a big hole in philly.

A few weeks ago I vined, and went by the temple site in Philly to see how far in construction they were, and as you can see so far there is a huge hole with a lot of workers underway working on it.

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am for the Philly temple to be completed. I'm not exactly sure when it will be officially done, but I know that we will be one of the first families present to enter its doors during the open house.

The best thing about temples once they are completed is the part where everyone in the world is invited  to see what it's all about. Once it's dedicated only members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints can enter in.

I've only been to two open houses of LDS temples throughout my 21 years of being a member. The Bountiful temple in 1995, and the Nauvoo temple in 2003 which happened to be the same year we were sealed as a family!

Attending those open houses preparing what I was to expect in the years to come was amazing. All I remember from the Bountiful temple open house was going with my sister, and remembering how friendly everyone was. Driving down 95 you can see it at the top of the hill, and it is one of the most beautiful temples I've ever seen. I honestly can't remember the feeling I felt as I walked through, but I knew that this building was of importance, and that it would eventually play a huge role in my life.

And for the past ten years it has!

We were spoiled while living in Utah having at east 10 temples within a 30 mile radius, and believe me when I say this...we did not take them for granted! 

After going through the temple for the first time 10 years ago we went on temple trips all the time with two young kids in tow. Even when I was seven months pregnant with Chelsea we hit four temples in five days in four different states! From Utah, to Idaho, to Seattle, and down to Portland, Oregon. 

Luckily for me I have cousins that live in Las Vegas, and we faithfully visited them every memorial day weekend. We always, always made an effort in attending the temple, go swimming, walk down the strip, and eat three times at In and Out burger before heading back to Salt Lake.

I have to say that the Las Vegas temple is one of the most beautiful temples, and their celestial room is my all time favorite! The five hour drive to Las Vegas, and having the St. George temple in between was a treat for us. We managed to time it just right to also do a session in that temple as well. Oh how I miss those west coast family trips, and of course my cousins!

Now that we are living on the east coast we have many temples... they're just not 10, or 30 minutes away. They are only a couple of hours away, and no matter where we've lived we have always had a temple within a 300 mile radius, and managed to make effort and effort in attending. Some will travel days to get to a temple, so I am extremely grateful for having a few pretty darn close to us. 

Now...

If we can only have the Philly temple, including the one in Hartford be complete so we can go more that once a month to attend!

Patience is a virtue, and once this temple is complete it will be a huge "spiritual" party for everyone living in the tristate area!

**C'mon guys...get working on them!!