A Fabulous Tour!

Hey everyone!  Today we had a tour of the new Gilbert Mormon Temple.  We are not Mormon, but we have watched the construction of this building since we moved here three years ago.  This is what it looked like when we first saw it back in 2011.

This pic is from a photo gallery, so excuse the quality.

Watching this rise from the earth has been pretty exciting to see.  

Despite the long line you see, the entire tour was extremely well organized and moved very quickly.

Marble, stone, stained glass -- amazing craftsmanship!

The desert Agave was depicted in the glass, the stone, marble, woodwork, carpeting & even 

in the decor pieces that adorned many tables inside.

Before entering the Temple, everyone had paper covers placed over their shoes.  There was a long line of volunteers seated on either side of the outside entrance who placed the covers on your shoes.  There were more volunteers at the end of the tour to remove them for you.

No photos were allowed inside the Temple, so the following photo is a depiction of one of the most

elegant rooms you will ever see.......

The Celestial Room symbolizes the exalted and reverent state that all may achieve through living the gospel of Jesus Christ. This room represents the contentment, inner harmony, and peace available to families in the presence of Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  (Their words, not mine.)

It may not seem possible, but the actual room was even more elegant and grand than this photo depiction indicates.  The Swarovski crystal chandelier is almost blinding in its beauty.  There were smaller, matching chandies all down the hallway and matching sconces on the walls.

Believe me, you can see this structure for miles across our flat desert.  It is especially beautiful

at night.  

I truly do not understand the need for such opulence and cannot fathom how much the Temple cost to build, but I can appreciate the beauty and the incredible craftsmanship that went into this structure.  You can see the pride in the faces of the members who were happily devoting their time for these tours.  If you live in the area, it is definitely worth a drive to see this.  Tours will be ending soon, and then the Temple will be dedicated and only Mormons in good standing will be allowed inside.  I have read that they are already quite booked up for weddings.

I hope you enjoyed this tour.  I have not shared this as any kind of religious statement and hope you won't take it that way.  I think it is an incredible depiction of some of the finest craftsmanship I've ever seen and thought you might enjoy that aspect of it as well.

I got pretty spoiled for my birthday, and I'll be back soon to share some of that with y'all.  Have a great day!