Gilbert Temple Open House

 We had a great opportunity to take the family to the Gilbert Temple Open House a couple weeks ago.    Temples are special buildings (learn more here) where we worship and perform sacred ordinances.  Because we consider them Houses of the Lord, only the best materials are used in their construction and they are beautiful structures inside and out.  Before they are dedicated, the temple is open to anyone who wants a tour so we took the family up to have that experience.

The Gilbert Temple is the largest that the church has built in the last 17 years.  It is decorated with an agave plant motif (a kind of cactus)- according to their handout "The agave plant is used throughout the temple to signify the influence of one generation on another.  The agave's lower, older leaves create impressions on the upper leaves, just as ancestors' legacies leave an impression on the generations that follow."

I loved that idea- that the things we do, the choices we make, the kind of people we are has an influence greater than we think sometimes.

After the tour we took the kids to a sit down restaurant for dinner- the first time we have ever attempted this 

with all the kids.  It went surprisingly well- the kids were a little wiggly but all in all pretty well behaved.  After we got the check I realized why we don't eat out with our family of 6 often, but it was fun to try and know that we can actually take our kids out in public.   

I love my family!