In early December we got a wild hair to drive to SLC and back in one day to see the Temple Square lights. Abi had been when a baby but we had never taken the other kids to see the lights. My brother Jared now lives in SLC and it was close to his birthday so we invited him along and out to dinner. We kept the kids home from school on Friday,loaded the Christmas DVD's and snacks into the van, and we were off. We had been talking about the trip for a while and all of the kids were really excited to "Go to Utah." One of our first stops was a music store in Murray. As we pulled into the parking lot, Leah protested, "Is this Utah, it looks just like Idaho!" The rest of the trip got more exciting.
We drove downtown and parked at City Creek Plaza. Leah and Eva loved riding the elevators and escaltors. We hopped on the Traxx line and rode down to the Clark Planetarium where we perused the free exhibits. Abi and Eva showed off their skills on Mars.
Talmage and Leah enjoyed playing in the clouds. It was a great exhibit as just a few days before Eva had been asking me what it would feel like to be in a cloud.
Everyone enjoyed playing with the plasma ball. After about an hour, Jared texted that he was off work and we hopped back on the Traxx train to ride back to Temple Square. Eva commented that riding the train was her favorite part of the trip.
I especially enjoyed seeing the window display at Dillards. Each window featured a giant themed ornament constructed from candy. Yum!
After dinner we headed back over to Temple Square. I loved seeing the nativities from around the world and the luminaries. The trees were bright and beautiful. We crowded into the viewing pavilion watch the life size nativity production and reading of Luke 2.
We also went up into the Visitors Center to see the Christus and presentation. Afterward we crossed the street and got a brief tour of the Conference Center. The kids were very impressed to see the actual building that we watch Conference in. I really enjoyed the Freiburg paintings in the Book of Mormon gallery.
Here is our little Meek family in front of the SLC temple. Just over 15 years ago, this is where the Meek family began when Kris and I were sealed. Then we hopped back in the van and drove home. What a whirlwind trip but fun memories were made. In fact, when I interviewed the kids on New Year's Eve, most of them talked about our SLC trip as a favorite memory of the year.
Jared suggested dinner at a favorite pizza shop nearby. Their pizza was unique and delicious. Our kids were thrilled that we ate at "a fancy restaraunt", Leah's words.
