And Then There Were Three
Yes, the title of my post is also the title of the 1978 album released by Genesis, but it is a good reflection of how I feel right now. Jennifer and I had a feeling that emotionally we might not be in the best of situations to drive all the way home after dropping Ben off at the MTC. Our trip back to Joanna's house pretty much strengthened that thought. We weren't crying or carrying on ridiculously (sackcloth and ashes, wailing like banshees in a blizzard), but it was a pretty melancholy trip. Coming back to Joanna and Chad's house gave us some extra time to take a deep breath and exhale slowly--allowing the reality of our new familial situation sink in a bit. The extra day helped to get us in the right frame of mind for the 8 hour return trip and I am grateful that Joanna and Chad graciously put up with us for one extra day. On Thursday as we drove south along the I-15, we all waved in the direction of the Provo Temple when we saw it (the MTC is across the street). We were a bit more contemplative during the time we drove through Provo, but we are also happy to know that Ben is where he has chosen to be.
I decided to make a stop at the Payson Temple on our trip home. Ben had wanted to see it, during our drive home after our vacation, but the grounds would have been closed because of Pioneer Day that day and I wanted to get home as quickly as possible. On our trip to Layton on Monday, I thought of stopping, but, again, the grounds would have been closed and we were running a bit later than I had anticipated; I apologized and didn't stop. This time, the grounds were open and I thought it would be a nice diversion--a tribute to Ben, in a way. Not exactly knowing how to get to the temple, I missed the exit. Jennifer thought I wouldn't turn back, but I was determined to get there and didn't mind getting off at the next exit about 2 miles south of the correct exit and turning around. Once properly off the freeway, I missed the turn onto the correct street, but it wasn't too difficult to turn onto the next street and work my way back through the residential streets (thankfully, most Utah towns are set out in Brigham Young blocks; not mazes like many California streets ☺). Finally, after a few turns here and there, we arrived at the front gates.
The Payson Temple was dedicated in June of this year. We found the temple and the surrounding grounds to be very beautiful. Even though it was Thursday, there were two wedding parties outside taking pictures. A beautiful fountain adorned the area in front of the temple and a smaller fountain graced the opposite side. The outside walls of the temeple seemed to have a light peach (or, perhaps cream) color that reminded me of the Manti Temple. I thought the color allowed the building to blend in with the surrounding hills. I don't know exactly what it was about our visit to the Payson Temple. The basic design isn't unlike others that have been recently built, but there is also a uniqueness about the design that I really liked. Isaac very much enjoyed the time we spent on the temple grounds. As we got back into the car to resume our journey home, Isaac told us that the Payson Temple was now his favorite temple and he would like to go inside after he receives his endowment and has his full temple recommend. I wouldn't mind fulfilling that desire because I think I would like to go inside as well. ☺
From there, we made good time returning to California. We stopped in Barstow to eat dinner. The choice was between Carl's Jr. and In-n-Out; Carl's won this time. As we were eating, Isaac announced that he had made a decision to obtain his patriarchal blessing. He told us that he'd been thinking about it a lot lately and now wanted to receive it. I have a feeling that seeing Ben leave on his mission helped him to finalize his decision. I am happy that he feels that now is the time for him to receive this wonderful blessing from his Father in Heaven. We told him that he would need to make an appointment with Bishop Galindo to obtain a recommend for receipt of a patriarchal blessing and then make an appointment with the Stake Patriarch. I suspect the blessing will happen within the next couple to three weeks. ☺
Yes, the title of my post is also the title of the 1978 album released by Genesis, but it is a good reflection of how I feel right now. Jennifer and I had a feeling that emotionally we might not be in the best of situations to drive all the way home after dropping Ben off at the MTC. Our trip back to Joanna's house pretty much strengthened that thought. We weren't crying or carrying on ridiculously (sackcloth and ashes, wailing like banshees in a blizzard), but it was a pretty melancholy trip. Coming back to Joanna and Chad's house gave us some extra time to take a deep breath and exhale slowly--allowing the reality of our new familial situation sink in a bit. The extra day helped to get us in the right frame of mind for the 8 hour return trip and I am grateful that Joanna and Chad graciously put up with us for one extra day. On Thursday as we drove south along the I-15, we all waved in the direction of the Provo Temple when we saw it (the MTC is across the street). We were a bit more contemplative during the time we drove through Provo, but we are also happy to know that Ben is where he has chosen to be.
I decided to make a stop at the Payson Temple on our trip home. Ben had wanted to see it, during our drive home after our vacation, but the grounds would have been closed because of Pioneer Day that day and I wanted to get home as quickly as possible. On our trip to Layton on Monday, I thought of stopping, but, again, the grounds would have been closed and we were running a bit later than I had anticipated; I apologized and didn't stop. This time, the grounds were open and I thought it would be a nice diversion--a tribute to Ben, in a way. Not exactly knowing how to get to the temple, I missed the exit. Jennifer thought I wouldn't turn back, but I was determined to get there and didn't mind getting off at the next exit about 2 miles south of the correct exit and turning around. Once properly off the freeway, I missed the turn onto the correct street, but it wasn't too difficult to turn onto the next street and work my way back through the residential streets (thankfully, most Utah towns are set out in Brigham Young blocks; not mazes like many California streets ☺). Finally, after a few turns here and there, we arrived at the front gates.
The Payson Temple was dedicated in June of this year. We found the temple and the surrounding grounds to be very beautiful. Even though it was Thursday, there were two wedding parties outside taking pictures. A beautiful fountain adorned the area in front of the temple and a smaller fountain graced the opposite side. The outside walls of the temeple seemed to have a light peach (or, perhaps cream) color that reminded me of the Manti Temple. I thought the color allowed the building to blend in with the surrounding hills. I don't know exactly what it was about our visit to the Payson Temple. The basic design isn't unlike others that have been recently built, but there is also a uniqueness about the design that I really liked. Isaac very much enjoyed the time we spent on the temple grounds. As we got back into the car to resume our journey home, Isaac told us that the Payson Temple was now his favorite temple and he would like to go inside after he receives his endowment and has his full temple recommend. I wouldn't mind fulfilling that desire because I think I would like to go inside as well. ☺
From there, we made good time returning to California. We stopped in Barstow to eat dinner. The choice was between Carl's Jr. and In-n-Out; Carl's won this time. As we were eating, Isaac announced that he had made a decision to obtain his patriarchal blessing. He told us that he'd been thinking about it a lot lately and now wanted to receive it. I have a feeling that seeing Ben leave on his mission helped him to finalize his decision. I am happy that he feels that now is the time for him to receive this wonderful blessing from his Father in Heaven. We told him that he would need to make an appointment with Bishop Galindo to obtain a recommend for receipt of a patriarchal blessing and then make an appointment with the Stake Patriarch. I suspect the blessing will happen within the next couple to three weeks. ☺
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