Salt Lake City, UT

Saturday, July 17, 2010

I cannot believe that we have been on the road for two months. I cannot grasp how fast the time has gone by, and all that we have seen and experienced. We are so incredibly fortunate, it amazes me. I cannot wait for my kids to come out and meet us. Two more weeks for Kyle and Rikki but another month for Kaitlyn. :(.

The past several days have been busy for us. We drove up from Vegas on Thursday and were very glad to leave the heat down there. It was 114 and just way too hot. It was like being in a convection oven with the hot breeze blowing on you. Salt Lake is in the high 90's and yesterday it hit 100 but its not as bad as Vegas. (BUT, Vegas has alcohol and gambling, and weird people, and lots and lots of things to attempt you to SIN!) lol

Salt Lake, on the other hand, has NO alcohol, no gambling (which is actually fine, because we are cheap!) and everyone here is being saved, as we speak! Not Tommy, he is beyond saving! Hehehehehe. Truth be told, Salt Lake is beautiful! The people here are so happy, and courteous. Everyone is smiling and they go out their way to make you comfortable. Someone is constantly asking you if you need anything, anything at all.

Yesterday we visited the Temple Square. It is a compound type of area with a huge black iron gate surrounding it and inside the gate it houses a temple, a business center, 2 visitors center, concert hall, family history library, several restaurants, the infamous Tabernacle, administrative office building, and a convention center which seats 21,000. At the administrative center you can go to the 26th floor, being escorted by a hostess, of course, there is an overlook of the city. Its beautiful. The grounds are impeccable. The gardens have statues everywhere. I'm not 100% on who the statues represent but they are impressive. The flowers are beautiful. And the grass is like grass on Long Island, you just want to walk barefoot on it.

The temple was not open to anyone who was 'not a member', but we did go into the restaurants and the tabernacle and the north visitors center. It is so informative. Whether you believe what they believe, or not, you cannot help but walk away with total and complete respect for their religion.

We were so fortunate to be where we were, when we were there, to find out that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was having a concert last night and it was being recorded live for BYUTV. The woman who hosted us on the the overlook mentioned it and directed us to the convention center to possibly see if there were still available tickets. We walked over there and another woman asked if she could help us - before we even got to the correct door we needed - and when we told her we were inquiring about tickets, she stated that her husband was in the choir and to follow her. She lead us to an office where, when we were told, - sorry but they are sold out - two men walked by us and said "are you looking for tickets for tonight?" We replied yes and they said follow us. We followed them across the street to the 'stand by' line and there we received two tickets - free! There is nothing that the people here will not do for you. Its so incredible refreshing. The sincerity behind their actions is astonishing. They just want everyone to be happy and polite to each other. Regardless of what you believe.

The concert was stunning. I had goose bumps from start to finish. There was an orchestra that played along with them and a film explaining their 100 year journey as pioneers to their accomplishments of today. They are the longest, ever, recording group of all time. It has been a full century since they have shared their awe- inspiring sound. The collective voices sound as one. And the organ is extraordinary. The man who plays the keyboard is unbelievable. He has 5 rows of keys and 15 foot pedals. He alone, is amazing. We were asked not to video or take pictures. It was hard not to, but yes, even me followed the rules - for once! The concert was held in the convention center which alone, is unbelievably gorgeous.

We also visited the Family History Library. This place will blow your mind. It houses microfilm, microfiche, every and any kind of certificate, videos, and classrooms. For every 10 people interested, there is someone to sit and help you investigate your family history. I had a man sit with me for over 2 hours. It was so exciting to go as far back in my family line to my Great, Great, Great Grandfather. (I always believed we came from England, but in reality we are from Ireland.) I cannot wait to make some phone calls to some of my Aunts to find out more information so I can dig deeper. The Mormons house all of this information in a mountain they own. It is 600 feet deep into the earth and well protected by controlled air, and re enforced in case of an earthquake. FamilySearch.org is their website, check it out. Its fun!

We also visited the Capital building, very nice. And we walked through and old Union Pacific Railroad terminal. It was really impressive. Just as you exit the station, you end up at this completely outdoor mall. It is the coolest thing, ever. It a total mall but with no ceiling. Everything a regular mall has but no surrounding walls and in total sunshine.

Today, we are going out to the actual Salt Lake. We were advised to see it from Antelope Island, which is just a bit north and west of here. They say you can see the lake from space and it is the highest content of salt anywhere. Morton salt has a manufacturing plant here. Antelope island has the largest population of Bison in the country that roam free. I cannot wait to see them. To see any animal completely free is just phenomenal. (We hate zoos, especially.)


Tomorrow, we will pack up and head out to Yellowstone. Its a full days drive but I hear the weather up there is in the 60's! Wahoo!!!

Thanks for reading and have a good weekend.