Ellie's Grand 9th Birthday Adventure

Missy and Jedd's Ellie turns nine years old this month.

Stacy and Tom's Sydney performed with the BYU Young Ambassadors in an anniversary alumni reunion concert March 5-7 in DeJong Concert Hall at BYU.

Mindy and Jeff's baby, Fiona Kathleen, received her name and a blessing 

at their home in Highland on Saturday morning, March 7. 

For a birthday treat for Ellie and also so her mommy, Missy, could come to the concert and the blessing, 
they planned a trip together.

They flew to Salt Lake on Friday. 
Ellie wanted Grandma Pam and Grandpa Roger to go to the church sites with her, 
so we drove to Rick's Thursday night, I got my hair done in Ogden Friday morning, 
then we picked them up at the airport. 

We had a grand adventure together!  

First stop was Temple Square.

The Salt Lake Temple was begun in 1846 and dedicated in 1893.

Grandma Pam, Ellie and Grandpa Roger - The Assembly Hall is in the background.

Roger took this pic of The Assembly Hall with the Tabernacle on the right.

Missy took a cool pic in the interior of the Tabernacle.

A missionary demonstrated the amazing acoustics in the tabernacle, built in 1867.

Ellie was excited to visit the Christus in the Visitors' Center.

I love this Salt Lake Temple pic Missy took.

She captured sunbursts.

Ellie wanted to see where the Prophet and the other speakers stand to deliver their General Conference talks.

We walked through the beautiful grounds on the way to The Lion House, 

which is part of Brigham Young's home converted into a restaurant.

The Lion House is famous for their rolls with honey butter.  Ellie had a soup bowl filled with clam chowder.  

Roger and I have happy memories of many meals eaten at The Lion House.

We saw, the movie, "Meet the Mormons," which Missy and Ellie had not seen yet.

Ellie, with tears in her eyes, said, when the lights came up, "I am turning into my mother!"

We toured through Brigham Young's home after dinner, having our own tour guides, sister missionaries, 

one from Australia and one from Ukraine. 

They were darling, and so cute with Ellie.

We stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up some things for Mindy, for Fiona's blessing brunch the next morning.

Ellie's dad had given her $9 to "buy a treat," and she added that to $5 she had earned,

and she found a treat in Trader Joe's. 

When she went to pay for the candy, the clerk said, "That's free for you today."

Was she ever tickled, and they were the best gummy bears ever!

We were truly pleased to spend this precious time with Ellie and Missy.

It had been a long time since we had toured these amazing sites, and it was 

even more meaningful to do it with them. 
It might add one more little degree of satisfaction to the early pioneers for their amazing accomplishments 
to know (and I think they do) 
that families who together visit and enjoy the fruits of their hard-won labors 
can draw closer and catch a glimpse into eternity.

It was a grand start to a wonderful weekend!