I love to see the temple!

Sunday morning, March 27.
We got up and headed to Laie to attend church at Andy's student ward. The place was packed. We were in the minority, which is generally a good experience. Andy and Rick stayed for the whole block of meetings since Andy had a lesson to teach in priesthood meeting. Rick said he did an amazing job. Carol, Mom and I went on a little site seeing expedition down the road to Turtle Beach resort. Lovely. We returned to pick up the guys and take a walking tour around the lovely Laie, Hawaii temple. It is a sight to see. Keeping up to usual LDS temple standards, the grounds surrounding the temple were immaculate. The visual feast of seeing the all green grounds against the white temple and blue sky was breath taking. The temple property goes right down to the shore line of the sea.
I was so interested in the history of the Laie temple. It was recently rededicated and we're very fortunate that we go to see it inside and out since it was closed for two years for renovation, recently being reopened and rededicated last November.

The Laie Hawaii Temple was the first temple built in Polynesia.

The Laie Hawaii Temple was the first temple "brought to the people," as it was the first temple dedicated outside of the state (or territory) where Church Headquarters was located.

The Laie Hawaii Temple was the first temple built outside of the continental United States.

At just 10,500 square feet, the Laie Hawaii Temple was the smallest temple the Church had ever constructed.

The Laie Hawaii Temple was originally named the Hawaii Temple.

The Laie Hawaii Temple stands adjacent to Church-owned Brigham Young University–Hawaii. The Church's other two universities; Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and Brigham Young University–Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho; also have adjacent temples.

The Laie Hawaii Temple sits on the original Mormon landholdings of Hawaii known as Laie Plantation. The 6,000-acre parcel was purchased in 1865 for $14,000.

President Joseph F. Smith was in Hawaii on business in the spring of 1915 when he was moved by a spiritual impulse to dedicate a site for the Laie Hawaii Temple. The action was later ratified by the brethren and publicly sustained in the October 1915 General Conference.

Construction of the Laie Hawaii Temple came to a standstill when the supply of lumber ran out. Prayers were uttered, and two days later, a freighter was discovered stranded on a nearby coral reef. The captain offered his entire cargo to the saints if they would unload it for him. His cargo? Lumber—enough to complete the temple.

We drove around the north shore, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the ocean. We enjoyed some wonderful Thai food for dinner and then took Andy and Tanner back to their small garage apartment. We drove back to Honolulu and fell into bed, exhausted from a fun day of seeing the beauties of nature.
Day two of a vacation in paradise.

A surf can soothe the soul

I feel a little guilty, but I'm not gonna down play it. We had a fabulous time in Hawaii. While the snow was still flying in Utah, we were enjoying the wind and waves of Oahu.
You know you're off to a good start when you are told that your seats have been upgraded to 1st class on the long Delta flight to Hawaii. Nice. Our original seats on row 35 were behind a disabled person who needed more room to recline. Her need was our gain. Rick and I got booted up to 1st. Such a hardship, but we bore up as best we could. We were upgraded on another long flight coming home from South America one time. Now we know why they pull the little curtain between 1st and coach. There could be an uprising otherwise. The warm towels to wash before the hot meal, the endless drinks and pampering, the offer of a free alcoholic drink (which we declined), the free media headphones, the larger more spacious seats, more leg room, the snacks offered several times and the attentive stewardess makes paying three times the regular price worth it to some people I guess.


We got to Honolulu, checked out our car and headed to the hotel. It was about three blocks from Waikiki. We ate some island food at Dukes. Without further adieu, we headed to the beach. No need wasting any more time. Someone was especially anxious to hit the waves. The 80 degree temperature and the nice ocean breeze just added to the ambiance. Carol, Rick and I were out floating in the water when someone we recognized came swimming by. Hummmmm, who was that tanned, lean machine? Andy the pseudo Hawaiian surprised us and I must say it was wonderful to see him again. He and his sidekick Tanner. A little sand and surf can soothe the soul. Watching the sun dip below the water at sundown is a sight to behold. Mom was soaking it all up in an easy chair on the beach. A nice soak in the hot tub at the hotel afterward wasn't bad either.
Day one of a vacation in paradise.

Called to serve

The Deseret News has been running a series of in-depth articles on life in the Provo MTC. It's been great to see the pictures and read the articles about life as a missionary in the MTC. Not only is it fun for people who have gone through the MTC to see it and reminisce, but it is also a very valuable tool to let people see what goes on in there. In case you missed it, take a look at the dozens of photos they have made available and the articles that described missionary life. If you have a son or daughter who is pre-mission age, this might be a great FHE to see the pictures and talk about preparation for a mission.
I think it's fantastic that the MTC has allowed this kind of transparency and that the D News has done such a great job reporting. I'm sure that many people are curious about what goes on in this little mini city in Provo. Now the mystery is removed. Be sure to go through the many pictures that are associated with each story.
Enjoy!

1st article - Mormon church's Provo MTC: Exclusive look at the largest missionary training facility in the world.
2nd article - Inside the Missionary Training Center - arrival day for missionaries means quick goodbyes and hello to a brand new world.
3rd article - A look at the Mormon missionary training process.
4th article - Mormon church operates 14 missionary training centers around the world
5th article - Inside the Missionary Training Center: It takes a village to run what amounts to a small city.
6th article - Select group of missionaries serving online
and finally
7th article - photos of a devotional at the Provo MTC.

We miss it. I'm not going to say we don't. But life in couch isn't too bad either. We're both serving with the young men and young women in our ward again and we really enjoy serving with the youth. We're happy to serve where ever we can lend a hand.

Serendipity!

(This is the second time I've written this post. First time I added a picture and the whole thing disappeared. I got so mad I went on strike against Blogger and gave it a rest for a week. Time to forgive and forget I guess.)

The last week or so, several serendipitous events have happened! It's been so fun to just go with the flow of these events as they have unfolded.
#1 - I planned a trip to Rupert to visit my sister Janet while Rick went to the MW conference games in Las Vegas. Sisters Lee and Ann jumped on board and we headed to Rupert. (We missed Carol and Mom and hope they can make it to the next sisters adventure.) Janet had John Wayne tacos waiting for us when we arrived and we enjoyed eating dinner together and chatting. Jan had suggested that we all come prepared with something to share so we did just that. Lee showed us how to make her creative Oreo-cookie-chocolate-dipped-ball-on-a-stick treats, Ann showed us how to make some darling decorative cones for party favors, I showed the group how to make little-girl-3-layer-rick-rack-skirts for granddaughters and Janet was prepared with folders and brochures to get us started on funeral planning. She works as a pre-funeral planner and she really knows her stuff. It's good to think through finances and decisions that need to be made even if we usually like to put that sort of thing off. We exercised to a DVD of the Biggest Loser in the morning and then headed out to Kings variety store to buy some St. Paddy's decorations and just smell that distinctive plastic smell in Kings. We went to lunch and ate Reuben sandwiches, went to a craft fair where Lee found the perfect frame for her living room wall, went to a scrapbook store and made table coasters for our homes and we just chatted and chatted the whole time. It was a "Girls" adventure, that's for sure. It was so fun to be together and spend the day doing fun stuff. We also got to visit the homes of our nephews Nick and Dustin and visit with their lovely wives and see their darling children. They are doing such a great job raising their families.
#2 - We attended a BYU Honors Program dinner a couple of weeks ago. Two interesting things happened. I sat by a couple whose son is the drummer for the group Maroon 5. It was interesting to hear their story. Rick sat by the director of the Freshman Year experience at BYU. He chatted her up pretty well. A few days later look what came in the mail (see above.)
As if we didn't already have enough blue and white in our house! Of course is goes nicely with the exciting events this last week with the ongoing Jimmermania saga...another serendipitous event.
#3 - Can I just say how much FUN we've had watching BYU basketball this year? Jimmer made the cover of SI two weeks in a row now. I'm just saying. If you haven't seen him play yet, you MUST catch him tomorrow night in the NCAA tournament sweet sixteen. He is a wonder to behold.
#4 - I got a call from my nephew Matt asking me to check out some local cars he saw on KSL.com. I went to check out the cars, took some pictures and also took this beauty in for a mechanical check. He decided it was a go and he and Carol came and picked up the car the next day. He paid in cash. I don't think I've ever held that much cash before. Probably a first and last time for that. I'm happy for Matt's new ride. He's such a cute kid and working hard to pay for his new purchase.
#5 - I got the BYU Women's conference brochure in the mail. I have TWO cousins presenting this year. Janis L. and Rebecca G. Unfortunately, they are presenting at the same time. I'm not sure what I'll do about that. Also presenting is a friend in our stake who I really admire. Her name is Lloya H. and I'll be attending her class for sure on adult relationships with our children. I got my pass to attend. Are there any interested attendees? It's April 28-29 and the Rombom Roost is available for overnight guests.
Roost is available for overnight guests.t is available for overnight guests.

China (not the country!) replacement

Recognize this beautiful china??



Have you ever broken a piece of your china and wished that you could replace that piece? There is a GREAT website that does just that. It has thousands if not millions of replacement china and dish ware pieces. Here is the web site.
They also have crystal, silver and other serving pieces. If you don't know the name of your china or dish ware, you can take a picture and send it in and they will try and identify it.
There is also this web site called Past and Present that does the same thing, although I don't think their inventory is as large. The prices aren't cheap, but if you're looking to replace an item or two, it might be worth it. The name of the manufacturer is usually stamped on the back of the plate. Happy replacement shopping!