Kellee Tracker: Rexsburg for a day

Temples are a big deal in my church, and in my life. They’re (usually) beautiful and always of eternal significance, as marriages there have the potential to be forever and families can be united throughout the generations. Utah and Idaho are full of them, and I saw several during my drive to wedding #1.
Technically, it was “sealing #1”, as Tom and Amanda were civilly married a year ago on this day shortly after Hurricane Sandy brushed by Virginia. They chose the temple in Amanda’s hometown of Rexburg, Idaho, and I chose to represent Tom’s family.

The directions were fairly simple: get on I-15 and head north to Idaho, eventually forking off on Highway 20 towards Rexsburg. The drive was long but I was grateful for clear skies and a high speed limit. En route I sampled local radio stations, including the Idaho Farm Bureau report –potatoes are doing well this year, in case you were wondering. I briefly stopped in Idaho Falls to see their temple, and continued on to Rexsburg, arriving just before the ceremony.

Idaho Falls temple

The sealing was short and beautiful, and it was interesting to see the wheat motif throughout the temple. As we took pictures outside afterward, I was grateful that the weather was relatively “balmy” for that area in November.

friends with the happy couple

Rexsburg temple

The reception featured a mini reunion of DC friends who now live in Idaho, and included a tasty Idaho baked potato.

DC reunion

I broke up the drive back with several stops, including McCammon, ID where some friends are converting “the” building in town built nearly 100 years ago into a boutique hotel. So cool to see historic renovations that honor the best of the original design while bringing in modern taste, and to hear the stories they’ve uncovered while working on this. From their description of the plans, and the nearby Lava Hot Springs, I might need to make my way back here in the coming year.

My other pause was in Logan, UT to see their temple.