The Nursery.

As I entered into a room filled with colorful artwork on the walls, and opened up a closet filled with books, puzzles, playdough, and a basket full of toys brought back so many memories of the time I last had a calling in the nursery. That was 10 years ago! Chelsea was almost two when I was her nursery leader, and my how times have changed! One thing that I have realized since those days is that my patience with other peoples kids has definitely improved! In all honesty I didn't care about tending other peoples kids when my oldest was born. Maybe that's why I always had a calling in primary when I first joined the church!

Nostalgia on Garfield Avenue.

Looking back on the day we moved out of our home in Blackwood on Garfield avenue I couldn't help but to look back, and walk within the walls of what was once our home for eight years, and to see all the scribbles, dents, and writing on the walls that my two youngest children did at that time are fond memories. Fond memories that i will carry with me forever through pictures. I look back at all the times I'd walk into the kitchen or up the stairs only to see endless scribbles, and will laugh because of how upset I got when Chelsea first put pen, marker, and color to the walls. I was so disappointed in her. I really thought I would be one of those moms whose kids would never resort to that! Sierra, and Lexie never, never wrote on the walls so naturally I thought I had perfect kids when it came to giving them markers at the age of three. Not! Chelsea and Noah were a different story, but oh how grateful I am for those experiences because they sure taught me a lot of patience. The look on Chelsea's face when she got caught in the act was priceless. I just couldn't yell at this sweet three year old little girl. After Chelsea's experience of writing on the walls, I most definitely became less of a mean mom when Noah entered the clan, and saw no need to yell at him when he began coloring on the walls at the tender age of two! No matter how many times I'd tell the girls to put away their art kits, colors, and box of markers he'd always find a way to be sneaky and find them. That's when it dawned on me to me to tape plain white wrapping paper on the huge bare, kitchen wall so they could create a picture with every type of marker, pen, and crayon known to man! When we left I couldn't bare to paint over some of the walls. Especially the one where there was a stick figure with a smiling face! But hey, someone else has to live there, and that's when  I realized that walls can be washed, and repainted. Dents, and holes can be patched up, but those memories of hand drawn art created by two artistic children with a permanent marker can be etched in my mind forever. 

Oh...bittersweet memories for sure. 

Since we only live an hour away I'll drive back through the old neighborhood to visit a few of my neighbors, and friends. I swear that area brings back major memories, and sometimes its hard to let go. We've only been gone for three months, but when I've gone back I feel as if I should be pulling into the driveway only to go back "home." It's surreal sometimes that we don't live there anymore, but the fact that Chelsea was two when we moved here, and Noah being born in Jersey makes me feel that this is our permanent home. Texas, and Utah are the longest places we've lived in, but Jersey has been the state where all of my children learned to grow up, face challenges, conquer some of them, and learn from them, and to spiritually grow. 

Here is a picture of the girls when they were nine, 14, and four! I can't believe how quickly time flies, and now they are 21, 16, and 11! 

Garfield avenue is the place where I was given my first mum from a sister in my church. I never knew there was such a beautiful plant! It was the place where I hosted my first book club, my first baby shower, and thanksgiving dinner with like ten people! It was the place where there were lots of family dinners, entertainment with friends, and pool parties in our little back yard. The place where we had many a BBQ dinners, and where Lexie first learned to mow the lawn. It is the place where for eight years my children walked to the same bus stop, library, Wawa, and bike trail. The place where the kids first discovered fireflies, and had our own sidewalk to chalk on. It is the place where the girls developed their cooking, and baking skills. The place where Sierra had her first date pick her up, and all her prom, and homecoming pictures taken on that infamous little porch of ours. 

This is the place where Noah learned to roll over, take his first steps, lose his first tooth, and play his first keys on the piano. Let's not forget the time I did that photo shoot of Noah's Dreamland! Oh my gosh! Remember those pictures? Such fun, and sweet memories! 

Looking back I thank my Heavenly Father for leading us to this cape cod house on Garfield. The home we created here, although far from perfect, was where we needed to be at that time. Even on the days where I yelled, cursed, and got upset somehow were washed away with the choices I made into being a better mom. Having Noah totally helped me in that department, and living in Blackwood with all that we went through as a family, and attending church helped us in profound ways. The Lord definitely is in charge, and because of Him I was able to endure, and withstand every bitter, and enjoy every blissful moment I had in those eight years of living in south Jersey. 

And I will always look back on them with the fondest of memories.

Always. 

Mum Picking!

Fall is definitely shaping up to be the best season ever! I absolutely love this time of year, and it seems that we have an indian summer going on which i don't mind in the least. Going on drives with the windows rolled down giving it the perfect breeze means you no longer need to turn the a/c on. It has been quite an adventure exploring more of the garden state in our area, and believe me when I say garden because in my neck of the woods that's all I see! Miles and miles of farmland, corn stalks, and fields of green. The fall season is so colorful, and because it doesn't last very long are going to take full advantage of venturing out, and enjoying the colors of fall as they quickly change. 

Because my porch is looking a bit bare these days we decided to give it a little color, and decided to go mum picking. There are so many nursery gardens in the country, and we decided to stop by the prettiest. All mums look the same and because the prices were equal decided to stop at this particular nursery, and the kids picked out the perfect mums, and I have to say... I was very pleased. 

We hung around for a while and even though I told them they can choose I was still a bit selective with the mums they were picking. The kids decided on tricolored mums which at first weren't pleasing to my eye, but then grew on me within minutes. I mean...just look at all the colors! Absolutely stunning!

Noah noticed a few wagons, and wanted to grab one to carry the mums in. He was so happy to be pulling it. Poor kid...I deprived him of one when he was a toddler! 

And how about these warted pumpkins! I asked Noah if he wanted to grab a few to take home, and he gave me an emphatic no! he said they were ugly! Also...I can't believe how grown he looks in this photo compared to this one I posted years ago! My baby is getting big y'all! Just like these pumpkins! 

I literally wanted to buy every flower known to man in this nursery, but had to control myself. We came here specifically for mums, and that's all that I left with. MUMS!

Alex, who owns this nursery with his wife kindly took this photo. He truly is the nicest guy, and this nursery is absolutely worth going to. I can tell it has a woman's touch because of how the gift shop inside the barn is decorated! We had so much fun mum picking, and as always wish that Jon and Sierra could join us in our outings. 

Happy fall y'all, and enjoy it while it lasts! 

General Conference in D.C.- Fall '16

Is it me or was General conference mega-inspiring this year. Maybe i found it inspiring because I have kids who are growing older by the minute which means I'm getting up there in age. 45 isn't old but my goodness when you reach a certain age, and you have an adult daughter on her own striving to live a good life it doesn't get any easier. However, as a parent life without Sierra living close to me becomes easier when I leave it up to God. When I kneel down in prayer asking Him to guide her in doing the very best she can in all she does, and how she lives I know that is all I can do. And that goes for the rest of my children. 

There were so many wonderful talks given during these sessions, and so much to write about, and because we have our church magazine and the internet to read all about conference I won't share too much about what was said, but I will share my testimony, and some thoughts on conference. 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is an amazing tool, and key to helping us navigate our day to day in the most righteous way possible, but it is not a guarantee to a life without trials, and heartache. But I know this...when I read the scriptures faithfully, and I mean faithfully without missing a day it truly does bring me peace. I see a difference in me when I don't read them, or when I have read them in a manner that seemed too quick because I was rushing out the door to start my day. Like I said, when i find myself seriously delving in heartfelt prayer and scripture study my actions for that day will be easy peasy. It will help me fight road rage, not yell at my kids, and be super kind to even the most rudest person. Knowing that I have that tool to welcome me every day assures me that I have the choice to make it better. I just have to make a choice in making it a priority. It gives me hope that my future can be a lot brighter than my faith if i just endure to the end, and believe that no matter how hard life can get all will be well. 

I love general conference. I look forward to it every six months, and hope that in between those six months that I will carry with me everything that was said. That I won't forget, but remember the words that were shared with love and concern for us. 

I love my family. I love the gospel, and the nourishment that feeds my soul when I seriously take in what I read that day. It strengthens my testimony, and gives me confidence to know that i can do hard things. That I can handle every dead end, detour, and snags that I run into. I love the excitement I feel when I attend my church meetings. I never want to feel "dead" or feel that I'm "past feeling" when it comes to the gospel, and attending church. I never want to grow weary of fellowshipping, and learning the teachings of the doctrine. I love attending church not only to fellowship, but to grow spiritually in Christ. And that is what conference does to my heart. It helps me look at all my imperfections to better them. 

All the talks super amazing, but this one really spoke to me... 

Elder Nattress shared an experience as a boy about how he and his brother would have their mother reading the scriptures to them at breakfast, and how he honestly said to her that he wasn't listening. His voice shook up as he was telling us his story which showed me that he was grateful for that experience, and because of his mother telling him "she's never going to lose him by reading the scriptures to him every day" warmed my heart, and gave me hope that if I do the same thing I will be blessed. I loved his story, and he spoke about teaching our children the gospel. I sure hope I 'm doing my best in teaching all my kids correctly. Especially Noah. He'll be seven in a month, and this is the time where things are really beginning to stick with him where he will begin to develop a lot of knowledge. Although he tells me that he loves Jesus, the book of mormon, and the temples he can become a bit weary at times when it comes to sitting at conference (thank goodness for those conference packets, colored pencils, and plain paper!) I know six is still a young age to develop a testimony of the gospel on his own, but I know that if i continue to teach him correctly to read the scriptures that in his own time, at an older age that he will know for a surety that the gospel is true. And same goes for the rest of my crew. 

And last, but not least President Thomas S. Monson's talk warmed my heart. Even though he spoke for a brief moment his words were simple, and filled with kindness, caring, and love. He wants us to be happy, and have joy in this life. He admonished us in having a strong love for the Lord, to believe in Him, and his gospel, and to just improve ourselves into being better. To keep our bodies clean in obeying the word of wisdom. Although these things sound simple require a great deal of commitment to conquer, but the blessings that come from doing so are unimaginable! What a loving prophet we have, and I'm so grateful for his guidance and direction.  

So much insight in eight hours for two days, and I simply didn't want it to end. I see a light in my family before, during, and after we attend conference. Granted there are some hiccups in the beginning because I know that Satan doesn't want us to be happy, but we never let him win. In the end, we just leave even more stronger, happier, and joyful than we were before. 

We are so grateful for the temples that are built upon this earth for us to go to, and watching it at the visitors center in D.C. is always a fun experience! 

Here's to keeping the "heavenly moment" we just had during conference to last us until next spring! To listen to the all of conference you can log onto lds.org!

Hope y'all had a wonderful weekend! 

Date Night At The Temple Before Conference Weekend!

Now before you say to yourself, "Not again! Not another temple picture with a post about the temple!" 

First of all, I just want to let you know that I won't be posting too much about our temple trips unless there is something absolutely significant to write about. I mean, the temple is amazing, and my experiences when I attend and then leave are always, always good so why shouldn't I write about it. Thing is, is that I don't want to come off  on this blog as this perfect, goody two shoes, mormon mom who thinks that just because i express my love for God, His word, and the temple means I'm all that, because even though I know all of those things are true, and important in my life, I am soooooo far from perfection! And this is why I attend the temple as much as I can. And the fact that general conference is this weekend gave me the desire to write a little bit of why the temple, for the fifteenth time is important to me! 

I love the change of season, and the Philly temple couldn't have opened up at a better date that in September which is my birthday month. I love the fall season, and with each season comes renewal for me, and having a brand new temple in our area makes that change for me this year even better. 

Ever since I went through the temple years ago I've always gone on or around my birthday. Whether it's with a friend, or with Jon I've always gone. And since my birthday falls right before conference I have always made the effort to go.

Well, this year, I have to say that I am so grateful to have picked the perfect person to attend the Philly temple with for the first time since it got dedicated. Jon and I absolutely love the temple, and really have a deep appreciation for it. We know how hard it can be to get there, but now that we are less than an hour away from one we are going to try to attend as much as we can. He had a day off yesterday which is very rare, and after renewing drivers licenses, fixing the car, and running a few errands until 4pm I was like, "let's go to the temple." We are a spontaneous type of people, and so after taking our girls to youth group at our church we hauled off to the temple, and made it just in time for the 8:00 session! 

The past few months have been trying only because we relocated to a new area with new schools, and adjusting to a new area sometimes isn't as easy as we think. We've now gotten ourselves into a routine, and the kids are transitioning a bit better, but just because we are doing well doesn't mean that we are exempt from moments of struggle, exhaustion, or even stress. Especially when something, or someone causes it. 

I can't even begin to explain the feeling I got as I uttered those words to Jon the other day about going to the temple. There are other things I could have been doing such as catching up with the laundry, stocking up the fridge, watching Gilmore girls on netflix, finishing up a book, going to the theatre, but the first thing that popped into my mind was going to the temple. Like President Monson said, "the blessings of the temple are priceless, no sacrifice is too great."

It didn't matter to me all the things that could have been done, but knowing that by going to the temple I receive strength in being able to handle the life of running around this new town driving three kids to three different schools, all while keeping the house in order. G

As I was getting ready for the temple I felt like I was going to the temple for the first time. I showered, got dressed, and to tell our kids over dinner why we are dressed up on a school night so that we can go to the temple brought excitement all around. The entire time I was anxious, grateful, and happy knowing that we were going to the temple because my goodness, I really need the temple to rejuvenate myself with that extra strength to get me through all that we have gone through with the day-to-day, and all the challenges that await us. 

Because challenges will always come. They always tend to sneak up on us when we least expect it!

However, I am grateful for the lovely breaks of being challenged-free in between those trials, and for the temple that helps me quiet my mind, and puts my life in perspective in knowing how to better my life. On our way out the door, I loved how Noah gave us hugs, and said, "mommy can I come. Can i go the temple with you all?" And how Lexie said, "I'm going through withdrawal from the temple, and can't wait to go again in a couple of weeks." My heart was overjoyed because of their comments. They really do love the temple, and I know they do because of the feeling they get when we are on the grounds, and when Lexie goes in. I'm grateful that our kids have felt a feeling of happiness coming from us which will help teach them that it is indeed a beautiful place to be, and that the reason behind it is not only to gain strength, but to progress the work of the Lord by doing family names, and bringing others to share in the joy of Christ. That is the whole purpose as to why we go to the temple, and why we have so many of them. My hope is that all my children will see how happy we are when we come home from the temple so that they can have the same feeling when it's their turn to enter in! 

And here's a grainy selfie of us taken after the temple. We would have asked someone to take a photo of us, but since it was 11pm there was no one around! 

The temple is so important to us, and it my hope that we can always make time to serve in the temple. President Nelson taught, "service in the temple, is a sublime activity for a family." How true that is. I see the look on my kids faces when we say, "get dressed kids because we are going to the temple." 

We are really looking forward to general conference this weekend! And to get you pumped up for the temple you can listen to this talk, and you can also log on to lds.org to listen to the word of our church leaders. I promise you will leave feeling hopeful, peaceful, and inspired longing for more! 

Have a wonderful weekend folks, and get ready for October!!! Say what!! 

Celebrating 45.

This past weekend my dear friend Maggie and I celebrated our 45th birthdays, and it was so much fun! We had a sleepover at her place for my birthday, and then she slept over my house for hers. We stayed up late like a bunch of teenagers laughing and just having a good time. I ended up going to church with her on Sunday, and on our way back to my house had dinner waiting for us cooked by Jon and the kids. BBQ pork chops, homemade mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole awaited us as we came home. 

Then, came the brownie cake. 

The girls whipped up some brownies thanks to Betty Crocker, and when I pulled out the sparklers Maggie was in awe! She had never seen sparklers on a cake before. I have seen this done on other peoples birthday cake including my own last year, and since I had a ton of sparklers left over thought it would be fun to light them up on the cake! It was so much fun trying to contain them while the family sang happy birthday to us. Here's a short video of it. I cracked up after watching it too many times! 

Maggie was filled with so much joy on this day, and it showed! I love her dearly, and would do anything for her. It's nice to have a friend close by who's known you for half your life, and no matter what will be there for you. I loved her reaction when she opened up her gift too. She's a great cook, and is a hoarder of cookbooks so I gave her this one to add to her collection! 

What a treat it was to celebrate our birthdays together again. We didn't make it to the temple this time, but plan on going next month! We usually go together on our birthdays, or mothers day. I have to say that this was the best weekend ever spent with a wonderful friend! 

Happy Birthday to us, and may we have many more to treasure just like this one! 

Apple Picking In Fishkill Farms, NY.

Next to summer fall is a favorite in this family, and since it finally arrived we decided to do a little apple picking. Since it was my birthday I decided where to go on this traditional adventure, and ended up going to a different farm in Fishkill along the Hudson valley. We love venturing out to different orchards, and this one is at the top of our list! Lexie was really excited since she's never been. The times we've gone have been during the day when she's been at school staying until 5pm. This time we went on a Saturday where it was all play and no work. It was so nice to have gone out as a family, and even though we can easily go to our local farmers market and buy apples in a bag, and go home, there's something special and fun about going through an orchard and picking with the family.  It's an adventure for the kids, and boy did they have fun! Noah is getting older and wiser when it comes to picking anything in an orchard. Just as he was when we picked strawberries. He's very particular in what he picks, and wants the apples to be perfect without any damage, or bruising. 

I captured a few moments of this sweet family of mine pickin. I swear I get carried away taking pictures, but I love documenting every event we do because this is something that's so bonding to do as a family, and hope that the kids will start this tradition when they have a family of their own. 

Noah was so cute, and was determined to pick a lot of apples from the tree even while on his tippy toes. Both Jon, and Lexie had to help him out quite a bit. 

And of course Chelsea wanted papa to lift her up too. He obliged, and didn't care if she weighed 90 pounds! This scene brought back some memories of when we first went apple picking. Chelsea was six! 

Lexie loves fruits and vegetables, and she was serious in her apple picking. She had a look of concentration as she was going through the orchard trying to find that perfect apple. 

My crazy girl doing a little apple dance.

As we we were walking towards the farmers market we noticed a chicken coop, and Noah wanted to take a gander at them for a while. 

We then passed this beautiful sunflower garden! There were so many! So many that it was too pretty not to take pictures so I captured a few. 

As usual we chowed down on some grub including eating some apple cider donuts! Eating apple cider donuts, and drinking apple cider is a must when you go apple picking! 

And ice cream! Noah insisted that we get him an ice cream cone. He said, "mom, we should try one just to see how it tastes. Just one mom." I couldn't say no to that, and it was delicious! 

We all also had some time for Noah to play in the haystacks. He had so much fun pretending to be spider man jumping from hay stack to haystack. Or in his case, building to building. 

I couldn't believe how long we were here. It was sundown when we left, but man oh man I can just imagine how this place looks like in the heart of fall. 

We will just have to find out when we come back to go pumpkin picking. As much as we love pumpkin picking at this farm, we just might venture out to Fishkill again to grab ourselves some pumpkins. 

SaveSave

A Few Thoughts From General Women's Session.

What an amazing session of women's conference we had this fall! We are so blessed to be a part of a worldwide sisterhood where we can gather together to hear the words of our church leaders. I am so grateful to be part of a church where we have leaders that will inspire us with their words to help better ourselves. Some of us come to conference with joy looking forward to the talks to help remind us to be an even better and stronger sister in Christ, and some of us come brokenhearted, or sad hoping to hear words of comfort. If you choose the latter I guarantee you will leave feeling hopeful, peaceful, and saying to yourself, "I can do this. I can handle this. I am strong." Attending womens session is so inspiring, and the testimony I have for it is way too strong in emotion. With the way the world is today filling the youth with Satan's lies, and all that is good which is really bad it's times like this where hearing the words from our church leaders are comforting. I have so much appreciation for them at how well they prepare their talks so that we can be inspired and uplifted to know that the things they are saying will benefit us in this life. That no matter how hard things get in the way of our day to day that the Lord is there for us no matter what. That if we have faith in the things we believe in that we don't have to see with our eyes, but with our heart. That we can pray for things that we stand in need of, and really listen. And listen differently. To build our patience up through prayer especially when prayers go unanswered. And to trust in the Lord's timing. 

Every talk as always was unique, and something that we all needed to here. These talks were meant for every age group! From age eight to 98! And even though I feel as if I'm doing pretty okay with my life in regards to the Lord, I know I can do so much more! I want my children to continue to spiritually grow in the gospel so that they can be guided by the spirit in leading them to make wise choices. My hope for them is to never give into satan's lies, and to know right from wrong. 

In one of the talks they mentioned how we live in perilous times, but we also live in the fullness of times. How true that is! I love hearing that because even though there are going to be times where I feel like I'm failing as a mother, or overall a human being going through troubled times I can choose to let it strenghten me instead of weakening me. There have been times where my weakness in learning to trust in the Lord was difficult, and depending on the day, situation, and mood they still are. But I know that if I continuously strive to do better, and build my testimony in trusting in the Lord that those blessings will come, and I have witnessed it!

A couple of quotes stood out to me as I watched this session, and I'd like to share a few. All the talks were well written, and wish I could jot all of them down for you, but these are the two that really spoke to me. 

"Our obligation and privilege is to embrace improvement, and every one as we strive to live like the Savior." I really needed to hear this because I am so not perfect in this! Especially when it comes to my children, and who they are friends with. My take away from this is that we should all be looking for progress in one another. Friends, and family included! 

I also liked this excerpt from Carole Stephens,  "Hope and healing are not found in the dark abyss of secrecy, but in the light and life of Jesus Christ." 

Bonnie Oscarson's talk was one of my favorites and since it's too long to jot down you can listen to her talk here. I love how her words help me become a better person. 

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk was, as solid, and stellar, and you can listen to it here. He's such an inspiration of gentle wisdom who doesn't lecture or demands. My favorite snippet from his talk..."We may not understand why certain things happen or why certain prayers go unanswered,  but we can know that in the end that everything will make sense."

This session was nothing short of a gift. It was filled with so much power, truth, and love. My heart was filled with so much gratitude as I spent this day with my family, and the fact that this particular session ended up broadcasting on the day of my birthday was extra special. I loved watching it with my girls, and pray that they will always take away something from each talk. I know that if I "bring the gospel into my home" that life will better. That God will never leave our side. I testify that Jesus lives, and shows the right way to everyone, so that we can be able to do better! 

Philadelphia Temple Youth Cultural Celebration.

I took this photo eight years ago when we first moved to Jersey, and toured the city of Philadelphia. I figured it was a perfect start to this post. 

Last weekend after months of rehearsing for the temple cultural temple celebration 1700 youth from the Philadelphia temple district got to shine in front of a huge audience on camera at the Liacouras center. 

This was something that Lexie had been looking forward to doing, and although I was getting a little weary of all the commuting with going to different areas (thanks to the Kellums for taking her a couple of times) in Pennsylvania to rehearse I too was looking forward to this momentous event. After all...it only happens once in a lifetime. Especially when you live in our neck of the woods. 

The theme "We the People" was absolutely perfect and it totally set the stage in tieing the birth of our nation to our church's history, hence having religious freedom, thanks to William Penn. People talk of the founding fathers, and in my opinion William Penn can also be called one of the founding fathers. Because of his efforts, he was able tot give us the freedoms that we now have, and he laid a lot of the groundwork when it came to religious freedom. 

Candy McNaughton who directed the production did an amazing job in putting it all together. My daughter totally felt the spirit with her, and is so grateful that she never missed one rehearsal, and that she was a part of something special. 

The whole evening was indeed a celebration. It was so nice to see the kids enjoying themselves with music while dancing. I myself was dancing in my seat when all the kids came out with their painted mural representing which area they were from. They were all truly unique. When the mailman dance came into play I could see the grin on Lexie's face as she raised the flag to the beat. Total ear to ear smile! I could tell she was having the time of her life. 

When President Erying made an appearance he told the youth that this will be one of the most memorable moments of their life, and that as they grow older will be something to talk about for years to come, and tell their future posterity. The fact that it fell on Constitution Day made it extra meaningful. 

The whole celebration was amazing, and having the presence of Henry B. Erying, and D. Todd Christofferson was extra special. These are amazing leaders that the youth look up to. They were not just extras sitting in an auditorium, but extra special because of their role in dedicating the Philadelphia temple the next day. How blessed we are to have apostles lead, and guide us in today's world. 

picture via 

The closing number to the celebration gave me goosebumps, and watching the youth putting the bricks one by one on a replica of the temple got me all teary eyed. It reminded me of my life, and how far I have come to having my family for eternity. My life has always been a puzzle, and when all the pieces came together when I joined the LDS church so did my life. Being sealed to my love, and children will be a day that will always be etched in my mind, and heart forever. 

Having a temple in Philadelphia will definitely bless the city, and if we choose to do so, can, and will change the hearts of the people from the surrounding areas in our temple district. Including our children. It is up to us to be the example, and share that special message of "families are forever", and the whole purpose leading up to this entire celebration. 

The temple is an enormous blessing for us all, and because of the history of Philadelphia feel as if this temple is meant to be in the city of brotherly love. The city now feels "complete" now that a temple is built. What an extra blessing it'll be for our youth since they are the generation in which they will be doing most of the work in the temple, and press forward in sharing His gospel.

As we all should! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!