Salt Lake City Trip 2009

This is only a beginning to the report from the recent trip to SLC for Mark, Tanner and Tate. What a great time they all had and I promise the memories will last for ever!!! Above is a picture of Mark, Tanner and Tate in front of the Salt Lake City Temple for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This is also the temple that Mark and I were married in too - 14 1/2 years ago!!!

In November, Tanner turned 12 and received the priesthood for our church. This is a right of passage and a great responsibility that is given to the young men of our church. Tanner now helps to pass the sacrament on Sundays and also now has several service responsibilities that are associated with holding the priesthood. Our church holds an annual and semiannual conference in Salt Lake every October and April each year. For two days, we are able to watch on tv via satellite or on the Internet, leaders of our church give us guidance and counsel. The meetings are always so uplifting and encouraging on ways that we can improve our own personal lives, as well as our marriages, families and relations with others in our communities.

On Saturday evening, on the weekend of the conference there is a special meeting just for the men and young men in the church who hold the priesthood (ages 12 and up), called Priesthood Session. I had the thought several months back, that it would be such a neat experience for Mark and Tanner to be able to actually be in person at his first Priesthood Session that he was able to attend... and thus began the quest for inexpensive airline tickets. Tate was next in line to take a trip with Daddy so he was also invited to come along on the trip. After a long search we were able to make the trip happen with round trip tickets around $200 and free sleeping accommodations thanks to Mark's parents!

On April 1st, Mark and the boys flew to SLC and then headed to Grandma and Grandpa Kenison's to stay. This was also the first time in 4 years that any of our family had been out to Utah, so it was a welcome treat for all. They then spent as much time as possible running all over the valley seeing as many things as they could in the short amount of time they had. They went snow tubing, visited our old homes, saw a pro soccer game, air force museum, etc. There will be many stories that come out of this visit, but for now we will say that it was a HUGE SUCCESS and a GREAT time had by all. I'll have to post pictures in the coming days of all the adventures - they'll have to be a slide show since there are sooo many pictures!

Here begins a new family tradition... Brennan and Brock are already counting down the days till they can take their trip out for Brennan's first meeting... October 2010!!!