This President’s Day was extra special!  Preparation began over a year ago at Stake Conference. We were told of the wonderful opportunity for our stake to worship in the temple for President’s Day 2011.  Temples are usually closed on Mondays, but this year it was open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m..  All the temple ordinance workers were from our stake and everyone that worshipped in the temple was also from our stake.  I thoroughly loved being surrounded by people I know and love.

Photo taken on February 21, 2011:  President’s Day.  This is the view from our front yard, specifically by our tire swing.  We are so blessed.

3695 ordinances were performed in one day.  How wondrous to be a part of this redeeming work! All temple cards were also provided by the members of our stake.  We were encouraged to search out relatives that still needed temple blessings.  Those that found success were able to share with those not able to find the names or the time.  There were plenty of cards available.  I was able to perform the temple blessings for my father’s father’s sister.  I know that would make her my great-aunt, but the first way gives the exact relation.  🙂  It was wonderful to be able to do all the ordinances over a long weekend.  Jim Bob and I went the Friday before to perform baptisms, confirmations and initiatory and then went Monday for endowments and sealings.  I am glad we followed that suggestion.  It was so peaceful and quiet on Friday and so bustling and joyful on Monday.  Both were wonderful and I’m glad we got to experience both.

One of my sweet friends in town, Nora Gabriel, wrote this poem about the day.

{When I asked Nora if I could share her poem she said that she wrote it to be shared.  When I tried to explain a blog to her she did not quite understand, but she said that I could make photocopies to give to anyone that wanted one.  Consider this your Xerox.  🙂 }

Happy Birthday to my dad!  This is his present this year – He gets to redeem it in a few short weeks.  🙂

Homemade bread, pancakes, chili and oatmeal raisin cookies were all recipes I mastered at a young age.  The cookies were for the benefit of my dad. Of course he shared, but those are his very favorite.  They are the kind I remember most in the cookie jar growing up.  I also remember whenever there was a darker batch he didn’t complain.  They tasted quite good crunched up on top of a bowl of oatmeal.  “Even the queen of France doesn’t eat oatmeal cookies for breakfast!” he would say after eating a bite.  Whenever he visited me at college I made a huge batch of oatmeal raisin cookies – partly to make sure there would be enough for the road.  It made the parting easier to send a little of my love with him.

When he and my mom were in the MTC, there was no question what I should send in a care package (that and Jr. Mint brownies for my momma).  They even had enough for their long road trip to serve their first mission in Chicago.  🙂  Now they are serving in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library:

Photo and following quote taken from Church News on the 25th Anniversary of the Family History Library:

“When the Family History Library in Salt Lake City was dedicated in 1985, President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) said the structure—then called the Genealogical Library—was a “companion structure to the temples of the Lord.” President Hinckley, then serving as Second Counselor in the First Presidency, petitioned in the dedicatory prayer that the library “may be used by multitudes to search out their kindred dead that the necessary ordinance work may be carried forward in thy holy houses, with both genealogist and temple worker cooperating to the accomplishment of one glorious end.”

{A virtual tour is available.  In person is even better.  :)}

I must admit I am happy I get to hand deliver the cookies this birthday.  A few weeks late, but it will do.

Speaking of their mission, I loved my dad’s email this last Sunday (February 20th).  He sends one every week with a wonderful highlight from his service that week.  I love all of them.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Saturday we were working on the International floor.  I had been helping patrons with Norway, Sweden, and NewFamilySearch, and Sister Gedeborg came up all excited and said she had to show me something.  She went to Ancestry.com and clicked on a new section they have on International.  I had only used them for United States and Canada before.  In there, she took me to Europe, then to Sweden.  They had the Swedish Parish Records images there in Ancestry!!  I looked up some I am familiar with, and it was pretty exciting.  Just then I was asked to help a young couple from France.  He is on business in Laramie Wyoming for a year, and had come to see Temple Square.  They just had some names, with no dates, as they hadn’t planned on doing family history.  We tried the pilot site (now the www.familysearch.org homepage) but found nothing except some Italian immigrants to the US with that name.  We went to the Wiki, which was good, but no solid leads.  Then I remembered the new info in Ancestry.com.  We went to Europe, then France, he typed in his information, and up came his great-grandfather and his family.  I was so amazed.  Sister Gedeborg had only showed this to me ten minutes earlier!  I could hardly wait to tell her.  This proved to me once again that although we must prepare ourselves so we can recognize what the Lord is talking about when he inspires us; in the end, it is his work – and we are just tools in his hands (sometimes sharper than at other times).  The Lord obviously knew the French couple was coming, and prepared us quickly to be ready.  We appreciate so much all your prayers for us.  They are being answered.

We hope you have a wonderful week.  I know we will.  You are always in our hearts and prayers.”

I love how much he loves his mission.  I love that he and mom are working hand in hand.  Or computer by computer.  Love how they complement each other and are excited in their discoveries.  Love my dad’s sense of humor.  Love how he knows his week will be wonderful.  Then again, how could he not?  It is his birthday week after all!

Happy Birthday Dad!

{retro coupon from Martha.  Cut apart and revised.  Altered with love.  ;)}