Hello friends! There will be no LDS Faith and Beliefs post today since I was too excited to share with you what we did last weekend. Plus those posts take a long time to write, and I didn’t have it in me this week. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in two weeks with the next installment.

And now, on to last weekend. My best friend in the whole wide world (save Kyle), Dani, is pregnant. She’s due the 22nd, and I am SO excited for her. Of course, I’ve had many friends that have had babies by now, but she’s my BEST FRIEND and so I’ve been EXTRA excited about. And the fact that our girls will be only a few months apart? Perfection, wouldn’t you say?

And so, her other best friend, Bonnie, and I threw her a baby shower last Saturday. It was a pretty low-key affair. We had a lot of people help with bringing brunch food items, and then we chatted, ate, and opened presents. It was so good to see Dani and her family, and also spoil her a little bit. She deserves it.

While we were in Utah, we also had the opportunity to go to the Provo City Center Temple open house. Each time a new LDS Temple is built, there is a small period of time when anyone who wants to can go walk through the temple, before it is dedicated. It’s a great opportunity for children and non-members (and members, as well!) to see the inside of a temple, and learn more about them. The Provo City Center Temple is extra special, because of the history behind it. The building was built in the late 1800’s and used to be the Provo Tabernacle. Overtime, it’s housed concerts, LDS stake conferences, and other events. In fact, when Kyle and I lived in Provo, it was where we attended stake conference. I’ve also been to many events there, since I grew up in the area. In December 2010, a fire broke out in the Tabernacle. The fire gutted the building. Literally only the brick walls were left, as even the roof collapsed. I remember being at work on BYU Campus that day, and watching news coverage of the fire all day with my co-workers. We were all devastated, since this building was such an important part of our LDS and Provo City heritage.

In October 2011, it was announced in General Conference that the building would be rebuilt into a Temple, and it was such amazing news! And now it is finished, and so gorgeous. K and I went with our two kiddos and my mom and sister, and even though the wait was long, it was worth it.

We really had a great weekend. Outside of the two main events above we also spent time with Kyle’s parents and brothers and their families, and just had a good time. I’m so thankful for our family and the time we get to spend with them.