20 of 26, painful delight

5:45 came a little too early this morning. I was not ready to get out of bed and after a two snooze button performance I rolled out of bed at 5:55. Jim and I were on the ready and Jay, Sara and Tommy rolled up at 6:40 or so. We were on our way to get Dave and then head on to Salt Lake for the folks 40th Anniversary get together for the adults. We had a good drive up. The weather was good. The company was good. I got a bit of a nap on the drive and was excited to see this area of Utah. Haven't been up here for a number of years. I think the last time up was in 2002 for Grandma Vi's funeral. That was quite a while ago. There is a lot that has changed especially downtown around the Temple.

We stopped in for a bite at JB's at the Plaza hotel by Temple square. The buffet was a bit scary looking and I opted for a biscuits and gravy plate. That was delightful. I asked for a little hot sauce and was given some Chipotle flavored Tabasco. We had a good laugh when I mentioned Chipotle and how it tasted a little different. Jim provided the correct pronunciation of Chipotle. I said "Thank you Aunt Kelly" and we all started chuckling. Turns out that the back of the bottle provided the correct pronunciation and Jim was merely helping the rest of us out. Sorry, those of you who don't know the story of Aunt Kelly providing correct pronunciations of everything Spanish will not appreciate this - We, however, enjoyed the moment and had a good chuckle. I don't know that I have any recollection of Aunt Kelly ever saying something like this but we are all familiar with Padre providing his best impersonation which is always funny. No is Chipotle, is Chee-Poht-ley.

With the exception of Pete all the siblings were here. Pete, we missed having you here bro and thought about you. Definitely thought about you in the Celestial room as we filed in through the veil. I remembered one of your great literary pieces of your experience going through for the first time. Funny, I remember very clearly reading that letter whilst in Gelvandale Branch in Port Elizabeth. I laughed, I cried, I wondered what the dog biscuit tasted like. Good times and a powerful testimony of eternal families.

The Temple was great. Loved being there. Loved the live session. It has been a while since I have been to a live session. The architecture in the Salt Lake Temple is amazing. It is a humbling place to be when you see the detail and think about those who served so faithfully in it's construction. I looked up at the granite blocks as we walked up and had such an appreciation for those who built it. I took this picture from the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building prior to our going to dinner at The Roof restaurant.



The folks are amazing people. I am grateful for them. Grateful for their legacy of faith. When I consider my life I am very appreciative of having parents who have been dedicated to the gospel their entire lives. They have taught by example what it means to serve the Lord with all of your heart, might, mind and strength. Like Nephi of old I, we have been born of goodly parents. Thank you mom and dad.



So The Roof was quite impressive. It is a buffet that is a few steps above the local Chuck O Rama, Duffs, Golden Corral or the like. I was doing pretty good until I made a joke to Stephen our waiter about trying all of the desserts. He said it couldn't be done. Not even a single spoonful of each of the desserts was possible. I took that as a challenge. The manager told us there were 19. Stephen clarified and let us know there were actually 26. I was strong for the first 7 or 8 and actually ate the entire serving not just a spoonful. I continued on though I was quite full. I was no longer enjoying it but I was on a mission. By the time I had tackled 14 (not all complete servings, a few were merely spoonfuls) I was done. Amy was sitting next too me and I had eaten enough for her too.



We were geared up to go but had to get a group photo.



After the photo I was feeling motivated and tackled 6 more desserts, just spoonfuls. At that point I was saved by the bell. Had we stayed 30 more minutes I probably would have managed all 26 but we had to vacate the room for the next group coming in. Secretly I was very grateful that the clock had expired. 20 of the 26 was plenty. It was painfully delightful as most of them were quite tastey. There was a raspberry mousse that I thought was very good. Anyway, it has nearly been 3 hours since we finished up and I am still feeling the meal up to the top of my throat. Love that feeling.

We have had great day. I am typing this while many are in the pool here at the hotel. I am wrapping it up now however because an entire army of kids just rolled in and they are flipping into the pool about 5 ft from where I am and the splashes are hitting me and this computer.

Love the fam. Thanks to Sara's sisters for taking Natty, Jack and Andy. I am sure they are having a great time.