Temple Light, Temple Bright

 In case I haven't mentioned it before (😄), I love the temple, going to the temple, and serving in the temple. It deepens my relationship with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, and it continues to bless my life immeasurably.

This side stairwell outside reminds me of a palace stairwell. This is, indeed, a palace in many ways.

"Sons and daughters, children of a King" 

The sky looked really pretty on this particular evening, and David took pictures of it. I like how the light and brightness of the temple contrasts with the colors of the sky. 

Late summer evenings at the temple are especially peaceful.

The sky was pretty on the drive home, too.

Tomorrow evening, my good friend Beth is going to receive her endowment at the temple, and I'll be there with her, along with many of our other friends. Life is full of joyful blessings because of the gospel, and I'm thankful for all of it!

John's Home + Mom's Birthday

 These are the kinds of things I've missed over the last two years:

The boys wrestling and goofing off...

Sam was doing his creepy, maniacal laugh while John pinned him, and it was hilarious. 😂

John went to New Hampshire for a few days with three of his best friends from church. They're all recently returned missionaries, and they were all off to school a few weeks later to BYU-I or BYU.

They were so happy to be reunited again.

We celebrated Mom's birthday.

August was a fun month! And it's so nice to have John in our pictures again!

Trip to the Cape with the Boys to Men

 A few weeks after getting home from his mission, John returned to Cape Cod. He'd been there every summer of his life ever since he was five months old, except for the summer of 2025, when he was on his mission for the whole year. We spent a fun three-day weekend together. I was the only female among the boys to men: John, Sam, David, and Dad.

David made thick, fluffy waffles with indulgent toppings. 😋

Hanging out on the basement couch together again!

Naptime! Just like when they were boys.

We went to one of John's (and all of ours) favorite restaurants, Brazilian Grill. Here he is with his longtime favorite dessert there (and mine too!), strawberries and cream.

We went to Sea Gull Beach on a cloudy, cool-ish afternoon. It wasn't crowded, and it was actually really fun.

Check out this horseshoe crab graveyard on the beach. I don't know if someone did that or if they washed up that way. My guess is the former.

Boogie boarding

Needs practice! 😄

Horsing around

Wrestling. Again, just like old times!

John can still do good handstands and handwalking. I'm a proud mama that he can do this (I really am!).

We played a game of catch in the water with a football like old times. I have no pictures of this (my resident photographer, David, was way down the beach collecting shells for his sister), but it's one of my favorite memories from that day.

This (dead) horseshoe crab had shells in it. It was kind of picturesque.

They predate dinosaurs! That's amazing to me.

We went for a walk on the beach down to the rock jetty...

...where some pictures were taken...

I think this is our first "new family" picture with just the four of us. 💕

A sweet heart for sweethearts on the beach, lined in shells.

We went out to eat at Lobster Boat, another old favorite of ours that we've been eating at since the boys were indeed boys and not men.

And we went mini-golfing, where I came close to beating David. 
That's a big skull behind the hydrangea, in case you were wondering. 😆

The skull, and the silly boys to men!

It was a fun weekend. I'm looking forward to doing it again next summer. Let the traditions commence once again!

Book Review: Paper Ghosts

Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was pretty good, but I didn't like it as much as her other books. I really like how she weaves magical realism into her stories in a natural, laid-back way. This one didn't have quite enough, and the story felt a little lacking, like there was a big gap somewhere in the middle of it. But overall, it was worth the read.

View all my reviews

John's Mission Homecoming!!

 John returned home from his two-year church mission to Denver, Colorado (the upper left quarter of the state) on Friday night, August 7. His flight was delayed out of Denver a couple of times, so it really was a late arrival. But it did indeed arrive, and needless to say, it was a joyous and memorable occasion! It wasn't easy being separated for so long, and John made a huge sacrifice in giving two years of his life to the Lord. I'm so grateful he chose to serve and have that very special and transformative experience in his life. He did a great job!

Delayed!

It got delayed again, and he didn't get in until around 11:30 p.m.

This is where his plane was going to be arriving.

I had a special banner made on Etsy.

Three of John's best friends from high school were there, Adam, Nick, and Jack. They're not even LDS! Despite all their banter, they missed each other.

 

Waiting...

The flight from Denver (finally) arrived!

Jack spotted John first, and then I called out to him, and he saw us and ran to me and gave me a big, long hug. It was one of the best moments of my life!

Happy reunions are the best!

The three of us, together again!

Two years ago, when he was leaving:

Some silliness ensued 😄

Once we (finally) got home (after 1 a.m.!), John was reunited with his phone after two years. 

Because it was so late, John was officially released from his mission by President Sofoul the next morning. One of his best friends, Conner (Pres. Sofoul's son), came over, and they were reunited after over two years. Conner had returned from his mission to Japan a couple of weeks earlier.

Later that day, John, Conner, and Ben all got together. Ben had returned from his mission to California several months earlier. John was so happy to be back with so many of his friends again.

Also later that day, we had a family combined birthday and welcome home party for John at my mom's house.

Family picture 💖

A week later, John and Sam both gave talks in sacrament meeting. It was just the two of them, and it was special! They both did a great job.

Our bishop is Tongan (he's descended from Tongan royalty!), and he orders fresh, real leis that are express-shipped from Hawaii for returned missionaries and their mothers when they give their homecoming talk. It's so special! The leis were beautiful, and they had such a lovely scent.

Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Welcome home. 💕