up!

 
Holy Cow!  What a day!  Carol and I had tried to schedule another lunch date but our plans changed again to something even better!  We took all of the kids over the mountain to Brigham City to watch the raising of the Angel Moroni statue to the top of the new Brigham City LDS Temple.  There were thousands of people lining the streets all over the area to watch.  

When we arrived, we met Carol's in-laws at the cemetery where Carol's husband is buried.  We had a perfect view and waited for over an hour.  The ironic thing was that we'd left Cache Valley with sunshine and warmth.  (I'd even had Quayd redress into something cooler because it was so hot.)  When we arrived in Brigham, it was blowing and raining and very chilly.  We watched for over an hour as the basket with the men in it was raised and lowered a few times.  We guessed it was the rain.  Then, as time passed, people started to leave and the word went through the streets that it was being delayed until after 2 because of the high winds.  Here's a storm picture.  Check out the difference in the sky!  I didn't do a thing to enhance any of the photos.



We debated and decided to kill some time in ShopKo and wait it out to see if the storm would calm a bit.  When we walked outside, we witnessed what I'm calling a true miracle.  The skies were blue.  The wind was calm.  The breeze was totally gone to the point that Quayd was wishing he'd had his cooler clothes back on.  

 
 
 
We drove back to the temple square and watched for an hour as the cage was raised by one crane and the statue was raised by another.  The men in the cage placed the fifteen foot braided copper cable/tube (according to Carol Mikita, the newscaster) into tube inside the temple fennial/spire, then seated the statue on top in it's place and secured it all.  The support cable was removed, the men in the basket were pulled away and the music started playing, "High on the Mountaintop" while the crowds cheered.  It was just awesome!  The poor weather forgotten completely, a miracle had taken place!  Love love love it! 

The thing that I loved the most about it all... years ago, when we lived in Indiana, we came home for a few weeks in the summer and went to see the new Legacy film in the  new Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City.  At the beginning of the film, Eliza, the old woman in her rocking chair tells the story of her life and it began with the raising of the angel Moroni statue on to the top of the Salt Lake Temple when she was a little girl.  I remember the thrill I felt seeing that and imagining what that would have been like to witness as a child.  Today, my own children got to experience it!  AWESOME!  Did I mention that I loved this experience?

A few other quick ramblings:

• Hobby Lobby has Christmas everywhere.  I will not peek until Halloween!
• We're picking Cherries galore on our trees.  The birds are very rude.  If they insist that we share, the least they could do is finish the ones they start instead of taking a bite out of as many as they can.  Thank heavens for netting.
• The GI doc called today.  I'll be putting off the HIDA scan next week to have an endoscopy instead first.  Lovely.  I'm not at all afraid.  Put me to sleep first and you can do anything to me.  Just don't tell me about it until it's over.
• Gracie is only a few days away from her first girls camp.  I'm not ready.  Not meaning packed.  Meaning, "WHY does she have to grow up so quickly?"
• Doug reached a super goal in his Melaleuca business.   I am quite impressed and proud of him.  I love having a hard working husband!

It was a great day!  Life is good.

Joy needs no object. It is our own nature.

Comments

[Peggy]

I work for a gastroenterologist. he does Endoscopy's everyday! No worries!

[Trish]

I am excited for Gracie's first camp! I will take lots of pics:) Kuddos to Doug! That is great:)

[Nicole]

Maybe HL is starting a bit too early with their Christmas and Halloween stuff, let us enjoy the summer first!

[Kara Downs]

I went into HL yesterday and about died - pumpkins and Christmas everywhere! I was actually kinda disgusted - and that's says alot from a person who is itching to get her tree up early November. Love ya!