headed back up to Salt Lake again. June is Pride month. Ben was surprised when we were ready to leave early to be sure to find parking for the Pride Parade. It was lots of fun. So many people and companies participated in the parade and many, many people came out for the event. Eventually, we had to leave early in order to make it to church on time.
Max had to wear his new creepy glasses from the zoo to the parade. It didn’t slow people down giving him or Gabe free stuff though.
I think this is a picture I will cherish for a long time to come. Ben, the boys, and I while we waited for the parade to start.
One of the few pictures I took of the parade. It made me happy to see Boy Scouts open the Pride Parade carrying the colors, just like they do in most other parades. They may have been few in number, but they were AWESOME!
We spent the next day in Provo again. On the Friday before Max had noticed the mountains all around us and begged us to take him to climb on one of them. So Ben took us to hike up to Bridal Falls. I have never been before. It was an easy and enjoyable walk to the falls, where my boys promptly fell into the water. Okay, technically only Max actually fell in. Gabe just got pretty wet. Afterwards, we hit lunch at the Creamery again.
What mountains look like out there. Not as pretty as my mountains, but with their own beauty particularly in the summer.
Bridal Falls
One side of the pool at the bottom is closed off and stocked with fish. Gabe patiently doled out 1 fish pellet at a time until he successfully petted a fish.
We hiked beyond the Falls and then doubled back. Then I climbed up beside the Falls with the boys as high as we could go. Good dirty fun!
As we hiked along, Ben observed that the boys were no longer bickering with each other. They rarely do when I get them out in nature especially if it’s someplace new. They’re too busy having fun.
We spent Tuesday back in Salt Lake City since we would be flying out early the next day. We went back to the Conference Center and took a tour. There is no hourly tour or such thing, believe it or not. You just stroll in and say you would like a tour and a volunteer comes and takes you little group around on its own. Pretty cool.
Looking up at one of the sky lights from the first floor. The guide said they were designed around a Millennial or eight-sided star.
Boys next to another fountain. There are tons of fountains in the city, both inside and outside.
View of the huge organ and pulpit from the back of the first floor. There are 2 balconies above, seating about 21,000 people.
View from the back of the top balcony. Doesn’t really differ much from the views below. Amazing.
In this picture, I was trying to capture our reflections with the tour guide as we stood just under the skylight.
A closer look at the skylight from the top floor.
This building is chock full of artwork. Especially the originals of many of pieces of artwork we find in the Primary Manuals. We went through a big section on the Book of Mormon and I admit that it felt good to hear my boys be able to relate every story there depicted. This piece shows the First Vision. It rotates 360 degrees.
The garden on the roof was one of the things I most wanted to see. They used to leave it open for all to enjoy. But thanks to 9/11 and this building’s optimal positioning, these days you have to take a tour to gain access to it.
Gabe and Max walking toward the outside of one of the skylights. And, yep, more fountains.
Interesting fact: There is no dirt on this roof. The trees and other things are planted in a mixture of peat moss and a very lightweight type of shale. And the plants were chosen to represent the plants the settlers found when they arrived to Utah. They required very little moisture.
I like this wall. It reads “And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” And features pictures of people from all around the world who have actually joined the church.
Apparently this section of meadow, itself is about 4 acres large.
The scraggly, kind of lumpy looking tree was common in the 1800s. They have very long lives. Scientists have found one they think is 2,000 years old.
View from the roof top overlooking Temple Square. I still love the roof of that Tabernacle. One of my favorite buildings of all time.
The boys had to see where the waterfall cascades down the building, but honestly, the view is much better from the street. That way you see more than one level at a time. My mom very diffidently did not join us at the edge.
This is a random architectural detail from the exterior of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. I just liked it.
Statue of Joseph Smith Jr from the lobby of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
Neat photo arrangement set up in the basement of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in a room dedicated to family research. They also had a children’s’ activity area that the boys enjoyed.
Finally, we visited both Temple Square Visitor Centers. Yes, there is more than one. The South Visitor Center was based all around how the temple was built. The boys liked walking through the progression of the work, even if Max did become certain that one of the mannequins had evil intentions bent on us. The interactive screens that answered questions and showed rooms of the temple seemed to really catch their eyes. They even had a miniature Salt Lake City Temple with a cross-section cut out and the rooms labeled. I never knew that the two top floors hold and assembly hall not unlike the Tabernacle or the Nauvoo Temple. I wish I had taken pictures of it, but my hands were full of tired little boys at this point.
The North Visitor Center was based around Christ and his life. Lots of artwork including my second favorite sculpture of the Savior “The Christus”. For anyone wondering, my favorite statue of Christ, which I have also seen in person, is “Pieta” by Michelangelo (the artist, not the Turtle).
Visiting this statue was the first thing on my list of things to do in Salt Lake City, but the last thing I actually got to see. I’m glad we made it. Though my boys were extremely tired, they reacted to this statue just like they did to the temple. They ran right up to it, like it was a long-lost friend they couldn’t wait to talk to. And I thought that was the perfect way to end our time in Salt Lake.
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