The Phoenix Arizona Temple
I call this post "Our Temple" not only because the Phoenix Arizona temple will be about a mile from our house, but because I feel very invested in this temple. Since the announcement of the temple site in Phoenix there has been intense opposition and doubt of whether or not the temple would actually be approved. The residents living in close proximity to the temple were very unhappy about the temple being part if their neighborhood for reasons which I won't go into but can honestly see from there point of view. As a member of the church I was, of course, thrilled at the prospect of having a temple so close to our house. It seems that when we lived in Utah with a temple always within ten minutes of our house we totally took it for granted. We didn't realize what a luxury we had of being able to make a "quick trip to the temple." Here in AZ our closest temple is the Mesa temple which is a very busy temple and is also about 40 minutes away from us. Sometimes you have to wait before you can even get into a session. I remember hearing talks in Utah about how lucky we were to have so many temples close to us and how we need to take advantage of it, but I never really got it. I can only imagine those people in other areas of the country who have to drive 4-6 hours to attend the temple, much less those in other areas of the world who spend days traveling for the opportunity to worship in the temple. There has been community hearings and numerous city council meetings about the controversy of the temple site and as members of the church in the temple stake we were asked to attend one particular meeting where a vote would be made about the temple. I can honestly say (as stupid as this may sound) that I was truly a little scared of the massive crowd and fierce opposition we found there. When the Bishop relayed the message at sacrament meeting about the Stake Presidency wanting us all to attend the meeting and that even if we had to sacrifice to get there that we should make it a priority to attend. The words "we should all be willing to sacrifice so that a temple can be in Phoenix" kept running through my mind. I kept thinking that some psycho was going to open fire in that room or that a huge fight would break out. I realize I was letting my mind run away with me but I couldn't help thinking what I would be willing to sacrifice to have a temple nearby. I can only imagine how the pioneers felt when they were faced with that same choice. They were asked to sacrifice time, money, their safety, and sometimes their lives to receive temple blessings. We are so blessed as members of the church living in America in this day and age that we haven't been asked to sacrifice in the same way as the pioneers had to. I hope that I will be ready and willing should the time come where I need to show my willingness to sacrifice beyond rearranging plans and work schedules to help to build the kingdom of God. I hope I can remember everytime I attend Our Temple that so many others before me sacrificed so that I could have the freedom to be there.
The temple vote that night was unanimously in favor of the temple. I seriously will never forget that overwhelming feeling that through all the opposition (I thought it for sure the vote would go the other way) I knew that the collective prayers of the members of the church had been heard and Heavenly Father had softened the hearts of the council members. I have never been more proud to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and never more thankful for the temple being built in my stake. I will never take such a tremendous blessing for granted again.
I realize that we just celebrated Christmas but I am just getting around to posting pics from October!! The reason being is that I finally got a really nice camera and have been figuring out how to use it/import pics to my new computer (since the new camera doesn't use a normal memory card) and we also moved to our new house- definately a crazy fall. Now we are settled and the holidays are over and I will be more dilligent in updating our blog (let's hope). We have many fall traditions since I absolutely love the fall! I love it getting colder (well let's say less hot), the pumpkins, and the fun holidays that loom around the corner. This year we kicked off the pumpkin season with a trip to MacDonalds Ranch to pick pumpkinds. I have seriously been so shocked by how many fun places there are in Phoenix for the kiddos. This place is a gem and will surely become a tradition for us. This is ranch located about 20 minutes away from us is Scottsdale. They have things to do all year round, but for the Halloween season they have horse rides, hayrides, cowboy golf, gold mining, fun picture spots, a petting zoo, a hay maze, and of course a pumpkin patch. We made sure we did it all! The weather was perfect, the kids were happy and my mom was in town which made for a perfect day. Each year we let each of our little guys pick out there own pumpkin. They can pick a big or a small one. Wes usually goes for the biggest one he can find and James goes for one that he can carry himself. We picked Lucy's out for her- don't worry she thought it was a perfect choice. To get to the pumpkin patch you ride on a horse drawn hayride. The boys were so excited that the cowboy driving (and this guy was like a for real cowboy) asked them if they wanted to help him drive us. They were so excited and James was totally in awe of this guy. I think he was a little freaked out by how much the kids loved him especially when Jameson layed his head down on the cowboys belly. Totally typical James - adorable. 
I was so proud of the boys for both riding the huge horses (it took some bravery believe me) and being good the whole time. These pictures show how beautiful the desert can be. I really love it here in AZ.
