The Temple Grounds

The temple grounds cover 10 acres with lots of history and LOTS of flowers. The first place I saw was The Beehive House. It was Brigham Young's first residence, built in the 1850's

The Loin House was was later built as the resident of Brigham Young and his family. They lived here from 1857 until his death in 1877.

This is the Lion atop the entrance, from which the name is derived.

Throughout the grounds are many statues. This is just two of many.

Across the street from the Temple Square is the Brigham Young Park.

 The rest of these pictures are of the Flowers. They were absolutely beautiful, everywhere you looked. The season there is a little behind Missouri, as the tulips were still in full bloom. In Missouri the tulips were done weeks ago!

Salt Lake City Temple

This week I am in Salt Lake City, Utah. The new Kansas City Temple was recently completed and Hillary and I were able to tour it before it was dedicated. Once the dedication ceremony was held on May 6, the general people would no longer be allowed to enter. I decided that since I was close to the original Temple I should go see. I thought it would be in a scenic area, but found it in the center of downtown Salt Lake City. The temple square is 10 acres and the grounds are amazing. I didn't think about the fact that the temple was built prior to 1900 (It was dedicated in 1893) and at that point in time it was probably out by itself. I took several pictures, which follow.

I was there in the evening and was frustrated by the sun in my picture, but once I saw them I decided that I liked the sun shinning behind.

Marriages are held in the temple as the bride and groom are 'sealed' together for all eternity. Family must be Mormon to be able to attend the ceremony, since only Mormon's in good standing can enter the temple. It must have been a day for weddings as there were several couples on the grounds with families taking pictures.

Apple Blossom Parade

Saturday morning I took Mira and Griffin to the Apple Blossom Parade. I think it was their first parade and they really weren't sure what to expect. But once it finally started they quickly figured out how to scramble for candy. The pictures speak for themselves! 

This will probably need to be an annual event!!

World War II

I recently arrived at Midway airport in Chicago around 10PM and as I walked up the concourse to the exit I could see a crowd of people. When I finally got closer, I could see a military made aisle with soldiers in dress uniforms and flags lining the sides. Initially I thought it was probably going to be a coffin but decided that wouldn't come through the passenger gates and down the concourse.

This is what I saw. 

At the far left of this picture you can see a gentleman in a wheelchair shaking hands. It was WWII veterans returning from a Day in Washington DC to visit the war Memorials.  The welcome home was amazing!

This is just one on many school groups with banners and I don't know how many bands!

I talked to this veteran. He had tears in his eyes and said it was a 'wonderful day'. They left Chicago at 4:30 AM! I had tears running down my checks!!

I had been tired and cranky about getting in so late and having to drive an hour to the hotel, but that really perked me up!!