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Married in the Bountiful Temple

December 16, 2010 by rickety 7 Comments

Jacob and Rachel were sealed in the Bountiful Temple

Yesterday Jacob and Rachel were married in the Bountiful Temple. For those not familiar with Mormon weddings, I will explain. Members of the Church believe that marriages performed in temples are “sealed,” or blessed to last for eternity. Those who are sealed in the temple have the assurance that their relationship will continue forever if they are true to their covenants. They know that nothing, not even death, can permanently separate them.

Bind On Earth

The Bountiful Temple has sealing rooms similar to those of the Vancouver temple pictured here

The concept of eternal families comes from scripture and modern-day revelation. For instance, the New Testament reference in Matthew 16:19 records Jesus Christ telling the Apostle Peter: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” The Church equates the word “bind” with “seal.”

In “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles proclaim that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” When a man and woman are married in the temple, their family can be together forever.

Photographs

After the sealing ceremony, Jake and Rachel changed into traditional marriage clothes for photographs in the temple grounds. Family and friends, after witnessing the sealing, waited patiently for them outside the temple doors. Here are a few photographs, mostly via my camera. Click on the images to enlarge.

Jake and Rachel have yet to emerge from the temple. Brothers wait.

Sister and cousin wait.

Families wait.

Everybody waits.

Rachel and Jake appear.

Rachel, the beautiful bride.

Photographs. Parent of the bride.

Parents of the groom.

Parents of the bride and groom.

I'm not sure what caused this response. Maybe a snowball fight started.

Family of the Bride.

More family of the bride.

Family of the groom.

Siblings of the groom.

Baby Cassandra was amused by all the posing and picture taking.

Snowball fight (originally started by the groom).

Reception

Jacob's boss (and mine and Paul's) with the bride and groom.

Paul readying the slides using my TV, laptop, and Nexus One hot spot. With a family of engineers, everything has to be complicated.

In the end, it all worked. Photo Credit: Susan Ward.

Jake had the usual decorating done on his car.

Here are some more photographs, courtesy Still Timeless Photography, of the Wedding of Jacob and Rachel.

Missionary Dan Returns Home

December 14, 2010 by rickety 3 Comments

Our first view of Daniel

After two years and 47 days, Elder Willoughby finally returned home from his mission. There were several families there to greet him. Bryson and Aurora held up the Welcome Home Elder Willoughby sign that was generic enough to be used for four missionaries.

At the airport were Daniel’s parents, his three brothers and sister and their spouses (and fiancée) and children. Also Daniel’s Uncle Mike and cousin Christopher; Aunt Susan and cousin Shauna; and Jill’s cousin Julie.

Waiting for Daniel: Jill, Susan, Aurora, Bryson, Sarah, Shauna, Adelaide, and Cassandra

Daniel and Shauna

Daniel meets his nieces for the first time

We all went home to enjoy a delicious meal. But first Daniel headed over to the stake center to be released by President Thredgold. I asked President Thredgold if I could take a picture. He said, “Is this going to end up on Rickety?” Well, of course! Later that evening Daniel stood by his Welcome Home Dan sign, all l lit up in wonderful Kaysville — home.

Daniel and his stake president, President Thredgold

Rachel and Jake at the Bountiful Temple

December 11, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Rachel and Jake at the Bountiful Temple patron doors

Today Rachel, my soon to be daughter-in-law, went to the Bountiful temple to receive her endowment. With her were her family and fiancé, Jake. Jake’s parents Rick and Jill; siblings Steven, Sarah, and Paul; and a brother-in-law Derek, were also in attendance. Daniel still has three days of his mission left to serve.

After the ceremony we took some photographs (click to enlarge) in the temple grounds. The temple had a few Christmas decorations and a nativity scene that I haven’t seen before.

Bountiful Temple Nativity Scene

The Gift of the Endowment

For my readers that are not familiar with the temple endowment I will give a short overview.

An endowment is a sacred ordinance. Endowments take place in a dedicated House of the Lord, or temple. Temples were centers of religious worship anciently and Mormons build temples today to administer the ancient ordinances of salvation that have been restored to the earth.

The dictionary defines an endowment as a gift given by a higher power. The temple endowment is a gift of knowledge that helps Mormons understand who they are, where they came from, and where they are going. It helps members understand what they should do to prepare to meet God, and how Jesus Christ offers salvation to each of us.

The temple endowment conveys information in a highly symbolic manner. Symbols used in the temple endowment and the meanings of those symbols are sacred to Mormons. Mormons don’t talk about the details of what goes on in the temple—it is too sacred to be discussed, except in the most holy of places.

Temple Covenants

When presenting the endowment, Church members are required to make very specific covenants with God. A covenant is a two-way promise. In religious terms, a covenant is a sacred promise made between an individual and the Lord:

The celestial room of the Vancouver temple, smaller but similar to, the Bountiful temple

The ordinances of the endowment embody certain obligations on the part of the individual, such as covenant and promise to observe the law of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth and the uplifting of the race; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be made ready to receive her King, the Lord Jesus Christ. With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each obligation a promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the faithful observance of the conditions. (James E. Talmage, The House of the Lord, p 84)

Moroni atop the Bountiful Temple

About the Bountiful Temple

In 1897 John Haven Barlow Sr. purchased forty acres of land from the United States government. There was little that could be done with the land until in 1947 some of the land was cleared and four hundred apricot trees were planted. Bountiful City requested the use of the soil from the site to build a dam and over two hundred thousand cubic yards of soil was removed, leaving the area an ideal spot on which the temple would later be built. The temple is the 47th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I remember well helping to direct traffic at the open house and being one of 200,000 members attending the temple dedication. Sarah and Derek were married in the Bountiful temple. Some temple details:

Announced: 28 May 1988.
Site: 11 acres.
Exterior finish: Bethel white granite.
Architect: Allen Ereckson.
Rooms: Baptistry, celestial room, four endowment rooms, eight sealing rooms.
Total floor area: 104,000 square feet.
Dimensions: 145 feet by 198 feet. 176 feet spire.
District: 30 stakes in central and south Davis county.
Groundbreaking: 2 May 1992 by President Ezra Taft Benson.
Dedication: 8-14 January 1995 by President Howard W. Hunter; 28 sessions.

Source: 2011 Church Almanac, p 210

Family

Paul, Jill, Sarah, and Steven

Sarah at the Bountiful Temple

Family photograph at the Bountiful Temple

Paul, Steven, Rachel, Jake, Jill, and Rick

Rachel and Jake

Thanksgiving 2010

November 25, 2010 by rickety 2 Comments

Our obligatory Thanksgiving photograph. It was cold so we didn’t take much time to pose. As in 2008, we celebrated at Randy and Sherie’s home in Perry. Missing from the photograph are Mark and Connie who are visiting with Mark’s parents and Byron and Daniel who are serving missions. There is a hi-res version (5.2 Mb).

Photo Credit: Steven
Rickety signature.

Parrish Canyon Fremont Pictograph Photographs

September 6, 2010 by rickety 1 Comment

In the photograph above Connie illustrates what the canyon looks like by the pictographs. Not that it helps much I admit. There is a Forest Service marker at one point that warns you not to touch the rock art. We looked at the rock, and even took pictures, but we could not see any art in it at all. Mark went further up the canyon, climbed around some rocks, and found the pictographs.

Mike told us that it is best to come up in the Spring when the pictographs are freshly painted.

Parrish Canyon Fremont Pictographs

September 6, 2010 by rickety 5 Comments

At the trailhead: Mark, Connie, Kent, Melissa, Jill, Rick(ety), Mike, and Paul. Susan is on camera duty.

On Labor Day at 8 am nine adventurous souls set off to find the Parrish Canyon Fremont pictographs. The pictographs are not very far up the canyon. It was a little cold and Mark loaned Jill his coat. I am told it is a thirty minute hike but I didn’t time it. According to the minutes of the Centerville City Trails Committee meeting held Thursday, April 10, 2008, the pictographs had been damaged:

Mark Day reported he hiked to the Fremont pictographs in Parrish Canyon, and he said they have been vandalized. He said some of the pictographs have been scratched, and others have been rubbed out. (Trails Committee Meeting Minutes)

So we set off to see if we could take some pictograph photographs. I will show you first the path we took to the pictographs and then in the next post the pictographs themselves.

We set off on the trail. We got lost. Asked directions. Continued.

When you get to the bridge, cross it and turn right.

Take a picture of the waterfall and continue.

Follow the creek just like Connie and Susan are doing here.

At this point in a normal blog you would see the pictographs. But there are too many photographs already so the pictographs are in the next post.

Paul and Mike continued onward and upward. I followed. I wish I hadn't.

We got back before the others and met Merrill on Red.

Red is an Arabian Paint and his real name is in Russian which I can't pronounce much less spell.

Fireworks

July 24, 2010 by rickety 4 Comments

Saturday we had family over for a meal. Afterwards we set off a few fireworks in daylight so that Bryson and Aurora wouldn’t be frightened of them. Steven lit one of the racing car fireworks which got too close to Adelaide and Aurora. It frightened Aurora, so before Steven lit the next firework, Adelaide moved herself and Aurora to the opposite end of the patio and sat between me and Jake.

Now that they were at a safe distance, watch the video for what happened next.

Rickety signature.

The View From The Living Room

July 9, 2010 by rickety 6 Comments

View From The Living Room

On Monday, for a view of the Salt Lake Valley, we hiked to The Living Room. We relaxed in sandstone chairs with armrests. There were even coffee tables we parked our feet on.

The hike takes about two hours (it took us longer). It is considered easy (it isn’t). Trail length is 2.3 miles (seemed like 5 miles).

Here are some photographs of our hike. Click on the images to enlarge.

My nieces Shauna and Connie on the trail

Mark photographing the view

My brother Mike works his way to the top

Mark, Connie, and Shauna ahead of us across the canyon.

Susan and Jill behind us

Shauna in the living room

Mike captures the living room view

Mark and Connie eat a snack in the kitchen

Jill wonders what happened to the television

A beautiful view

Susan and Shauna did some geocaching

The mandatory group photograph

Left to right: Jill, Rick, Kent, Connie, Mark, Susan, Melissa, and Shauna.

Jill on her way down

Unloading the U-Haul and Loading Up on Pizza

May 30, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Derek and Sarah arrived Saturday afternoon and both their families moved quickly to unload. Four of Derek’s brothers and three of Sarah’s helped along with parents and other family. While the bulk of their possessions are stored with Steven and Adelaide they will be staying with Kari and Linda.

After all was safely gathered in we went to work eating pizza and dessert. It is surprising how much pizza one has to eat after unloading a U-Haul. It must be directly proportional to the amount one unloads. When we were done there wasn’t much left of the eight boxes of pizza and bread sticks.

Contrary to our usual practice, we didn’t have time to take many photographs. However, Kari mentioned that he expected to see a blog post about the event so here it is.