Salt Lake City

Our next outing is of course a visit to downtown Salt Lake City, Temple Square, shopping, and Deseret Book.  

We decided to take the train into the city.  The boys thought that was sooooo cool.

We met Alicia's family at City Creek Center Mall.  This mall was gorgeous.  It was like an outdoor mall, similar to one Tim and I visited in California near Stanford.  If the weather is not ideal, like snow or rain, the roof actually closes to make it an "indoor" mall.  Such a cool invention.The neatest part about it was that it had a river running through the middle of it with real fish.  You see Gavin, Ethan, and Avery getting a close up look at these fish.

Reid was just itching to get out and run around, but I kept him buckled and close to me at all times.

We stopped by the fountain.  It also had lots of water spouts that the kids enjoyed running around.

3 of my sissy's!  Love them to pieces.

And look at that beautiful temple behind me.  It's always such a pretty sight to see.  I'm always grateful to have been married inside it's sacred walls and to know my family is sealed for time and all eternity.  I love going back to Temple Square and remembering that special day when Tim and I said "I do" forever and always.  I'm a lucky gal.

Have we changed in almost 13 years?  I think so.  We have grown in love and grown in life together. Yes we have had quite the ride together and we are still 100% in love and dedicated to making our marriage and family stronger and stronger.

My gems!  My life!  My work! How sweet it is!

These two big guys melt my heart.  They have taught me so much about what it means to be a good mom and what it means to sacrifice for another.  Being a mom is the most humbling experience, but it is truly a wonderful journey.

Love to see these boys interact and hang out together.

We took a guided tour of the Conference Center and we were able to see some of the artwork we are so familiar with from the Book of Mormon right in front of us.  The amount of time, talent, dedication, and inspiration these pictures took was astounding.

My favorite part was being on the top of the conference center and overlooking the entire city. Sometimes being up high and seeing so much around me helps me to gain perspective and reflect on what's important in life.  In that moment I paused for a second to take in all the wonderful moments I was able to share with my family.  It made me miss Utah and being close to my family.  It also helped me to remember how blessed I've been since I left Utah and found my own life and had my own family.  Life is full of decisions and I can say I'm happy with the BIG ones I made.  They led me to great things and great blessings.

After our tour we made a stop at Deseret Book and then headed home.