Friday, August 8, 2008

Second Day

The storm passed. We were concerned about David and Jill's wedding pictures, but the day dawned sunny and humid.


We went to the temple a little after 8 AM and saw the cute couple sitting in the waiting room. David was SO happy to see us. And Jill is adorable. She looked so beautiful.

It was wonderful. The whole thing. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. There were four sealing going on that morning. I thought their sealer, Bro. Fish, was adorable.

They had a reception/luncheon at a nearby church building. David and Jill sat with us - which I thought was so cool. We got to hear their "story" of how they met and fell in love. It gave me a little better "feel" for this sweet girl. Get ready kids. I didn't loose an adopted son, I gained an adopted daughter. She's family.



We also got to meet David's sister, Katy and her husband Jesse. They have four kids and they were SO cute and so good!


After the reception, we changed clothes and took a drive out to the east and went up towards the Superstition Mountains. I have read about them and know the legends, but had never seen them.

It was still HOT, but we had air conditioning in the car and knew how to use it.
The cactus is like nothing I've ever seen. The Sonora Desert is completely different from the Mojave Desert. That surprised me. I thought it was prettier. More flowering cacti than I have ever seen.





We drove up to Canyon Lake, which reminded me a little of Silverwood Lake, in the San Bernardino Mountains.



It is a desert man-made lake, but much bigger. It looks like a good fishing lake and has some excellent picnic areas and swimming areas.


The big saguaro cacti are like trees for the birds and animals of the area. You see holes in their trunks. I even saw a bird fly in and out of the one in the picture. His hole was in the top section, just above that little knob. (Center arm, tallest one)

A big turkey vulture was chasing him. He probably thought he had an easy meal. Then he saw Tom and I. I could just imagine what he was thinking. "Look at those two! This is my lucky day! Please fall down. Please! I could week for weeks." We had other plans.



On the way back, we stopped at In-N-Out for dinner. Did you think we wouldn't??? We got comfortable and watched "Geronimo" for our "dinner and a movie." What else would be more perfect? The story happened in Arizona.

I looked at a map today and realized HOW close we are to California. We are just a few miles away from Blythe and the Colorado River! Our rental miles are only good in Arizona so we probably won't run over there - but wow! We're right by Lake Havasu. It's like old home week....

Another fun day! Tomorrow we MIGHT drive to Sedona - don't know yet.

2 comments:

Mama C. said...

My husband has an uncle that lives right along the shores of Lake Havasu. He says it's about the most beautiful place in the world. From the sounds of it, I'd say you agree.

I'm not sure I'm very familiar with all of the components of a Mormon marriage ceremony, so I don't really know what the "sealing" part is. From what I understand, though, isn't that the portion of the ceremony where only the bride, groom, and the person who officiates the ceremony allowed in?

I don't know how detailed the ceremony is, but if you wouldn't mind giving me a synopsis (or pointing out a link where I might find one), I'd appreciate it! :)

C.

Coastalgrannie said...

Except for the heat, we LOVED it. We want to go back - in the spring, fall or winter!! I DON'T recommend August.

I will post some links about the sealing. We believe that families last forever. In civil weddings, the vows say you are bond together "until death do you part" or "for the rest of your lives." Temples are were families become eternal. We can continue our connection forever.

There is a biblical reference in Matthew that speaks about "whatever is bound on earth, is bound in heaven." We believe that happens through Christ's power. He passed that power on to Peter. That same authority to perform that binding act ("sealing") is what happens in the temple.
I will make a posting with links. I'm glad you asked.