Ok. So these last few days, Brennen and I have been in Utah. My best friend and sister, Melissa, got married in the Bountiful, Utah temple on the 12th, and Brennen’s and my anniversary is on the 16th so we just decided to make it a trip and stay a few days. First I want to tell you about our adventures and then I’ll tell you about Melissa’s wedding.
So when we got to Salt Lake, we checked in to our hotel and walked over to Temple Square. We wandered around for a bit before heading to the Church History Museum. Neither Brennen nor I had ever been, and we would recommend it if you’re ever in the area. When you first walk in, there are pots everywhere and you’re thinking “Ok, not sure if this is for me…” But just make sure you go around the corner. To one side there are the REAL death masks of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. I mean the real, authentic, original, etc. death masks. Brennen didn’t like them much, but I thought it was really cool to actually see the faces of the first Prophet and his brother who were killed for the sake of the church. There was also John Taylor’s actual pocket watch that stopped the bullet that hit him in Carthage where Joseph and Hyrum were murdered. And then there was a section about temples. They had a real sealing alter from the temple (which I learned is the most sacred piece of furniture in the temple) and like a whole wall from a real temple (can’t remember which one), they had a section from the baptismal font from the Logan temple (I think). This was probably one of my favorite sections. Then upstairs, they had a display for every deceased Latter-day prophet. There were items that each belonged to or described or defined each prophet. Then the downstairs was for kids, but Brennen had a blast. J Tuesday was mostly just the wedding and not really much else. We went out to dinner and relaxed a bit. Wednesday we went to the zoo. It was such a beautiful day. The sun was shining, but it wasn’t extremely hot, which was a good thing because I wore a long-sleeved shirt. We saw all sorts of animals. I loved the small animal house. There we a lot of reptiles, which were so cool! Snakes and lizards and other things like that. I also loved seeing the elephants and giraffes. J We don’t get to see those at the zoo in Idaho Falls. Brennen’s favorite was the gorilla, even though it was napping in the corner. We saw a family of orangutans, mom, dad, and two babies. First we saw just one baby. He was hiding in a pile of shredded paper. So cute. Then mom and dad came in. Then dad did something to mom that had all the humans saying “NO!” “AHHH!” “DON’T DO IT!” Haha, I won’t describe what was going on, but it didn’t last long because it seemed that mama orangutan said to papa orangutan, “Not in front of all these people!” J And then we saw the paper pile move again! The other baby orangutan never came out, but we knew he was in there. After the zoo we headed back home to Idaho, stopping at a few shopping centers on the way.
Ok now about Melissa and Patrick’s wedding. It was SO cool to see my best friend get sealed in the temple. I was running a little late and so scared they weren’t going to let me in. But it seems I made it just in time. It was beautiful. Their sealer was President Christensen, the former president of the Rexburg Temple. He gave them a lot of good advice and talked about the covenants made in the endowment. All in all, there was a very good spirit there. President Christensen said that he had a very good feeling about Melissa and Patrick. Ok, onto the worldly things. Melissa and Patrick looked like they had just walked out of a magazine photo shoot. They were GORGEOUS! Their colors were deep purple and blue with the neutrals black and white. Very modern, yet sophisticated. Something that was different was that Melissa had no flowers. The only flowers were in the nieces’ hair and on her cake. But I LOVED it without the flowers. I think they would have almost been too much. Melissa’s dress was absolutely stunning. Lightly beaded, V-neck, slim, with a small train. It suited her very well. Her reception was at this beautiful building called the Canterbury Place. It was very rustic. They provided the food and the cake. The cake was simple, yet beautiful. Three tiers each had navy blue ribbon around the bottom and there were a few purple orchids on it. Probably my favorite moment of the whole day (next to the temple) was when Melissa and Patrick danced their first dance. They dance to “I Do” a song from the 90s by Boyz II Men (?), maybe, I’ll have to look it up. There was so much love and happiness between them that I actually started to cry. Like I said in a previous post, nothing in the world is wrong at a wedding.
Dear Brennen, thank you for an amazing “weekend” away from freezing Rexburg and Jamba Juice. Thank you for driving almost the whole time because I’m scared to drive in 5 lanes of traffic. Thank you for taking me to the zoo to fulfill one of my childish needs and walking through the mall on the way home. Thank you for providing a good balance of relaxation and play and for great food. I’m sorry for any of the times I got upset about the way you were driving. Sometimes I forget that you have to drive that was to get to where you need to be. Love, Grace
Dear Melissa and Patrick, thank you for letting me be a part of your big day. I wish I could bottle the happiness that surrounded your wedding; I will never forget it. Brennen and I wish you the best in your life together and hope you are never unhappy. Remember to make the Lord a part of your marriage and everything will always work out. You two have something very special. Don’t ever let that go. I love you both. Love Grace. P.S. Patrick, have her back by midnight. J
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