temple visit

This evening we were privileged to take a tour of the latest LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) Temple right here in Draper. Mormons meet each Sunday in their local Church meeting house for regular church services to which children and all visitors are welcome. The LDS temples (which are much fewer in number than churches) are reserved for special forms of worship (endowment ceremonies, marriages, learning and ceremonies for the dead) and are normally open to only adult members of the church who have been deemed worthy of temple privileges. However, before each temple is dedicated, it is open to the general public for tours so Mark and I were able to take a "peak" at what goes on inside. Here we are with our neighbors Brad & Christine outside the beautiful white granite building.

bluebird day

Mark & I have been skiing/snowboarding every week since Christmas - mostly at Solitude, using our custom season pass. On Thursdays Solitude really lives up to it's name. Early in the morning we practically have the slopes to ourselves, and never have to wait in a lift line! Today was what they call a "bluebird day" : "a beautiful sunny day after an overnight snowfall. It's a perfect skiing day with a clear blue sky, bright sun, and fresh snow."

getting to work

How did you spend Australia Day? At the beach? Wilting in the heat? Well here in Utah we enjoyed another snow storm. This is Mark clearing the driveway of snow at 6am so he could go to work!

tv cats

Since we bought our larger TV last year, the cats have taken an interest in some of the programming. We're not sure if its the movement or sounds that catch their attention, but we frequently find them watching the screen (rather closely) like a couple of kids. They particularly like a show called "Sunrise Earth" which shows nature scenes from all different locations on the planet filmed at sunrise. In this shot the cats are fascinated by the birds in a marsh in South America.

happy new year

We had a quiet New Years Eve this year - getting up at 5am because it was a work day for Mark, so we were in no shape for a late night. We invited our neighbors Matt & Kathy over for dinner and had a nice evening chatting, eating and drinking even though we didn't stay up late. The following morning we were up early again in time to see this lovely sunrise over the valley. A pretty start to a new year.