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I'd been looking forward to Craig & Ariana's wedding since our own wedding! James and I had been to the temple together and even done sealings, but we hadn't been to a temple marriage since our own. My mom was also in town - partly for the wedding, but mostly to spend time with me and extended family.
On Friday, as soon as James got home from work, we went to a session at the Bountiful Temple. Then hurried up to Ogden for the family dinner. We went to bed as soon as we got home because the wedding was scheduled for 10 and we needed to be inside the Ogden Temple at 0930. Which meant that we needed to leave the apartment early.
I REALLY didn't want to be late. So I told Mom & James that we needed to leave the apartment at 8 a.m. That was early. We'd get to the temple with almost an hour to spare.
We left the apartment at about 0810. I was feeling a bit smug and enjoyed the early morning drive to Ogden immensly. As we exited the freeway and headed into Ogden, I realized that I'd left my recommend in the pocket of the bag with my temple clothes.
The bag I'd used to go to the Bountiful Temple the night before.
The bag at home.
On the couch.
In North Salt Lake.
As soon as I exclaimed over my recommend, Mom realized her recommend was also with her temple clothes.
At the apartment.
In North Salt Lake.
James could have gone to the sealing. His recommend was in his wallet.
We briefly talked about staying in Ogden and helping to watch the children during the wedding or driving all the way home for our recommends.
I asked James to drive us back to the apartment. We'd never make it back to the temple by 0930, but it was worth a try.
The drive back to the apartment was NOT SMUG. I felt so sad. Mom came all the way to Utah for a wedding and we were going to miss it. James had his recommend and was going to miss the wedding to drive me 40 miles to and another 40 miles back from the apartment. I had been looking forward to being a part of my cousins' wedding and to holding hands with my James in the sealing room.
The second time we exited the freeway and headed into Ogden, I told Mom that I felt like we were living in the parable of the 10 virgins. We were waiting for a wedding, but when the time came, we weren't prepared. She said she'd been thinking of the parable also, but maybe there was just enough oil in our lamps.
We parked the car at 0950. Definitely late. So, so, so late. Met up with Trevor in the parking lot (He'd gotten off work early to try to go to Craig's wedding). Showed our recommends to the nice old men at the recommend desk. Found the entrance to the marriage waiting room - luckily, just inside the front doors! Traded our shoes for white socks and got to the marriage waiting room with just enough time for a round of quick hugs before being escorted up to the sealing room.
The sealer talked to Craig & Ariana about Time & All Eternity and how different that is from Until Death Do Us Part. He talked about how today is their own holiday - bigger than the 4th of July - bigger than Christmas! He also emphasized the newest unit of the church was the small family of Craig & Ariana Price. They still have their extended families, but they are now each other's primary family. Read the Proclamation on the Family and realize that The Father and The Mother are you. They stood to look in the mirrors - to look into eternity and then knelt at the altar to be sealed.
It was wonderful to hold hands with James & hear the blessings of the marriage covenant again.
I'm so grateful they invited us to participate in their sealing. I'm grateful we are worthy to enter the temple. I'm grateful to be a small family with my James and doubly grateful we were able to safely retrieve our recommends and be in the temple, in the sealing room, for their wedding.
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Congratulations Craig & Ariana!!! Thanks for the invite to the festivities, we had a wonderful time! Such a good time, I only took a few photos. . ..jpg)
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We finally made it into Arches National Park. With less than a day to explore, we mostly looked for arches from The Outlaw, but we did make time for the Delicate Arch Hike - 3 miles round trip.
Delicate Arch
Jessi
James
Delicate Arch with a view
J+J Heart
James sketching
Push-ups on the edge of the world!
Jessi James Gang Logo
We got back to Grand Junction pretty late, watched Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen, and slept in on Sunday morning. Tom got called back into work, so James & I headed back toward Utah and Arches National Park.
On the way, we saw a sign for the Colorado National Monument and followed it into the hills just to the south of I-70 and just barely outside Grand Junction. It was a 23-mile drive through a plateau-and-canyon landscape.
Independence Monument - apparently you can climb (rock climbing - not hiking) to the top of the monument on the 4th of July - wild!
"Walking" the railing at Independence Monument overlook:
We got to Moab right at dusk and ate dinner at a Schezwan restaurant. The one campground in Arches National Park was full, so we found a campground along the Colorado River for $12. Pretty site, even in the dark, with plenty of trees to drop their leaves on the tent with the howling wind. The wind also drowned out any highway noise and the river was very quiet. Very dark out there - with lots and lots of stars!