Temples Abound

This was a big temple announcement weekend for the Browns. President Monson announced the Cordoba, Argentina and Rome, Italy temples. Dem already had a temple in her mission country, but this is my country's first. Since Dem isn't writing this post, I'm going to talk about Rome.

This temple is a major coup for Italian Saints. They have yearned for a temple for nearly fifty years. According to one account, when Italians heard the announcement "[C]'e' stato un boato di gioia . . . . Sembrava che l'Italia avesse vinto la Coppa del Mondo." [there was a roar of joy . . . . It seemed as if Italy had just won the World Cup.]

So, here are some reactions to the news. First, here is a link to a Corriere Della Sera article. Here is one blogger's reaction to the news (it includes an ariel view of the property, which is across the streat from an Ikea). The temple will be built in the sette bagni neighborhood, just north of Rome proper. Click here for the GoogleEarth view of the location, or look at it here.

also, if you're interested, the Church has a Rome temple construction webpage. If you subscribe, you'll receive notices whenever new news or photos are posted. Turns out right now there is a villa and a bunch of grass on the land.

Dem and I have already started saving for our temple dedication vacation.

Sealing Day

We were sealed as a family in the Manti, Utah Temple on Friday, August 22, 2008, at 9:45 a.m.


It was a great experience, both because of its religious import, and because so many friends and family attended.

Jared Shoemaker, my best friend, made it all the way from Vegas.

Matt and Evige Warner made it.

Denis and Lisa attended, even though they were getting sealed soon after us.

Jim Ford and Ariel Bybee came down from Salt Lake.

And here's the Clayson contingent: large as always.

And here is the Brown contingent: slightly smaller than the Clayson contingent.

Thankfully, after some searching, we found our Charmaine pictures (they were hiding out on my parents' camera). She made the long trek from eastern Nebraska to Manti, some twelve-plus hours, a feat for which we are very grateful. (If we forgot anyone, we apologize profusely.)

Nothing can fully describe the feeling of peace and satisfaction we felt being sealed for time and eternity to Elliot. After such a long process, with so many ups and downs, it was a great feeling to finally become a family in the fullest sense of the word. We thank everyone who helped us throughout this process. We love you all.

Final Home Visit

We had our final home visit last night with our LDS Family Services case worker. While we knew all would go well, having an agent of the government come into your home and evaluate you and how you're raising your child is somewhat unnerving. In any case, it's nice to finally be done with the process. The next step is to finalize the adoption, which will take place sometime in June or July. After that, we'll be sealed in the temple and finally give Elliot his baby blessing. Can't wait.