Spring Break 2024

Manti Temple Open House

When the Church announced the temple open house in Manti, we really wanted to attend. Jonathon's parents were married there, and we had only been one time a long time ago back in college. Reservations were a hot commodity, and I was lucky enough to find one that would work for our schedule. It's a good thing that I was on top of things because the Open House was far more popular than anyone would have anticipated. People went from all over the state to see the inside of the pioneer-era temple, and the lines were insanely long. On the first weekend, some people waited in lines for up to four hours to get in. 

When it was our turn to go the first week of April, we were nervous about the wait, but our reservation allowed us to get in a separate line that moved faster. Even with the reservation, we waited for 45 minutes and got very close to having to leave before we got in so Jonathon could get back to teach his class. Thankfully, we made it inside just in time. As we walked into the temple, we looked at the line behind us, and it wrapped down the hill and around the temple. The non-reservation line was long too and moving much slower.

This temple was unlike any that I have been in. It definitely showcased the pioneer style in its woodworking, art, cloth, etc. There were many intricate carvings and beautiful paintings from those early days of the Church. There were many things that were interesting, but I had three favorite things.

1. The spiral staircases were incredible! They are 76 feet high and are free-standing with no center support. That makes them very unique. Standing at the bottom and looking all the way up was breathtaking.

2. The assembly hall was massive. I have never been in an assembly hall in a temple before, so it was a really cool experience. The old pioneer temples had assembly halls as a place to gather, which was one of the primary functions of early temples. As ordinances became the focus, assembly halls were taken out.

3. The blue sealing room was one of the most beautiful rooms I have ever been in. Someone mentioned at the beginning of the tour that I should keep my eyes open for it, but I was still in awe of how exquisite it was. The carvings, the gold painted trim, and the fabrics were all stunning. It is also cool that it directly connects to the Celestial room, which is unusual. 

We got done with the tour just in time to head back home. We were tight getting Jonathon and Christian to work on time, but everything worked out great. It was the perfect start to our Spring Break!

 

Fun With Cousins!

We got lucky this year because our Spring Break lined up perfectly with Price's Spring Break. Kym called me on Sunday night and wanted to set something up. I am so glad she did because having cousins over forced me to plan some fun things to do instead of just hanging out the whole week. McKay and Bridger stayed with us for 2 days, and we made the most of it. We went bowling at BYU, followed by dinner at the Cougar Eat (courtesy of Christian's Cougar Cash), watched "Remember the Titans, went swimming at the Rec Center, got slurpees, and did a lunch shopping spree. 

It was all fun, but the shopping spree was something new and fun that everyone loved. I gave them $30 to spend on lunch and then took them to Walmart to get whatever they wanted. I had two rules... They had to have something from every food group, and the majority had to be healthy food. They had a great time planning out what they wanted to buy, and then they all helped find and purchase the food. I was super impressed by how well they did at creating a great meal. They decided on hoagie sandwiches with lots of meat, cheese, vegetables, and fruit and then mini donuts and ice cream for dessert. I think there was something very empowering about letting them make choices and feel responsible for the meal. It was great for me because I didn't have to cook and great for them because they got what they wanted.

Casey's Baby Blessing

Ben and Ally had their baby at the end of February, and they decided to bless him over General Conference weekend in April. Ben and Ally moved to Twin Falls a few months ago, so they were away from all the family, in a new house and town, and Mom and Dad wouldn't be there because they were on their mission. I knew it was really important that we went up for the blessing to support them. Plus, we hadn't gotten to see baby Casey in person yet, so we needed to see the cute babe. 

The timing worked out perfectly so that we didn't have to miss all of our church assignments. We drove up on Saturday afternoon and listened to Conference in the car on the way up. That is my favorite way to listen to Conference because it helps all of the kids (and adults) pay attention. It is only about 3.5 hours to Twin Falls, so the drive wasn't bad at all. 

I really wanted to stop at Shoshone Falls before meeting everyone at the church, so we made time in our travel plans to swing by. I had only been one time previously, and there was very little water flowing at the time, so it was pretty disappointing. This time was exactly opposite. There was a ton of water from the spring runoff, and the falls was incredible. We even captured a perfect rainbow. Down by the falls was windy and chilly, so we didn't stay very long, but it was definitely worth the visit!

As we were making our way to the church in Twin Falls, we passed a cemetery. Jonathon thought he remembered it as the one his grandparents were buried in. He hadn't been there in 20 years, so he wasn't sure, but we decided to give it a try. He slowly drove through the cemetery until he arrived at a spot that looked familiar. We got out and started to look, but we weren't sure if we were close at all. We decided to get on Family Search under the "Find a Grave" section and track their gravestone using Google Maps. I was shocked when it said, "43 feet away." We quickly found it and got to spend a few minutes talking about Grandpa and Grandma Egbert and finding other family members that were buried nearby. Jonathon really nailed it that time.

We spent that evening at Ben and Ally's church eating pizza and salad, chatting, and playing games. Around 8 pm, we headed over to Murtaugh to spend the night at Aunt Sue's house. When we arrived, Jason, Tara, and Adam came over, and we spent the rest of the night chatting and catching up. 

The next morning, the whole family met at Ben and Ally's new house for breakfast and the blessing. There were about 30 people in their little house, but we made it work. The kids loved seeing their cousins, and it was so fun to hang out with my siblings for a little bit. We had our traditional aebleskivers that are lots of work, but oh so yummy!

Then Ben gave Casey a lovely blessing. He is just the cutest baby, and I'm so glad we got to go up to see everyone for a little while. I've definitely missed family time, so this was balm for my soul.

After the blessing, we headed back to Aunt Sue's house for a big lunch with all of the family around there. They set up the old shop to be a huge gathering area with speakers, tables, cooking appliances, etc. It wasn't quite finished, but when it is done, it will be amazing! We sat and chatted for about an hour. I love the Egberts because they are all so open and friendly. We haven't been able to spend a whole lot of time with the extended family, but every time we see them, they are all so wonderful to be around. After lunch, we hopped back in the car and listened to the last session of General Conference as we drove home. It was a fast trip, but very nice.