J. Marriott Library, courtesy Marriott Library archives
An exciting announcement has been made by the University of Utah Marriott Library. The personal diaries of two prominent Mormon pioneers, B.H. (Brigham Henry) Roberts and Frederick Kesler have been scanned and printed and are now available to the public! Not only are these diaries available at a very reasonable cost, but the library has also made them available free of charge to read online, through the miracle of internet and PDF. Continue reading →
Fall in Salt Lake City is definitely my favorite season of the year. I love the crispness in the air and watching the mountains become a beautiful living canvas of red and gold, growing bolder and more vibrant each day. For me, Fall is a season of romance and love. My husband and I met in October, and got engaged in October two years later. Fall is also a season of spiritual renewal, bringing the October semi-annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – something I never miss! With the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving just around the corner, and the crowning glory of Christmas following close behind, who couldn’t love this very special time of the year?
Today's Race - over 15,000 people! (photo taken by me)
Today I joined with my family, friends and over 15,000 new “bosom buddies” in the annual Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure in Salt Lake City, Utah. This event is always held the first Saturday of May and you can read about our experience last year, here. Although the weather was predicted to hit record temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, we were blessed with Continue reading →
The weather here in Utah has been very dramatic over the past week [to say the least]. Last night we were hit with a blizzard leaving 15 inches of snow in under 3 hours on my driveway [sadly, a branch from our beloved oak tree succumbed to the sudden weight]. However, March began delightfully balmy. Just last Thursday Salt Lake was treated to a splendid sunset, and I was given a serendipitous photo op. Sadly, I own a low budget camera and I haven’t figured out how to carry a tri-pod in my purse. Hopefully you can enjoy a little of the magic anyway! MoSop
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is embarking on an ambitious, if slightly daunting, film project. The goal? To reinact every story told in the New Testament.
That’s a lot of stories! And, it requires a lot of people. Which means, whether you are a professional actor, or a novice, you have the potential to become a part of movie-making history. Continue reading →
It’s time for “Conference Countdown“! Each April and October Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City becomes the quintessential “Mormon Mecca”. Anticipation is heightening, and many preperations have been underway to make this global Conference just as beautiful and spiritually edifying as ever. Continue reading →
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a Christmas Devotional on the first Sunday of each December. The December 6, 2009 Christmas Devotional is now available online. You may choose to watch the entire event, or choose from individual selections. This year, messages were given by President Thomas S. Monson, and his counselors Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Pres. Henry B. Eyring. Music was provided by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square under the direction of Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy. The devotional is available in over 30 languages for free MP3 download here, as several languages are available on video. To view in English, click on this photo:
CLICK HERE - 2009 LDS First Presidency Christmas Devotional
“On The Third Day of Christmas, MoSop is excited to share…”
click to enlarge
Facts About Lighting Temple Square
One of the most beloved holiday destinations is the Christmas light display on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. For as long as I can remember, it has been one of our treasured family traditions to bundle-up and enjoy the beautiful colored lights and marvel at the detailed nativity scenes from around the world. A special treat is when we can time our visit during a fresh snow-fall. There’s nothing quite so magical and peaceful.
Each year there seems to be something new to discover and enjoy, as the display is always expanding and improving.
click to enlarge
For example, just a couple of years ago, the Church Office building began to be surrounded with glowing luminaries, and the life-sized audio-visual Nativity was updated with exquisite life-like details. In an interview by PCTV, Grounds Manager Eldon Cannon gives us the ”inside scoop” about the history, time, effort, process and future plans for making this holiday event successful year after year. Enjoy!
Bonus Trivia:
click to enlarge
1. First Family: The longest-running Nativity scene on Temple Square consists of a set of mannequins dressed as Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus. The clothing was treated to preserve the fabric during the cold months. Later, the mannequins were covered with a plaster mixture, giving them a glossy-white look visitors see today.
2. Going International: Nativity scenes with special appeal to children were added in 2002.
click to enlarge
Originally displayed during the Salt Lake Winter Olympics, these crèches allow children to view Nativities from different cultural perspectives. Families can stand inches from the child-size sets hailing from New Zealand, Ukraine, Japan and Latin America.
3. Illuminating Facts: Visitors to Temple Square will also see luminaries lining walkways. Crafted of both metal and fabric, each lighted fixture is meant to remind visitors of Christ. The fabric luminaries were hand stenciled by volunteers who then used wood-burning tools to inscribe messages on the fabric.
click to enlarge
The bags represent a wide variety of languages, each containing the message of “peace,” “joy” or “Merry Christmas.” The metal luminaries were originally cans that had nails driven through them. Today, the metal is carved with a scene from Christ’s life found in scripture and then molded to look like a can.
Recently I have been taking nature walks during my lunch hour. Not only has this been refreshing to my mind and body, but also to my soul. I started carrying my camera with me on these afternoon adventures, and ended up with quite a collection of photos! Looking at them has filled me with gratitude for this beautiful world we live in. I realize more each day just how much we owe our Savior, Jesus Christ. He has truly given all light, life and hope to this amazing earth. Thinking about it fills my heart with joy. And naturally, I wish to share it. Thus, I have created a video for you to enjoy these images (all but 3 are my own). The music is Mack Wilberg’s arrangement of the Hymn “There is Sunshine In My Soul Today“.
It’s snowing! Yes, for a limited time period, I have a “Falling Snow” feature on my site for you to enjoy (courtesy of the creative folk at WordPress).
Appropriately, Salt Lake City is due for a whopper winter storm tonight, which should add an extra festive flavor for those attending the Temple Square Christmas Light display.
‘Tis the Season to enjoy a few winter kisses from heaven! (and a little crooning from ‘old blue eyes’)
Salt Lake Tabernacle March 31, 2007 courtesy Getty Images
The famous Salt Lake City (Mormon) Tabernacle underwent a massive renovation project from 2005-2007. This involved a meticulous process balancing historic preservation with essential modernization and seismic upgrades. According to my site stat tracker, the majority of my readership now lives outside of Utah, and a considerable amount of you reside outside of the United States. Therefore many of you have either not had the opportunity to visit beautiful Temple Square yet, or you have not returned since the renovation. I thought you may enjoy reading a brief history and watching some nice video clips about this unique, beloved and world-famous building. Click on any photo to enlarge.Continue reading →
MoSop
