"IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE" seems like an appropriate title for this blog and we think you will agree as we share with you the happenings of the past 3 weeks. We begin with 2 very special occasions which we were blessed to share with our family, taking us away from Nauvoo for a few days on 2 different weeks.
Our first trip included travel from Nauvoo to St. Louis where we flew to Fresno, California via Dallas. We drove to St Louis the day before so we could find the St Louis Temple and also visit the Gateway Arch. We were slightly out of our element after spending 10 months in Nauvoo away from crowds and traffic and noise. However, we enjoyed seeing these sights. We LOVE to see the Temple!
"The Gateway Arch is a 630 foot monument in St. Louis Missouri. It is clad in stainless steel and built in the form of an inverted, weighted catenary arch. It is the world's tallest arch, the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere, and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, and officially dedicated to the American people,it is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and has become an internationally recognized symbol of St. Louis, as well as a popular tourist attraction". (Wikipedia, Gateway Arch)
We took the 4 minute "Journey to the Top" tram ride up the inside leg of the Arch to the Observation Deck. The views were incredible even though it was a cloudy morning. Looking to the east you observe the mighty Mississippi River as well as 5 unique bridges and a historical train trestle connecting Illinois and Missouri. Looking west you see the old courthouse and the city. The experience was amazing, although when we were in the enclosed tram it felt much like riding in a space capsule! The ride down is only 3 minutes due to gravity.
The real purpose for our trip to California was to be with our family from Connecticut. On Tuesday, August 8th, our first born grandchild, Katie Peterson was married to her sweetheart, Daniel Burns, in Sequoia National Park, California. Daniel's family lives in Visalia, California. Katie and Daniel are in LOVE and are so happy which was evidenced by the smiles on their faces throughout the day. We were blessed to get to know Daniel and Katie as a couple when they met in Orem, Utah before we came on our mission. I knew they would get married one day since the first time we met Daniel! They are very good for each other and we were so happy to be with them on their wedding day.
The skies were blue and the forest was peaceful and serene, perfect for an outdoor celebration of LOVE. Their wedding took place next to Crescent Meadow, surrounded by Giant Sequoia Trees. The elevation at that spot is about 8,000 feet. Daniel's father is a former LDS Bishop and also a Chaplin for the State of California. He performed a beautiful special marriage ceremony in the midst of the forest. Grandpa Pete was asked to offer a prayer at the beginning of the ceremony which set a very sweet tone. "Father of the Bride" was our oldest child, Paul. He walked his daughter, Katie, down the trail through the woods to join Daniel while the Best Man played lovely, soft music on his guitar. They stood at the base of a Giant Sequoia Tree as they were pronounced "Husband and Wife", creating a new Family Unit. We were very grateful that we could be with them for their special day.
The skies were blue and the forest was peaceful and serene, perfect for an outdoor celebration of LOVE. Their wedding took place next to Crescent Meadow, surrounded by Giant Sequoia Trees. The elevation at that spot is about 8,000 feet. Daniel's father is a former LDS Bishop and also a Chaplin for the State of California. He performed a beautiful special marriage ceremony in the midst of the forest. Grandpa Pete was asked to offer a prayer at the beginning of the ceremony which set a very sweet tone. "Father of the Bride" was our oldest child, Paul. He walked his daughter, Katie, down the trail through the woods to join Daniel while the Best Man played lovely, soft music on his guitar. They stood at the base of a Giant Sequoia Tree as they were pronounced "Husband and Wife", creating a new Family Unit. We were very grateful that we could be with them for their special day.
Here are a few pictures from their wedding in the woods-
Katie and Daniel, Paul (Father of the Bride)), and Lincoln
A new Family Unit Begins
Crescent Meadow
Sister- Isabella
Grandpa Pete and Father of the Bride, Paul
After the wedding and lots of pictures, we attended a very nice luncheon honoring the Newlyweds at Wuksachi Lodge. The night before, Katie, Erin, Paul and I decorated the reception room and transformed it into the perfect place for their celebration. Katie organized and directed us perfectly and we had fun arranging flowers, tying bows, and making memories together.
The Happy Parents- The Petersons and The Burns'
Daniel made this unique Cupcake Stand out of a log!
His sister made the Lemon and Chocolate filled cupcakes, yummy!
We are very happy for Katie and Daniel and feel blessed that we could be with them and spend some time with Paul and his family, too. Paul and Erin were so gracious to us and we LOVE them very much for including us in their special weekend. Here are a few non-wedding pictures from our short trip from Nauvoo to California and back on August 6th to August 10th.
Interesting facts about the General Sherman Tree-
1- A Giant Sequoia with a height of 275 feet.
2- As of 2002, the volume of the trunk measured about 1,487 cubic meters.
3- It is the largest non-clonal tree by volume.
4- Located in Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park
5- The tree is believed to be between 2,300 and 2,700 years old.
6- In 1879, this tree was named after American Civil War general,
William Sherman by naturalist, James Wolverine.
Lodge View
Famous Moro Rock, Sequoia National Park
Moro Rock is a granite dome formation located in the center of the park between the Giant Forest and Crescent Meadow. A steep 400 step stairway designed by the National Park Service was built in the 1930s and allows visitors to hike to the top. The view from the rock encompasses much of the Park, including the Great Western Divide. The elevation of Moro Rock is 6,725 feet.
On our way to the Fresno Airport, we drove around and found the Fresno LDS Temple. We were surprised to find out how small it was. It is located in a beautiful neighborhood next to a huge Stake Center that looks as large as the Temple. There is also a big Baseball diamond and a very large covered picnic pavilion on the same property. We met a couple who were on their way into the Temple and they expressed how happy they were to have this little Temple in their area. We LOVE to see the Temples wherever we go. Even though we had a wonderful time with our family this week, we were both anxious to get back to our mission in the Nauvoo Temple, our current home, and the place we have grown to LOVE!
Our second family adventure began August 17th and was for the purpose of being with our family for our grandson, Ben Heiner and his future wife, Sierra Spencer's marriage on Saturday, August 19th, in the Logan Utah LDS Temple. Yes, they are in LOVE and smiling from ear to ear, too! Grandpa Pete was asked by the happy couple to perform their Temple Sealing and we felt very blessed to be part of their special day.
We made the 3 hour drive to the Des Moines Iowa Airport, flying direct to Salt Lake City, Utah. The flight was shorter than the drive to the airport! Salt Lake City is the airport for our home town of South Jordan, Utah. We made the decision when we first began planning this trip not to go to our home. We are Full-Time Missionaries and we did not want to start focusing on home at this point in our service. What seemed strange was to be reading the signs and seeing the places while we were in Utah, but not really living there. It seemed almost like a dream! We tried to rent a car a few weeks before the trip, but due to the upcoming Total Eclipse on August 21st, there was not a rental car to be found in Salt Lake City. We are blessed to have 4 of our children living in the general area of where we needed to be this weekend, so they all pitched in and took turns driving us from one place to the next. We appreciated their help and willingness to assist us. This actually gave us some special time to spend with each family personally which was an added blessing after being away from our family for the past 10 months.
We spent the first 2 nights at Heiners' home. Paul and Shelley are Ben's parents for any of you who don't know our family. Ben returned from his mission for the LDS Church to Sweden in July, 2016. He met Sierra at Campus Plaza Apartments where they both lived while attending BYU. Ironically enough, last July, Ben's brother, Jacob, married Caitlin Harvey Heiner and they also met while living in Campus Plaza as BYU students. Sounds like a family trend?! They have told their younger siblings to follow their example.
Our son, Scott, and his family are currently building a home in Hyrum, Utah, just minutes away from the Heiners. Scott and our grandson, Jesse, came to the Heiners and spent the afternoon before the wedding with us. He took us to see where their new home is being built and it was such fun to see the progress and envision them living in this beautiful area. He also showed us a home similar to the one they are building which was very interesting, too. He gave us a little tour showing us the kids' schools and their Church building.
They live near Hyrum State Park with a wonderful lake for them to enjoy. Scott's family and Shelley's family have already had lots of fun there together. We even got to see their apartment where their family is living during their home construction. We thought it was pretty nice since we are also apartment dwellers this year. It is always good to be able to visualize where your families are living. All of this has happened for Scott's family since we left on our mission. This would be a good place for us to give Savannah, Scott and Jenny Peterson's 13 year old daughter, a shout out. She was with her mother when they picked us up at the airport when we arrived and drove us up to Heiners so we had a good visit with her that night. Savannah had a championship softball tournament going on in Tremonton over this weekend. Her team kept winning and Savannah kept playing. They ended up getting 2nd place in the tournament by Saturday night. We are very happy for her determination and her talents she shares with her team!
Savannah,(13) and Jesse, (9) at their new home site in Hyrum, Utah
The night before the wedding, Friday, August 18th, Ben's final request for his "last supper" as a single man was Pizza and Milkshakes. No one objected to his requests! There were 17 of us who devoured endless Pizza from Domino's and their wasn't a morsel left in the end. One of Heiners' friends gave them an entire shoebox filled with fresh picked Raspberries from her garden. You guessed it, we had Raspberry Milkshakes to complete Ben's request. We sat out on Heiners' patio and enjoyed both the treats and the company.
Saturday, August 19th, marked the day of Ben and Sierra's dreams. Heiners hosted a lovely wedding breakfast at the historic Bluebird Resturant in downtown Logan, Utah. It was a special time for the Spencer family and the Heiner family to meet and mingle. It was extra special for us, because we finally were able to meet Sierra face to face. She and Ben talked to us over the Internet a few times over the past few months. However, we were grateful to see them together, smiling and in LOVE. They are a very cute couple and they will have lots of fun together. Ben has always been famous for making everything more fun!
Here are some pictures of Ben and Sierra's wedding breakfast-
Ben and Sierra
Paul and Shelley Heiner- Ben and Sierra- Steven and Melissa Spencer 
Grandpa Pete and Grandma Noreen Sierra and Ben 
They served us Breakfast, not ice cream and candy!
Our next portion of the day was the most powerful and most important. Ben and Sierra entered into the Logan Temple as single people and exited the Temple as a unified, eternal family. We discovered that Sierra's parents and grandparents were all married in the Logan Temple, also. Sierra always wanted to be married in the Logan Temple, and on this day, her dreams came true. Grandpa Pete did a very sweet job of pronouncing the Sealing Blessings of the Temple upon them. Sierra beamed with Joy throughout the entire ceremony. Ben couldn't take his eyes off of Sierra. LOVE filled the room and for a moment, time stood still. Ben and Sierra Heiner exchanged rings and greeted all their guests as Husband and Wife. We feel so very blessed to have been part of this important glimpse into eternity for Ben and Sierra. Wonderful surprises await them!
Here are 4 pictures taken just as the Newlyweds exited the Logan Temple and joined their family and friends. Their pictures tell the story of their happiness levels!
Sierra and Ben Heiner
Here are a few random pictures taken outside the beautiful Logan Temple on their wedding day.
The Heiner Family, including Mr and Mrs Ben Heiner
We had to hunt for these sacred words this time!
The Groom and The Best Man
The next stop for us was a little visit to Rich and Laurie's home in West Jordan. They live 10 minutes away from our South Jordan home and have #20,#22,#23, and #24 of our 24 grandchildren. It was fun to see them all and to see the improvements they have made on their home since we left on our mission. Megan, age 2&1/2 won't look at us on FaceTime since we left. Today she wasn't eager to have us talk to her either, but she does know that we are her grandparents so their is hope for the future.
Logan- 8&1/2
The reception for Ben and Sierra was held in her parents' backyard in Herriman, Utah Although at times the weather looked threatening, the evening turned out beautifully and their yard was amazing!. Ben and Sierra looked so cute both from the front and from the back. There were several people who came to wish them well in their new life together. There was a very fun atmosphere at the party, complete with a Photo Booth and an Ice Cream Bar catered by Leatherby's. Here are a few pictures from Ben and Sierra's reception.
Megan, 2&1/2, finally looking at me
What a wonderful, memorable day this had been, complete with a new beginning for Ben and Sierra. We know that they will share a sweet life together and we look forward to watching them grow in unity and LOVE through the coming years.
We said our good byes and climbed in with Jenny and the Hansen family for our final stop at their Highland, Utah home before returning to our Nauvoo home. Hansens have built a new patio since we left and we enjoyed sitting out there around the fire with them and catching up on their family. In the morning, Jenny made some yummy Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes with fresh strawberries for breakfast. Afterward, she drove us back to the Salt Lake Airport where our Utah visit began. What a difference a day makes! We woke up in Utah and ended our day back in Nauvoo, Illinois. We were glad to be back to our Mission, but with us we brought more LOVE and gratitude than we left with!
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Now, for the rest of the story of the past couple weeks here in Nauvoo. The following experiences were also laced with LOVE!
On Wednesday, August 16th, we received a fun day long visit from Jason and Kari Badell and their 5 children. They live in Bountiful, Utah now and were on their way home from a cross country driving family vacation, including a week in North Carolina at a beach house with friends. About 5 years ago, I was assigned to be Kari's Visiting Teacher when we both lived in Daybreak. My companion at the time was Donna Gebler. The first day we walked up to their door, their oldest child, Jonah, then 4 years old, saw us coming and screamed with delight saying, "Grandma and Grandma are here!" We found out that day that both of Jonah's Grandmas had passed on, so that is why he was so excited to have Grandmas come. From that day forward, I have become Grandma Noreen to their children. They had 2 children then, and now there are 5!
It was so fun to spend a day showing them around Nauvoo and sharing our meals together here in our little missionary apartment. They LOVED the wagon ride and making a rope and getting a cookie at the bakery. Kari was able to find 3 of her ancesters' graves in the Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds which made her very happy, too.
At the end of their trip of 5, 600 miles, when they got home, Kari asked their children what their favorite part of the trip was. Some of them said the beach house and some said the swimming pools in the hotels and Jonah said, "Visiting Grandma Noreen and Nauvoo". That is LOVE! No one can have too many Grandmas or too many Grandchildren or too many Moms, or too much LOVE!
On Monday, August 14th, our Temple President and Matron, The Irions, did a special presentation for our combined Family Home Evening on the life of President Russell M. Nelson. Sister Gloria Irion is President Nelson's daughter. There are 10 children in their family, 9 girls and the last, a boy. She is the 3rd daughter. Her mother, Sister Dantzel Nelson, passed away in February of 2005. In April 2006, President Nelson married Wendy Watson Nelson.
The title of their presentation was, "Is Your Life In Order?" This is the question which President Hinckley asked President Nelson when he was called to be an Apostle. His answer was simple, "YES". The Irions encouraged us to think what our answer would be to that question. It was powerful.
In their presentation, they used 5 categories to teach us about President Nelson including Family, Obedience, Education, Service, and Faith. We learned that for him education includes medicine, music and language. He speaks 11 languages, he has perfect pitch, he was baptized at age 16, he shovels his own driveway and also those of neighbors, and he is an avid skier! He is a well-known heart surgeon and is listed in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in Religion.
President Nelson and Elder Oaks were both called as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 7,1984. President Nelson was set apart as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on July 15, 2015. "True Conversion" defines President Nelson's life.
On September 9th, President Nelson will celebrate his 93rd birthday! My favorite part of the presentation was listening to Sister Irion refer to President Nelson as, "Daddy". This night truly was "ALL ABOUT LOVE". We are grateful to President Nelson for his dedication and his steadfast example to all of us.
Here are some special pictures and quotes from President Nelson's life. Sister Irion shared some of these special pictures of her mother and father for this blog. We LOVE her and President Irion, too!
Front row on left- President Nelson
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President Nelson's Family on his 90th Birthday
Sister Wendy Watson Nelson and President Nelson presenting at Roots Tech, 2017
Nauvoo Temple Missionaries- We are on the back row behind the Irions
President Nelson's "Holy Temple" quote above is the perfect way to end this LOVE filled blog. We totally know with all our hearts that these words are true. We LOVE the Holy Temples. We LOVE our Temple Covenants. We LOVE our Eternal Family. WE LOVE The Gospel. We LOVE our Nauvoo Temple Mission. We LOVE Jesus Christ and the sacrifices He has made to give each of us the opportunity to live with our Heavenly Father, whom we LOVE, again one day.
We share our LOVE with all of you!
Elder and Sister Peterson in Nauvoo
