It's the only place to be.

The other day, we had Pandora on as we were making lunch and I started singing along to the Christmas music:

"Well they say in LA, it's a warm holiday, it's the only place to be..."

Matt looked at me quizzically and asked how on earth I knew that song. I asked him how on earth he didn't know Tennessee Christmas! Obviously a classic; obviously makes everyone want to move to Tennessee at least once or twice in their lifetimes. Anyway, that's not really the point of this post.

The truth is, it is a warm holiday here in Southern California. We endured the monsoon over the past few days and with the snap of a finger, the rain is all gone. It's warm and sunny again, without a cloud in the sky (well, as long as you don't count the smoketails from all the jets flying overhead). But the only place to be? Why, that's home with our family for the holidays. Therefore, Matt and I are on our way to Utah right now for what we hope will be a white Christmas.

That's not to say LA doesn't have its charm this time of year. We've enjoyed seeing all the lights on the palm trees and getting into the holiday spirit in a whole new way. (Lets be honest, we've loved not freezing our tail ends off throughout the entire month, too. Looking at these pictures of me being perfectly content in short sleeves in December makes me really worried for the cold temperatures ahead of us!) One of our favorite stops was the Los Angeles Temple on Santa Monica Boulevard. The temple grounds are beautiful, and we loved taking the extra time to enjoy the lights and think about the true meaning of Christmas.

Newport Beach Temple

Matt and I feel really blessed to have not just one but three LDS temples within a two-hour radius of our home. We know we might not always be so lucky, so we try to take advantage of our location by visiting as often as we can. Usually we attend the Los Angeles Temple since it is by far the closest, but this month we decided to head a little further South. The Newport Beach Temple is a smaller one with a Spanish missions-style architecture and pretty California-style landscaping. It was our first time visiting this temple and definitely won't be our last. The day couldn't have been any more beautiful.

Oh, they say when you marry in June

... you're a bride, all your life ... You're very welcome for putting that Seven Brides for Seven Brothers tune in your head all day. But seriously, isn't June the best time for weddings? Our schedule was jam-packed last month with three of our best friends' big days. And since everyone loves a good wedding, I thought I'd share a few highlights.

First, we had my dear friend Ashley's wedding. Ash has been one of my best friends for more than a decade, and she and Brandon are one of the most amazing couples you'll ever meet. They also happen to have probably the sweetest story I've ever heard. In a nutshell: They were best friends in high school, Ashley introduced Brandon to our church, and he was baptized. Then they fell in love, Ashley waited for Brandon while he served a 2-year Mormon mission, and they had one month together before Ashley left on her 18-month Mormon mission. Brandon proposed a few months after Ashley returned and on June 5th, they were married in the Los Angeles Temple.

Ashley Hunt and Brandon Fontes Wedding from Ashley on Vimeo.

Less than two weeks later, I flew to Utah to be a bridesmaid in Ali and Brian's wedding. Alicia and I cheered together in high school and she's been one of my best friends ever since. It was so neat to be there with Ali as she was sealed to Brian for time and all eternity. I'm so happy that she finally got the beginning she deserves.

And last but not least, Matt joined me in Utah for his little brother Andy's wedding. This day was much anticipated, as Andy and Kristen are high school sweethearts who have been together for nearly seven years. (Hooray for actually knowing your spouse before you get married!) Kristen has been in Matt's family for a long, long time, so everyone was excited to finally make it official!

The picture above is Kristen while Andy was singing to her at their wedding dinner. Doesn't she look beautiful? Now, for the rest of their big day:

We have plenty to share from our latest trips back home, so that'll be coming up next. (This includes lots of pictures of my adorable niece Tasha that will melt your heart! You're welcome, Heidi.)

Redlands Temple

We normally visit the Los Angeles Temple each month, but decided to mix things up in March and headed to Redlands instead.

The Redlands Temple is absolutely beautiful inside and out. Our camera unfortunately died before we could take pictures of the grounds, so I grabbed this picture from www.lds.org to show you how pretty it is. See?

The sky was even more vibrant when we came out of the Temple that evening. Or maybe it just seemed that way; I love how the whole world seems like a better place after attending the Temple. The gospel and Plan of Salvation just bring so much joy to our lives. We are especially mindful of those blessings this weekend, as we watch General Conference and celebrate Easter. I love this video and its timely message (I love this video released last April as well):

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, lives. We are eternally grateful for Him and His Atonement, and we wish you a happy Easter as we all celebrate His resurrection.

Bern, Switzerland: The Temple

This is such a welcoming sight, no matter where you are in the world:

Immediately after landing in Germany, we skipped lunch, picked up our rental car and began to make the 5-hour drive to the Bern Switzerland Temple.
We were supposed to make it with an hour to spare but got stuck in crazy rush hour traffic in the French countryside. Who would've thought?
By the time we finally made it to the Temple, we were fifteen minutes too late. We'd tried SO hard to make it and were a little disappointed at first, before realizing that visiting the Temple was still the perfect way to start our European honeymoon. The grounds were so beautiful and peaceful, and it was nice to be on the opposite side of the world and still feel at home.

(Plus, it was only Day 1 and we already had an excuse to go back!)