Trip to Colorado and Utah 2009

This trip was a gift from heaven because it came at a time in my life where things were becoming routine including work and church. I have always had a strong testimony of the gospel since I have moved away from home but it seems that lately I have been missing out on the goodness of the gospel by not fully indulging in it.

I arrived in Colorado as planned and although the plane was delayed and flight times moved around....the landing was ineventful. Seeing my family after a year was awesome. I do beileve that they have all grown a few inches!!! We hung out in Denver for 3 days seeing cousins and Garndparents, going to the zoo and the planetarium which was fun and really made you think about the world and how it was created.

Leaving there we moved thru Wyoming and then on to Salt lake. This part of our trip consisted of seeing church sites and going on walks and trying to do spiritual things. I must admit something....when we arrived I wasn't thinking about spiritual things..instead my head was focused on getting to Cafe Rio. I know this is retarded but I love food. On a softer note, never having been to Salt Lake before and seeing the temple for the first time....I was aww struck. I can't imagine being able to build something that grand with no cranes and it was perfect. It makes me that much more thankful for those who have gone on before me to bring this great work to where we are today. The Quarry Canyon walk was so touching...to know that they went that far to get the granite to Temple Square was probably SO hard. It was a long walk and we never got all the way up.

The conference center was another part of the trip that was incredible. Just the way that the buliding was built to have the "Park" on top and to have no support beams to block anyone view was something to behold. The paintings on the walls were huge and you could totally feel the spirit. My testimony was strengthened seeing the temple grounds and the conference center but what really gave me the courage to continue on and try harder was when we entered the Josephs Smith Memorial building.

We attened the show on Joseph Smith and when we entered the theater I was laugin cause there was tissues EVERYWHERE!!! Ashleena and I sat together and both of us thought..thats funny....people are babies. However 5 minutes into the film...we were bawling with half the crowd and by the end of the movie everyone was crying and then we understood what all the boxes of tissues were for. What an amazing man. Not just because he started the church and died for the cause but because I have never really thought of him other than being the prophet and to realize that he was 14 and a boy and seeing all the things he went thru as a child really made it real for me. Also, to see that so many other people suffered and died....I really don't think that I could have been that strong. I am so greatful for the knowledge that I have now of him and those pioneers.

This trip opened my eyes in ways that I didn't think possible. I am so happy that I was able to go with my family and create these memories....