Why Temples??

Lately, even more than usual, I've been asked about Mormon temples...

Why do we build temples? Why did I choose to get married in a temple? Why was that decision important to me? What happens inside temples?

These are all really great questions! And I found an awesome article I wanted to share so friends & family could learn why members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints build & worship inside temples.

If you've ever been curious, it's a great & quick read. 

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-in-pictures-beauty-purpose-mormon-temples

The main points include:

• Temples date back to Biblical times (ie Solomon's temple)
• Temples provide holy places to pray & worship & learn more about Jesus Christ
• Temples now dot the earth (pictures here), and anyone is free to walk inside at the completion of construction (called an Open House). 
• We believe that when a couple is married, or sealed, in the temple, that marriage covenant has the potential to last not until death do you part, but for time and all eternity. Also, all children born within that covenant will be sealed to their parents. 

And as I had become quite fond of my husband (then fiance), I decided that's how long I wanted us to be together.

So that's why I got married in the temple. And I keep going back because I enjoy the chance to worship, receive answers to personal questions, and feel a peace there that I cannot find anywhere else on earth (although my home, church, and quiet spots in nature can come close). 

Hopefully that sheds a bit of light on the subject. Feel free to ask any further questions.

And I'd love to hear...where do you feel most feel at peace? Are there places that are spiritually significant for you?

Our Anniversary

We have now been married for ONE year. It went by crazy fast, and yet I feel like we've been together forever. I was telling an older couple how excited I was about our first anniversary, and found myself feeling silly....both sets of my grandparents have been together almost 60+ years! Regardless, it's still a cause for celebration!

I was beyond happy Paul rearranged his travel so that he would be home the weekend of our anniversary & we could celebrate together! With him travelling so much, we were able to use some hotel points & drive down to Portland, OR for a few days.

I made him take lots of pics. :)

The weather was, in a word, horrendous. And when you live in Seattle, you tend to have really low expectations for weather. And even those were shattered! I'm talking typhoon warnings, tree branches in the street, and chronic downpours. 

We found ways to make up for it, though! This was mostly done in the form of finding amazing food! 

First, we ventured into downtown Portland for some of the famous Voodoo Donuts we kept hearing about. Supposedly the donuts are weird, delicious, unique, and strange... and we agreed on all accounts.

Then we decided to drive to the Oregon Coast to check out the Tillamook Cheese Factory & to see the ocean. We may or may not have checked out the cheese samples several times. 

And of course the beautiful coast...;) 

Hah! Good thing Paul is a great driver. The next day was our Anniversary, and we got to stop by the Portland, Oregon LDS Temple & Visitor's Center. 

We even got to see my cousin, Sister Louisa Priday! She is a fantastic missionary! 

I think the highlight of the trip for both of us, though, came on the way out of town... in the form of a burger chain called Burgerville! The best way I know how to describe it is a Northwest version of In-n-Out. Local ingredients & all that jazz...but a deliciously simple menu. YUM. The sweet potato fries were to die for.

But really, it was just great to get some quality time together & think back on our wedding day and all that has happened since. Can't wait for all the years to come!

"Loving" Long Distance

I don't even know where to start. The end of the summer and transition to fall has brought lots of changes, big and small! Between moving apartments, beginning new jobs and projects, Paul heading out to Tokyo for the remainder of the year, and who knows what else...we have been busy. But great! Life is good. We've managed to make the most of the gorgeous Seattle summer.

As a teacher for Slough camps this summer I was able to do lots of fun hiking, exploring, and camping with lots of great kids.

Not to mention some hiking on our own time! This was the top of Tiger Mountain nearby our home in Issaquah.

Paul was working his tail off with long hours, but we still found time for some great dates. On one of them, we found The Rootbeer Store. Yes, there is a store dedicated entirely to rootbeer. (But they also have some fabulous ginger ale, ginger beer, and butterbeer!)

I've never seen Paul so happy...

Another weekend, through one of Paul's work events, we were able to go up into the Space Needle and visit the Chihuly Glass Museum! It was most excellent.

And THEN! Before we knew it, summer was ending and the new school year was beginning. Which meant my new job would begin and so would Paul's first international project. Here is our last supper together:

His coworker picked up a cake that said "Hope this fills the void"...and if anything could help, we all know it would be a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. YUM!

And, he's off! 

And now this is how we spend our precious time together:

Thank goodness for Google Hangouts & Face Time! And here's to only 3 more months of this! Ha

Our Honeymoon

What better time than 10.5 months after to blog about your honeymoon? I mean, right? I was perusing old posts and I realized I never fulfilled my promise to explain this picture.

So in case you have been sitting on the edge of your seat for almost a year...wait no longer. (Is the sarcasm thick enough?) Let me start at the beginning.

Paul planned out a great trip to Southern California for us, and by SoCal I mean Disneyland. Obviously. Would I waste my time anywhere else?

We were so so excited. Maybe too excited, because I got super sick right off the bat. We woke up incredibly early to make our 6 a.m. flight to Cali. I think a combination of sleep deprivation (for weeks prior), not really eating much on wedding day, jitters, etc. just put me over the edge and I felt so sick. Bless Paul's heart, he had planned so many fun surprises for the first few days of the trip. And I was the sleepiest, most boring, and nauseous new bride. Sorry again, Paul! Ha

We had fun regardless. The point of this is that the first half of the week I was eating practically nothing because it all made me want to gag. Well, fast-forward to our second full day at the park. The California heat was surprisingly fierce for October, and we were unprepared.

While waiting in line to re-enter Disneyland in the late morning, I told Paul that I was feeling dizzy. (Note: this is not the first time this has happened to me, and certainly wasn't the last..maybe I'll write about that another time). He let me lean on him and we figured we could wait until we entered the gates and then find a place to sit down.

BUT! My body was too impatient for that. My eyes rolled back and I went limp and BOOM! I had fainted. Luckily my brand new husband caught me and began to lower me to the ground.

Here's the best part: As I was unconscious and limp, I vomited all down my shirt and on my pants. Niiice. Attractive. Everything you want your new spouse to see and have ingrained in their brain for time and all eternity.

After some help from a few mom tourist nurses and Disneyland crew members, I was conscious and being wheeled down Main Street to the First Aid Station.

post-vomit removal

Luckily later that afternoon I was ready to go full force, and we enjoyed the rest of our trip very much!

But to this day we joke that Paul learned early what it means to be there for each other in sickness and in health. ;)

Priday Vacation Part 2

When we got back from Victoria, we were able to enjoy several days in the Seattle area together exploring. Unfortunately Paul had to work for almost all of it, hence his absence in most of these photos :(

Raspberry Picking & Snoqualmie Falls

There is a glorious place called Remlinger Farms up in Carnation, WA. All year long they have various fruits and vegetables that you can either buy or "U-Pick." We were in raspberry heaven!

When we had picked to our heart's content we headed south to Snoqualmie Falls. I didn't take a picture of the Falls that day, but they look just like this:

It's so majestic. Aaaand it probably goes without saying that those raspberries quickly turned into homemade raspberry ice cream. We are Pridays, after all.

raspberry lemonade ice cream mmmm

Pacific Science Center & Ballard Locks

One of the perks of working for the PSC is enjoying free passes to exhibits & IMAX movies! We went butterfly themed: Flight of the Butterflies 3D and the Tropical Butterfly House. Check it out.

 If any of you have unanswered questions about monarch butterflies, you know who to ask ;) Later that day we headed to see the famous Ballard Locks and the salmon swimming up the fish ladder. It is quite the process.

check out them salmon!

sister love @ the Locks

Bainbridge Island

(aka Gorgeous Happiness via ferry boat)

If I could bottle up the joy that comes from a lovely summer day on Bainbridge Island, no one would ever be lonely again. I mean, honestly. Look for yourself.

Did I mention we love ice cream?

the cutest candid shot of my sister :)

Seattle Aquarium

The Seattle Aquarium is located right on the waterfront, and we've heard it is one of those must-sees. And Paul even got to join us! 

Pike Place

We explored Pike Place pretty thoroughly last year, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to give it a quick walk-through.

the famous GUM wall! Gross

Whew! If you are still reading, you deserve an award. I just couldn't decide what to leave out. I miss my family already, but we are excited for whenever we get to see them next. Thanks for a great trip, family!