We were so privileged to be a part of the Calgary Temple dedication, to be a part of the excitement of having an lds temple in the city I grew up in, to travel to Canada just a few short months after our summer trip, to be with our wonderful, loving families, to have a personal tour of this new and beautiful building, to be a part of watching the youth put on an amazing production to celebrate, to have SNOW in October??!!, and to meet our beloved prophet, President Monson! I am so thankful to have such beautiful memories that will be cherised forever!
"I love to see the temple"
Our drive up was not so hot. The children found it a challenge to get along. The parents found it a challenge to remain patient. Everyone found it a challenge to adjust to the cold when we hit Montana! We were so glad to go through this trial, as you will, because the result was incredible and was so worth the bumpy road! A life lesson!
The wonderful Sheers took us in and showed us the time of our lives! My children took many opportunites to make time with the snow!
Evey found it quite nippy!
Snowball fight!
What's for dinner? We love our Berkles!
Japanese Sundaes! A Hancock favorite that Auntie Chelsea remembered and planned for us! So thoughtful of her!
The Corbmeister sure loves Caden! Corbin is the best! Ha ha, see Emery's food face!
Channing sure enjoyed brushing Emery's long blonde locks!
How thrilling to find this large icicle at Grandma and Grandpa's house! More evidence of the snow!
We took a day to spend with cousins at the mall. The kids were having fun together in the Disney store!
It's Wreck it Ralph time!
This production entitled, "A Light Upon a Hill" was absolutely amazing! It made me feel proud to have been a Calgarian and made me proud of my dad! He was in charge of the planning and coordinating for over a year. The youth sang and danced to portray the history and culture of Calgary and the lead up to the coming of the temple. The songs and script were composed and created just for this show. I loved seeing the youth in their cowboy hats, and in Indian costumes, playing the fiddles, wearing hockey attire, and seeing live animals. They are pictured here at the end of the performance dressed in white with lights, singing about the temple. It was powerful, touching, and moving. I was so grateful that I was able to be a guest at this honorable event. My nieces, Dani and Sophie were performers, as well as my nephew, Josh. They did a fantastic job! This is something I hope they will always remember. President Monson was scheduled to be in attendance but it was his wife's birthday. He addressed the youth over live satelite. President Ballard came in his place. It was a pretty amazing night! I was just in awe over and over at how so many had come together to celebrate this sacred time. I loved it!
This was the day we were able to take all of our children through for a tour. We are so blessed by my parents goodness and their being a part of the temple presidency. I was so happy and excited to have this opportunity for my children to feel the spirit and to be a part of something so grand!
I had my children write down their memories of this entire experience.
Carter: "I loved meeting the Prophet and how he asked me if I was going on a mission. I felt warm inside. My favorite sight in the temple was the baptismal font. It was really pretty. I loved my Grandma and Grandpa's talks. I loved how Grandpa said, 'It's a great day in the kingdom.'" He also expressed to me that he was excited to come back in the summer to participate in baptisms for the dead.
Emery: "My favorite part in the temple was when Presedent Monson walked in the room and I got to stand right in front of the prophit. I felt the spiret when Grandma and Grandpa did there talk. My favorite part in the temple was the celeshtoll room and the baptizamole font. I liked the windows too. I thought the mirrors and the shandallers were cool."
Ella: She titled her thoughts, "My experience of the temple". "The temple is the prettyist building I ever saw. I like the font. It is so pretty. When I was in the temple I could feel the spirit. I felt warm inside my body. I know I was doing the right thing. It was so so so pretty. I just whant to stay in ther forever. I thot the windows were so pretty. The mirrors were never ending. I thot that was interesting to see that."
Caden: "I liked the sealing room. I got to shake the Prophet's hand. I felt really strong inside. My favorite place was the celestial room. The mirrors were cool cause they were never ending!"
Evey: "I liked how there was mini wheat in the temple. I loved the hot tub part with the goats carrying it. The stairs were pretty and the chandeliers. I feeled the Holy Spirit." The "mini wheat" is the wheat showing in the windows, and many other areas in the temple. It is representative to the area. I was so pleased with Evey's memories. I remember her escaping my grasp in President Bennett's office during the tour, and knocking over a beautiful vase as she brushed by. My mother rescued that from being disasterous. She gracefully caught it. Oh my. Thanks Grandma. You saved me. Even though Evey is busy and restless, she was still able to feel the spirit.
We were also very happy to be able to take our 3 oldest children into the temple on the Sunday for the dedication. It was arranged to have all the cousins, 16 of them, to be in a sealing room together to watch the dedication on a screen. The adults sat in the Celestial room where it happened live. Many of us mothers were concerned with our own children behaving properly and cousins getting together without adult supervision. We all had multiple conversations with our children to prepare them. Talking about their reverence and the importance of this day was evident. As we were walking up to the celestial and sealing rooms, our children were quickly ushered into the separate room. We had visions of seating them accordingly, in order for them to be on their best behavior. We just hoped for the best. They were very good we found out. I was so happy to hear this. President Monson walked into their room as he was making his way to the Celestial room. He shook a few of their hands, asked the boys if they were going on a mission, wiggled his ears, and smiled. Our children were thrilled. What an incredible experience for them that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives! I was so proud of them!
I was so excited to be with my family in the Celestial room knowing I would soon see the prophet. We were able to sit for a good half hour in the beautiful setting, by my beautiful family, pondering the importance of this life and eternity. The spirit bore witness to me that the gospel is real and true, and that families are forever, and that the Lord speaks through our prophet. My favorite part was when President Monson entered the room all dressed in white. I stood in awe and in gratitude to be in the presence of one so great. I was overcome with the spirit. I also loved seeing my parents, the ones I hold most dear, sitting in front of me dressed in their white clothing. They are the ones that have taught and raised me to be the person that I am today. They are the ones that forever have supported and loved me. I was very happy to be sitting by my siblings and their spouses. It gave me a glimpse into eternity and the joy we will have and feel then. It reminded me of my wedding day when I walked into the sealing room and saw all of my loving family sitting there in support of me. I loved hearing my parents speak. I wanted to hear more from them. I couldn't get enough. My dad spoke of his memories of doing the reconstruction of the Cardston temple and seeing miracles come forth through the faith of the workers. He spoke of the blessings of the Lord shaping our lives and how Elder Monson at the time, set him apart as a missionary. Elder Monson blessed my dad to make friends through his smile and firm handclasp. How special that my dad was given this blessing. He is still this way today! My mom spoke too about the memories of the Cardston temple, her children being involved in the construction and our unity as a family in touring the temple and learning of the stories and miracles that happened there. We were altogether as a family at that temple dedication and now here we were again, together as their children and grandchildren. Both my parents touched on their childhood. I appreciate my dad's parents and the sacrifice they made to leave their homeland, England to come to the Cardston Temple in Canada so they could be sealed as a family. I appreciate my mother's faith. Her mom wasn't a member when she was young and her dad was not active, yet she knew she wanted to receive the temple blessings. I admire my parents and their strong desires and testimonies. They have helped lift and build mine!
We were so excited and happy to be there!
Can you see President Ballard?
President Monson and his daughter are leaving the temple.
I am so happy that we captured this moment of our prophet!
We are waiting to see him get in his car. It was so fun to see him do so and have him wave to us all. We sure love him and so appreciate the work he does. I really admire all the traveling and speaking he does. It must be challenging, especially at his age.
We gathered together at the church after for some yummy taco salad! We were spiritually fed, now to be physically fed!
It was so fun for the cousins to be together!
On our way home, we stopped in Claresholm to visit Grandma and Grandpa Hancock! They had some snow too! Ha ha! The kids just couldn't get enough!
Aunt Sylke gave these precious dolls she had made to the girls. They were thrilled to have their very own baby. These are such realistic looking dolls that Sylke had made herself. They each had a bracelet on with the name of the girl they belonged to. Emery, Ella, and Evey held onto these dolls the whole trip home! And Ella took hers to church when we got home. Many people thought it was a real baby. Thank you Sylke for making my girls so happy!
Enjoying time with Grandma and their new babies! Thanks for having us Grandma and Grandpa!
Auntie Brenda was so sweet to drive from work to come see us! We love her!
Crazy how real they look!
This was the day Ella took her baby to church. Ha ha! Grandma C. had just given us some baby clothes to use without knowing that the girls were getting the dolls. The timing was perfect! This was a blessing dress that belonged to one of us! Ella will be such a good mommy!
There is a lot that happened over the course of 5 or 6 days! Evey's exhaustion sure shows that! We are home with beautiful memories, stronger testimonies, and having been spiritually filled to the brim!
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