A family tradition

We had so much fun last year at the Manti Pageant, that we thought we'd take advantage of the fact that we are staying in Utah for awhile and make this trip a new tradition.

 

We got up at the crack of dawn in order to make it in time for a session in the Manti Temple. If I had known how amazing this building was 3 years ago, we might have gotten married there. This is the first time we've been inside, and we just loved it. There's a special spirit in these pioneer temples, and it's wonderful to look at all the tiny details they made with no machinery or modern technology.

Me, Landon, Catherine and Jesse Stricklan

Landon of course had to show off the rocks.

After we left the temple, we met Cory and his friends at a nearby park for some real dutch-oven cooking! Mmmm...it was amazing. Thanks for lunch, Cory!

Left: Cory, Tim(?), Eric and his wife

Right: Landon, Jesse and Catherine

 The wind kicked up a little in the afternoon - so we had to weigh down our card game with rocks!

  After some rockin' games, we headed back to the temple for the pageant. I think it was even more fun this year, because we knew what to expect. We laughed at our favorite lines: "The arrow--So swift!"

 Cory, Landon, me, Catherine, Jesse

It never ceases to amaze me that protesters from all over the world feel it is necessary to travel to small towns like Palmyra and Manti to voice their opinions about our beliefs. It only serves to strengthen my testimony that the gospel is something special.

We had a blast with all of our friends. The only thing I was truly sorry we missed was the penny candy store in Ephriam. But we will hit it up another time. 

Goodbye, lovely Manti. We'll see you next year!