The lighting tradition at Temple Square
In this picture, I could have cropped in on the temple to highlight the grand structure, but I didn't want to do that this time. My intent was to capture the grandeur of the building in the midst of the people enjoying the lights. I wanted to capture the activity, the sense of commotion. It was lively and fun. There are few better things than feeling that exciting energy in the midst of the peaceful feeling that the temple sheds upon you when you are near it.
My wife and I started a new tradition when we went on our first date! It was by far the best dating experience we had up to that point (I hope we keep getting better)! And for that reason, we go out on the same day of the week at the same time of the year and do the same thing we did on our first date! We look forward to it starting in Spring time.
It starts out with me picking her up at her parents' house. We bypass the gas station for gas and the trip to the credit union in Dick's grocery store for food money because they are a little better planned than the first date. The first time, I was just planning on picking her up, taking her to see the lights at temple square, drive home and send her on her way. That was the routine at that point in my dating career. I was enjoying dating but wasn't expecting dating to go anywhere (as I was 28 at the time) especially with someone a half generation younger than I was.
We got money for dinner because she said that she hadn't eaten dinner when I asked her and I hadn't either and was starving, so I reluctantly got out some money to pay for another dinner. We had to get money out of my credit union because that was the way I paid for things...no credit cards, no debit and no checks. I'm writing this somewhat cynically because that is how I felt at the time. After spending 15 minutes in the car with her, however, I felt differently. I was having fun. I was laughing. I didn't have to work to have a good time with her and it was coming naturally. I think that I probably quickly put away my bag of dating tools, let down my hair, and had a great time with her. Later on, I found out that this was how she felt as well.
Our first stop is dinner at the Gateway. Following the tradition of our first date, I finish her plate of food for her (not wanting good money to go to waste). We then walk to the Church's art and history museum across the street from Temple Square. We both are artists, but my wife is an art major and was deeply engrossed in the art world up at the university at the time. I still remember her explanations of many of the techniques that were used in the paintings on display.
Following that, we walk over to the lights on temple square that have, by that time, been on for a couple of hours. We enjoy the different colors on the trees, admire that beautiful evergreen on the South side of the temple, decked out in red lights on EVERY branch.
Then we walk back to our vehicle...I can still hear the conversations we had the first time, the jokes she told, the singing we did while standing on street benches. After hearing about that kind of an evening, who would want that to end? EXACTLY! So, I took her to ice cream. I laughed so hard. She is so funny. Then, I take her back to her parents' house, we talk a moment, hug momentarily, hook ears, laugh again and she walks up the porch stairs to the house.
The rest is a long story of a short and confident courtship. I hope for many more of those years.
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