350,000 tulips celebrate 35 years

Yesterday was our 35th wedding anniversary. We celebrated in Utah over the weekend. We've celebrated our anniversary several times while visiting Utah. When one gets married at the end of a BYU semester in April, twenty some years later they will find themselves celebrating the graduation of BYU student children as well as their anniversary several times over the years. In fact, it will become somewhat of a tradition for just the two of you to sneak away to Temple Square to see the tulips sometime during the graduation festivities in honor of your wedding day.

There were no graduations this year, but Glen was in Salt Lake City on a business trip so I flew up Friday afternoon to join him in celebrating our day by seeing the tulips! It just seemed like the right thing to do!

The gardeners at Temple Square and the office building plaza have an artist eye. The combinations of tulips and other spring flowers are just stunning. My pictures don't even begin to do the flower beds justice.



Doesn't this reflecting pool look like it belongs in our backyard?


Glen and I were basically the only couple in jeans and tennis shoes early on a Saturday morning. Everyone else seemed to be in church clothes as they attended the temple or came to join a wedding party. After being stopped by and visiting with three sets of sister missionaries we politely declined more or we could have spent all our time with the sisters!


Here is the view from in front of the visitor's center. I just remembered that we forgot to enter and walk up to the Christus statue, the spot where Glen asked me to marry him! The trees in bloom were also beautiful.


We then crossed South Temple to visit the new Deseret Book store.


There is a wonderful display in the front of the store honoring the Tabernacle Choir.


This is the plaza outside the store. There is a great deal of construction going on in downtown Salt Lake City.

I liked the unfinished colorful buildings amongst the gray.

Our next stop was Thanksgiving Point in Utah County. Glen's sister, Wylene, wanted to catch a ride back to St. George with us later, so we talked her into meeting up with us at the Point.


She brought Leanna, Peyton, Malia, and Malia's mom, Lindsi with her. It was not only the Tulip Festival but Dutch Days, too, so it was pretty crowded. I guess we have become spoiled by our quiet weekday visits in the past.

Peyton and Malia had a splashing good time in the secret garden. It doesn't seem as secret when the trees are without leaves!

Monet's garden pond was just barely getting back the lily pads and the fish were few, but the girls still had fun feeding the koi.


Malia copies the brass girl tip toeing her way across the stream.

Glen is happiest with his grandchildren, even when he has to borrow some from his sister!

We spent the night in St. George, visited Phil and Lynette on the way out of town the next morning, and spent our time driving across the Navajo Reservation discussing what we might have wanted to change about our 35 years of marriage. There wasn't much!