One Decade Ago...

Ten years ago I married my favorite person in the whole world.
Ten years seems like a long time, but I suppose it's true what they say.. you know- that time flies when you are having fun! I know it's cliche, but it's true. It does not seem that it could possibly have been that long ago that I went to the temple and became Mrs. Matthew Hunter. Who decided the woman's name can't even be mentioned? Mrs. Laura Hunter, who happens to be married to the most wonderful man in the world. There. That's better.
Anyway, Matt and I wanted to do something really wonderful for our 10th anniversary. Since we toured Europe last summer and I wanted new furniture this month, we decided just to make it a little get-away. We thought about going to Zermatt Resort, which is supposed to be like being in Bavaria. It really is beautiful- and there are any number of places we could visit around here- Utah is so magnificent.
But not being much of an outdoorswoman, (I think we all know that's an understatement) and considering the fact that we've never really left all three of our children before, I wanted to stay pretty close. So, we just headed down to Salt Lake City for a few days. We were feeling a little nostalgic, so we stayed in the Anniversary Inn and reserved the exact same suite we had on our Wedding night!
For the first evening, we weren't quite sure what to do without the kids... I kept turning around and looking for someone to need me. But we got the hang of it pretty fast- we went out for a late dinner at The Garden , which is a rooftop restaurant at Temple Square. These are a a few pictures from our table:

We had so much fun just relaxing and being together- and we were thankful to find we enjoy each other without the kids around! We love them so much and it's hard to be away from them; the first morning I couldn't even sleep in because my body is set to wake up with them. (Okay and because there was a crazy amount of sunlight coming through the hotel window right on my face).

Even though Matt and I were married in the Bountiful Temple, we wanted to use some of our time to visit the Salt Lake Temple. So we spent the morning there on Tuesday and loved being a part of that ceremony.

Later that afternoon, we just wandered around Temple Square for a while and checked out the new exhibit (is that the right word?) at the South Visitor's Center by the Temple. You may have seen the story on the news... Click HERE for the link to the story. Their pictures are way better than ours.

As someone who converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints a little later in life, I know from first -hand experience how curious people are about the temple. Matt and I noticed all over Europe that pretty much any beautiful Cathedral or Church was open to visitors... for a price. And we loved seeing all the magnificent architecture and interesting displays of devotion to the Lord. Our chapels, where we worship on Sundays, are open to anyone and everyone. Most display a large "Visitors Welcome" sign. Temples are a little different, and I totally understand why some people are skeptical, curious or even judgemental about that. I mean, God's blessings should be available to everyone, right? Right. We invite everyone to come to the temple. In the temple, we make sacred covenants with the Lord. We worship Him in a symbolic way, making very solemn promises about how we will strive to live for Him in this life. Every single thing we do there is symbolic of Christ's Atonement. Because we take those covenants so seriously, it is important that individuals be certain they are ready and willing to commit their lives completely to Christ before entering. (Just as was the case during Biblical Times) The Lord accepts us as we are when we are baptized, and then He expects submission to His will, which is made manifest by the actions in our lives. Someone who enters the temple isn't perfect, just completely committed to Christ and the Gospel.

So I can understand how people are curious about the temple. The truth is, every temple has an Open House, where the public is free to come and tour the rooms. We even have a magazine called Temples, where you can view pictures of the rooms in various temples around the world. But once a temple is dedicated to the Lord, only those who are prepared to covenant with Him will enter. The Salt Lake Temple is one of the oldest, and one of the most beautiful, and certainly the most widely visited. Since the Open House for this Temple is long past, there isn't really a way to see inside.

But the Church Leaders commissioned this model to be built, where individuals can look inside and see the rooms!

I love how it is placed right next to the glass wall so it is right in the shadow of the actual temple.

The link I posted above has much better photography, but you can see the layout and the rooms- it's pretty incredible. Even having been in the temple, it was very informative. The Salt Lake Temple is so large that you aren't always sure where in the building you are located, so this was really fascinating to see.

There is a touch screen monitor on each side, and you can select a room and take a 360 virtual tour, with a narrator explaining what happens in that room. Too cool. This takes out so much of the mystery that causes people to be skeptical about the whole thing.

I highly recommend making a trip to the South Visitor's Center to see this model! If you are in the area- it is a one-of-a-kind opportunity!

Matt and I had so much fun together. We were anxious to get back to our children- Matt's Mom was so generous and kind to watch them for us. I know from experience that they can wear a girl out! So, thank you, Marsha! We had a blast!