"Let us ever have an Attitude of Gratitude": Utah Winter Weddings

Brent's Sister Jennifer got married on January 21st in the Bountiful temple. We are super excited for her and Kasey to be married. It was a weekend full of so many wonderful and crazy memories all wrapped up into a couple of days.

We decided to take off work on Friday and go down to Utah early. In the end, we did not really get to Utah as early as we would have like because we did not leave here until probably 1pm. I was okay with that because it meant we had time to pack and get ready for the weekend. Normally we decide to work half of the day, so the night before we are up late packing and we can never leave at noon. This way we were actually able to leave at at 1pm and get to Utah at a somewhat decent hour.

I love having Michelle and Derrick live in Ogden. Ogden is so much closer than Provo, so it makes the drive so much better. I don't have the fondest memories of driving to BYU because it felt soooo long. We stayed with Michelle and Derrick and went to dinner with them. I was a little bummed because we were going to go to a sushi restaurant because Brent and Michelle love sushi. I detest the idea of raw fish but I figure it would be a good time out and I can afford to starve for a night. Unfortunately when we got to the restaurant there was a 45 minute wait, and we were starving. Instead we found a little hole in the wall sandwich shop which was great. After dinner we went back to the house and played Ticket to Ride. So much fun!!! We had never played before, but Brent won, and we had a good time. Michelle does not like games to take a lot of time so I feel like we played a speed version of Ticket to Ride, but we managed to end at a decent hour. That is a game on my list that I want to get!!

I remember back in the good old days when Brent and I used to be able to cuddle on the couch, but it just doesn't seem to work as well for long periods of time. I was in charge of packing our stuff (basically because Brent didn't) and the thought never crossed my mind to bring a sleeping bag/pad. We attempted to sleep together on the couch, but it was so cramped!! About half way through the night I decided that it would be better to be uncomfortable on the floor instead of on the couch with Brent happily snoring I mean purring in my ear. Needless to say, that was not the best night of sleep I've ever had. I think we decided before important things like weddings we would splurge and stay at a hotel...just so we look somewhat decent in the morning.

The Big Day!!!

Jenn and Kasey's wedding was at 10:30 in the Bountiful Temple so we left with plenty of time to get us there by 10:00am. Thankfully it was not snowing, but it was raining like CRAZY!!!!! We had umbrellas but I don't know if it did us any good. I felt like I was soaked by the time we got in. We walked into the temple right at 10:00 and Joanna informed us the Jenn and Kasey were still not there. (FYI you are supposed to be to the temple at least an hour before you are sealed). I was able to meet some of Brent's family that lives in Utah that I have not met before so we were able to use our waiting time wisely.

This is the first sealing that I have been to since we were married. I just love sealings!! They are so powerful. It brought back a flood of memories from July and I am so glad that we were able to be apart of that with them. A sealing does not last long and is not glamorous, but it always focuses on those things that are most important. I am so grateful to know that families can be sealed for time and eternity and that there is no reason to be afraid of death. Life is a journey we get to take together and a fun one at that!!

After the wedding it was still pouring down rain. We were behind schedule so we left to go to the luncheon in downtown Bountiful. After the luncheon some of the family was going back to the temple to take pictures, but we already had plans to see Kailia and her new baby, so we didn't head back to the temple. When we were driving to Kailia's house the rain turned into huge snowflakes! The weather was crazy! We were driving along 4 lane roads where the two outside lanes were flooding because there had been so much rain. This was the first day that I had ever seen Brent hold a baby. I don't know if it was by his choice or the fact that Kailia put her in his arms and no one would take her back. It was too cute. She didn't cry once while he was holding her, but we are pretty sure that there was a possibility he might freak out a little bit if she did.

While we were at Kailia's house Brent got a call from his Mom saying how they were stuck at the temple and they could not get down the roads because of the snow. It was beginning to turn into a crazy night. We were supposed to be heading to Randolph Utah, which was about 2 hours up the Mountains near Evanston Wyoming. I am not a fan of driving in the snow even though we have a truck and the ability to handle it, it is still not my favorite thing. Brent's family was in a car so they were not as equipped as we were. I did not feel good at all about going to the reception because the roads were terrible! They were closing the canyon roads and everyone kept telling us to stay and not go.

Finally Brent made the final decision that we should not go, and man was I happy! By the time we would have got to the reception it would be ending. I am sad that we missed the reception but I am so grateful that we stayed behind. I feel so strongly that I cannot pray for safety if I am not going to listen to the promptings of the spirit. I remember President Hinckley telling a group of missionaries to not do stupid things and they will be protected (or something like that!) Another determining factor was the opportunity to stay in Salt Lake City. We found a sweet hotel deal on Priceline for only $69 so it cost about the same to stay.

Our Fun Date Night!!

Brent and I love Texas Roadhouse and that is normally where we go out to dinner. Nothing fancy, but we love it like that. We hadn't stayed in a hotel and done anything nice since our honeymoon 6 months ago. (yeah even on our honeymoon we went to Texas Roadhouse in IF). Like I said we got a hotel from Priceline for only $69. We stayed at the Sheraton in downtown SLC. We were only 4 blocks away from Temple Square, which was really nice. They put us is a King Suite (originally $249:) and we were feeling a little spoiled. Since we did not get sushi on Friday night, we went to Benihana's where Brent was able to get sushi. What a blast!! They cooked the food right in front of us and put on a bit of a show. We had a fantastic time together doing something a little bit out of the ordinary. We got a chance to walk around downtown as it was snowing and just enjoy the simplicities of life. Unfortunately it was not as good of a time because we were worried about family that was driving, but we made the best of it.

Sunday morning we woke up early... but it was hard because we had such a huge and comfy bed. Just for the record I am not a fan of a king size bed (I am sure that will change when we have kids that take over though) because Brent was so far away. I have gotten used to the fact that we are always bumping into each other in our Queen bed...but that's how I know Brent is there :) Anyhow...back on topic...we went to Music and the spoken word on Sunday. AMAZING!! I have always wanted to go, but I have never made it before. We were late, but it was still fantastic. Afterwords we walked around temple square that had a fresh blanket of snow on it. What a beautiful place it is. I love the spirit that you can feel when you are at the house of the Lord. We did not stay there long because we had to check out of the hotel and drive home, but we were there long enough. I love being able to go at our own pace and do what we want. No one was rushing us and we were able to bask in the great beauty around us.

It was amazing to be on Temple Square. I love the contrast from the day before. It was overcast all day long and pouring down rain/snow. The next day is absolutely gorgeous. It was definitely worth the wait, just like most things in life!