I have always wanted to see and visit the LDS temples.
There are so many that I'm sure I'll never be able to see even a small portion of them, but I consider myself blessed whenever the opportunity arises to walk the temple grounds of any of them.
It's amazing that no matter how disparaging the city or town is, as soon as the temple is in sight, the feelings all change. Such wonderful places!
(Those which are numbered are the ones we were able to perform ordinances in and then visit the celestial room).
So, here goes.
These are the temples that Dan and I have been to together since we've been married. The goal is to actually do some sort of work in them, but I'm just grateful to stand in their shadows.
St. George Temple ( 1)
Of course it all began on November 18, 1983 as we were married in the St. George, Utah temple in the
East Sealing Room (the oldest temple and oldest sealing room in use in the world). I also took out my endowment that day as well. Many of our ancestors were sealed in the very same room!
Oakland Temple
In February of 1984 we went on a be-lated honeymoon to the San Fransisco area. We did a lot of sight seeing with one of Dan's mission companions, Egil Knutzen.
We were able to visit the Oakland temple grounds. Wish we could have gone inside, but it was a rushed trip.
Manti Temple (2)
We were able to be a part of grandpa and grandma White's 50th wedding anniversary by going with them and the rest of the family to the Manti temple, where they were sealed, to do an endowment session. We experienced a live session for a first time and it was so nice. July 6, 1988
Las Vegas Temple (3)
While Dan served as Bishop in Mesquite, one of the sisters in our ward, Kaylynn Hughes went through the Vegas temple to receive her own endowments. I remember the wooden benches being so smooth that they almost felt soft.
Bountiful Temple (4)
We were able to do an endowment session in the Bountiful temple while my dad was having open heart surgery at the LDS Hospital. We were up in the Salt Lake area helping my mom out for a week. It was a special experience.
Salt Lake City Temple (5)
We have been on the grounds and even to a sealing in the Salt Lake Temple; however, the first time to ever be in the actual temple and do work there was on April 21, 2004 when Erik took out his own endowment before his mission. It was so beautiful! The live session was a nice change, especially with the old time farmers talking in their Utah accents trying to be the different characters. Wonderful experience!!
We were able to attend an endowment session again in June 2018 as Kendyl went with us before going on her mission. Another tender experience.
Idaho Falls Temple
Dec. 3, 2005 we went to see Karson and Joy married in the Idaho Falls Temple. So beautiful with the river and the falls nearby. Loved the experience and the snow!
Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple
In May and June of 2006 we took our 4 older children on a church history trip. We took the eldest kids so they could go inside the temples and do baptisms while Dan and I did endowment sessions. However, our first night on the trip, our Yukon was broken into and our temple clothes and my recommend were stolen. So, we ended up just walking around the grounds.
Palmyra New York Temple
We loved Palmyra. It was a beautiful place and the temple looked very similar to the Winter Quarters Temple. Wish we could have gone inside. May 28, 2006
Nauvoo Illinois Temple
On June 3, 2006 we were able to go into the Nauvoo temple. We called Bishop Bennett who talked to the temple Presidency and they let me go in to watch the kids do baptisms for the dead. So grateful we could at least do that! Nauvoo was my favorite place on the trip.
We visited the grounds of the Nauvoo temple again in August 2016.
Oquirrh Mountain Temple (6)
We decided to take the kids on a spiritual adventure and went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house on Sat. Aug. 1, 2009. It was an all day trip, but so worth it. I loved walking through the whole temple. There were glass walls in the chapel waiting area as well as in the baptismal font. Stars were etched into the glass and the chandelier in the celestial room was amazing! So worth the long day of driving!
On Sept. 7, 2013 Dan and I were able to do sealings in the Oquirrh Mtn. temple. We were hoping to do a session; however, with the new film just coming out the month before, the sessions were booked.
Washington DC Temple
I was able to go with Dan to one of his Ace Hardware conventions in the Washington DC area. Before we left for the airport to head home, we had our taxi driver take us past the temple. It was such an amazing site to see as the road wound through trees and there, suddenly before us, was this majestic temple!
Portland Oregon Temple
In March of 2008 we went to Portland to visit Kami and Zack. While there, they took us to the Portland temple on a Sunday (which meant we couldn't go inside). We spent a good hour on the beautiful grounds. So many flowers!
Columbia River Washington Temple
Also on our Portland trip in March 2008 we went to see my Aunt Jolene in Richland WA. She took us to their temple, the Columbia River Temple. It is very small and you can only do any work inside by appointment only so we just spent some time on the grounds.
Provo Temple (7)
August 31, 2012 we went to Provo to a BYU football game and decided to take the time to go to the temple. Dan had been there before during his stay at the MTC but this was my first experience. We did sealings and then spent a few minutes in the Celestial Room. The chandeliers were amazing and a uniform style through out.
Jordan River Temple (8)
On April 5, 2013 we went to Salt Lake to Dan's mission reunion and were able to make time to go to an endowment session in the Jordan River temple. I loved the dark wood accents and of course, the chandeliers.
Albuquerque New Mexico Temple (9)
June 18, 2013 took us to New Mexico for a change in command at Holoman AF Base. On the way we stopped in Albuquerque and was able to do an endowment session in the temple. This picture is how I've always seen it, but if you go around to the front, it's got the usual steeple and all.
Snow Flake Arizona Temple (10)
On our way home from Alamogordo NM, we stopped by Snow Flake. I loved the little town and the temple is now one of my favorites. It's very small but so beautiful. We did an endowment session and I sat by a lady who is friends with KLynn Patterson....small world! In this temple we actually move from one room to another representing the kingdoms. Wonderful experience. June 22, 2013
Kansas City Missouri Temple
In April 2014 Dan and I and our good friends, Greg and Jenny Johnson, went on a week long vacation to Branson, Missouri. We flew into Kansas City, rented a car and went to the temple just to walk around. I really want to go inside sometime soon!
We also visited the grounds once again during our church history trip, August 2016
Reno Nevada Temple
On Nov. 21, 2015 we had the wonderful privilege of driving to Reno to be with my sister, Kami and her husband, Zack as they had their 16 yr. old foster daughter, Aria, sealed to them. We had Erik, Kylie and Katelyn with us. Once again, the trip was too rushed to do a session, but we were grateful to at least go to a sealing there.
Los Angeles Temple
May 2016 took us to southern California for our daughter to meet a good friend. While we were there, Dan and I toured the grounds of the Los Angeles temple. We would have had time to do a session it turns out, but didn't have our Sunday clothes with us.
Chicago Illinois Temple
August 2016 took Dan and I, Katelyn, Clel, Joel, Kambree, Jake and Kendyl on a church history trip. We went through Chicago and stopped at the temple site for pictures. It was being renovated so we weren't able to attend, but it was still beautiful.
Draper Utah Temple (11)
On October 29 2016, we went to Salt Lake City to take Greg & Kylie out for their bdays. Kambree went with us and bought her a wedding dress and then babysat Kylie's boys so we could do a temple session in the Draper Temple. Kylie, Greg, Shaun, Katie and Joel went with us. Another small and beautiful place!
Provo City Center Utah Temple (12)
April 8, 2017 took us to Provo to see a member of a Norwegian ward that Dan had know while serving his mission there. Her son was having a wedding reception in Provo and Dan thought it would be fun to surprise her; however, the surprise was on him as she wasn't able to make it :(. We still had a good day trip though. We went through a session at the beautiful new Provo City Center temple which was made into a temple from the old tabernacle which had burnt down. It was a temple of many stairs and wasn't for the faint of heart. I thought I'd pass out by the time I got to the end of the stair climbing. It was run by mostly 20 year old youth so that was quite different and nice to see. I really loved the underground parking area and the face of the temple underneath....very cool. Our trip was bittersweet as we got out of the temple and had a message on our phones from Kari telling us that our dear friend, Pres./Bishop Ivie had been killed in a car accident that morning. It was very surreal and left us in a very somber mood for the rest of the day. We went to Zupa's with Erik, Joel, Shaun, Katie and Oliver. Erik had a bunch of free tickets so we only had to contribute $9 for all of us. Shaun was pretty upset over Pres. Ivie as he used to be his home teacher. So grateful for the temples and for the ordinance of being sealed together forever as families. What a great blessing.
Provo Tabernacle caught fire on Dec. 17, 2010.
A picture of Christ was in the Tabernacle during the fire and this is how it came out. It was an amazing miracle to see how He wasn't burned at all, but everywhere around Him was.
On Oct. 2, 2011, Pres. Monson announced the building of a 2nd Provo temple...the old and destroyed Provo Tabernacle was to be the home of the new temple. It was dedicated on Mar. 20, 2016.
What a history!!!
Cedar City Utah Temple
November 2017 we took many of our family members to the Cedar City Temple Open House. It was well organized amid the freezing cold weather. It's so exciting having a temple in Cedar where so many of my relatives live. Uncle Dennis and Aunt Linda will be working in the baptistry and Mary and Shawn will be temple workers as well. It will be nice to actually go through a session there someday.
Payson Utah Temple (13)
Dan & I went to Provo to see our northern children (Erik, Joel and Shaun and his family) for my birthday, Nov. 9, 2018. We took them out to eat and had a great time. The following day, before heading back home, Erik went with us to the Payson temple. We did an endowment session. It was yet another beautiful temple. The stained glass windows in the Celestial room as well as throughout the whole temple was amazing.
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