Philadelphia Temple is Finally Here

It's been EIGHT years in the making, and now the Philadelphia Temple is finally dedicated and open for its purpose! The past six weeks have been amazing as we've been able to visit several times with family, friends, and neighbors during the open house; help out a few times as tour guides during the open house; and then, yesterday, be inside the temple for the final dedication. What a blessing it's been, and will be, for all of us here in this area who have been waiting anxiously for this day to finally come.

 The first time I visited the temple during the open house was with my good friend Rhonda (who told me I was absolutely horrible at taking selfies, to which I proudly agreed!)...

Waiting for our friends and neighbors to arrive for a tour gave us the perfect chance to snap a few pictures of our family together... for eternity!... 

Ryan and I volunteered one night together, which is when I got these beautiful shots. We were tour guides and then stayed late to help clean the temple once it was closed to the public...

Next to the temple is a visitor's center...

Not the greatest picture, but the only one we got while his parents were here. I'm guessing Christy is standing next to me getting pictures with her camera...

We were so lucky and blessed to be given four tickets to be inside the temple for the dedication. That may never happen again. I guess Ryan's calling as Stake Executive Secretary has it's benefits. Ella and Brooklyn were both old enough to go inside with us, which was a special experience. President Eyring and Elder Christofferson were in Philly presiding over the dedication. Both walked right by us on their way to the Celestial Room while we were in the second instruction room waiting for the dedication to start...

Waiting in line to go in for the dedication...

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