thirty, thirty one, thirty five

it's E's thirtieth birthday. thirty years old. you're the best E! my gift to him is two babies. and i made one of his favorite meals for dinner. that's pretty much all i could muster.

pic was taken at 31 weeks

but i'm really 35 weeks... sometimes i can't believe it. most of the time i can though because i feel it.

i am so tired these days. and the house is showing it. i have not given it any love {cleaning} for a while and it desperately needs it.

i am definitely feeling the nesting urge. i want to re organize the entire house. i made a really specific list of everything i want to organize and do before the boys come. but... pretty much none of it has been accomplished.

I drive by the gilbert temple site twice a day and it always brings a smile to my face. this is what it looks like at the moment.

my feet are HUGE

see - huge. laugh all you want. i do everyday. it's very weird not having any ankles.

nationals in lubbock

Our weekend in Texas was interesting. I'll describe it that way.

We drove all day Thursday {12 hours} and got to Lubbock in the evening and it was pouring rain when we got there. We ended up staying with our friends Nick and Natalie Sorensen {who happen to live down the street from the temple} and we went to dinner with them that night at Freebirds. It was GOOD. Friday started with lots more rain.We went over to the host hotel for E to check in for the triathlon and then we drove the course with the rest of the ASU tri team. We ate lunch at a local pizza place next to Texas Tech that was delish. Then E took a nap while I read. There was another tri meeting in the afternoon and then we headed back to the Sorensen's for the night. It poured the entire day.

Saturday started with no rain, which was great, but there was crazy 20 mph winds. The race still went on but it was so cold and windy. I was freezing... another spectator told me my face was purple. It was so neat to see all the different schools competing from all over the country. Seriously from all over... a ton from CA, also Oregon, BYU, Colorado, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Virginia, Duke, Air Force, Stanford, Ohio, Boston, Illinois, Iowa, Georgia, Vermont, etc. It was awesome to see all the athletes race. E did great and every time I watch him race, I am inspired to be better. He is amazing. After the race we ate a late lunch at another local place, Triple J's, that was delish. Their rolls and honey butter were to die for. And then we made the long drive home and got back to our place on Sunday.

            

It was a cool trip. Great to see new places and have new adventures. Unfortunately I did not see any bluebonnets {I think they are farther south} and Texas is flat {at least the part we saw}. We drove across the entire state of New Mexico, which was cool. And the best part, we got to spend hours upon hours together. The bad part, E is at home today with the stomach flu.

Temples

While writing the post about the Redlands Temple, I started thinking about the Temples Tiff and I have been to. I wanted to post about them because it would make me us figure out which ones we've been to and would be like keeping a journal.

The ones you see above are (in order) Salt Lake, Monticello, Saint George, Bountiful, San Diego, Jordan River, Los Angeles, Mesa, Mount Timpanogos, Las Vegas, Redlands

There are other special temples that we did not do a session together in but we have visited, went to the open house, or did a session without the other.

The Temples here are Laie HI, Idaho Falls, Manti Ut, Newport Beach, Provo.

Redlands Temple

Tiff and I went to the Redlands Temple yesterday, that as we have said before, is only 10 minutes away. As soon as we started getting ready to go I said to myself, we are going to be the witness couple. It seems like we always are whenever we go to a new temple. I think we have been the witness couple at every temple we have been to, except L.A. and Bountiful. It must be because when people see Tiffany, the "ray of sunshine" with her sweet and innocent face and smile they think we would be a good witness couple.

Before we went I read this cool history.
Redlands California Temple
116th operating temple

Location: 1761 East 5th Avenue, Redlands, California, United States.

Site: 4.6 acres.

Exterior Finish: Light gray granite.

Temple Design: Classic modern, single-spire design.

Number of Rooms: Two ordinance rooms and three sealing.

Total Floor Area: 17,300 square feet.
Announcement: 21 April 2001

Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 1 December 2001 by Deiter F. Uchtdorf

Public Open House: 9 August–6 September 2003

Dedication: 14 September 2003 by Gordon B. Hinckley


Temple History
The Redlands California Temple sits on the original Mormon landholdings of San Bernardino colony, established in 1851 under the direction of Brigham Young. The ethnically diverse colony was habitated and warmly visited by Mormon pioneers, African-American families, Jewish merchants, Spanish rancho families, Mexican government officials, and local Cahuilla and Serrano Indians.
The east Redlands lot is located in a residential area was once occupied by orange groves. As a special treat, guests attending the groundbreaking ceremony were served orange juice, made from the trees removed from the site.
Behind the reception desk is a beautiful art glass panel once part of a San Bernardino meetinghouse built in 1930. Members kept the window after sale of the property and used it in a Pacific Avenue chapel until it was brought to the attention of interior designer Greg Hill, who chose the piece as a lobby showpiece.
Over 15,000 people donated rocks needed for the temple's construction. Deliveries arrived from local members and out-of-state donators. Some were gathered from the campsite of the 1851 Mormon pioneers, now the Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore.
Primary children joined the rock project, painting pictures and writing messages on many. The sustained ethnic diversity of the area is evident in the numerous languages represented. The children also donated pennies to help fund the palm trees that dramatically circle the temple.
Many descendants of the early San Bernardino Valley settlers were invited to attend the open house, few of which were members of the Church. It proved to be an emotionally charged experience for many. Serrano Indian descendant Goldie Walker entered the ordinance room and spoke with tears in her eyes, "I think I can feel a bit of heaven here." Native Americans families showed particular interest in the Christ-in-the-Americas painting, wanting to know more.

The Greg Hill mentioned in that history was the Bishop of the first ward we were in when we got married.