Quick stop at Mesa

On our way home from Yuma, we stopped in Mesa to pick up my grand daughter, Camryn.  She only lives a few blocks south of the temple, and my sister wanted to make a quick stop by the temple grounds.  It was a beautiful day, weather so nice - big scary black hairless bumble bees collecting nectar from flowering trees !  I tell you that got my heart a going :)

Saturday at the San Diego Temple

My sister and I traveled to Yuma, Arizona to visit Mom and Dad. On Saturday morning, we were up by 5am, and headed to San Diego, California. It's about a 3 hour trip one way. I had been told how beautiful the temple was, and I was not disappointed. You round the corner on Interstate 5, headed North, and there it is !!

Mom, Erika and I completed an endowment session. As the ceremonies in the temple are sacred, I will not speak about them, but I will tell you about the interior as I remember it.

On the first floor is the cafeteria, waiting room, and entrance to the baptismal font (which you can see). You climb a beautiful grand staircase to the 2nd floor dressing rooms, and then another grand staircase to the endowment rooms on the 3rd floor. As you enter the celestial room, there are beautiful clouds painted on the walls, I've never seen anything so realistic. The celestial room is two stories high, with another grand staircase leading to the upper mezzanine in the celestial room, and then out into an open area (4th floor) with an atrium. As you stand in the middle of the celestial room, you can look up into the spire that supports the statue of Angel Moroni. It is completely open and vaulted. Absolutely beautiful

On the 4th floor, the atrium is completely glassed in, to the interior of the temple, but the top is open, and we were told that when it rains, it comes right into the atrium, birds have sheltered there in nests, there are occasionally butterflies, etc. We stood right up next to the glass walls, and looked up, and there was Angel Moroni - not very far away, considering we were on the top floor of the temple.

After we left the temple, we headed towards the Pacific Ocean for a quick peak, and then we caught a bite to eat in La Jolla and headed back to Yuma. We were "home" by 3pm.

I am going to San Diego in July, but the temple will be closed for cleaning at that time. I'm glad we took the time to visit today.