Liverpool: The Birthplace of the Beatles

I'm not exactly the hugest Beatles fan, but for those of you who are, these pictures are for you.

The House of the Lord

The London, England Temple

As trite as this may sound, one of our neatest experiences on this trip was being able to go to the temple. Before going to the temple, we had seen so many beautiful and historic cathedrals, all of which were extremely showy, known for their elaborate architecture and decor. But the London Temple was different. It was much simpler, and yet, it felt so different. It was peaceful there. The spirit was there.

This is the temple where Sam's parents were married nearly 35 years ago. They were married in a very private sealing with just themselves, the temple sealer, and the 2 witnesses. Because there was no crowd of friends and family, their wedding took place in a small, intimate sealing room just off the balcony which looked down over the Celestial Room. Sam and I were able to go into this room which marked the beginning of the eternal Scott family.

We also did a session at the Preston, England temple. This wasn't nearly as sentimental for us, but it was a beautiful temple nonetheless.

(Plus, we counted this as our July temple attendance and saved ourselves the 3 hour drive up to Winter Quarters!)

Conway Castle

Since I've been back from England it seems that everyone asks,

"What was your favorite thing?"

To be honest, I had lots of favorite things, but if I had to pick my most favorite, I'd probably have to say exploring Conway Castle in Wales. Unlike so many of the museums and other historic buildings we went to, this place had no restrictions. We could explore wherever we wanted, touch whatever we wanted, and take pictures of whatever we wanted... and on top of that, this castle was by far the coolest old building we saw.

York

York Minster Cathedral was absolutely gorgeous,

but my favorite part about York was walking around the old stone wall that once served as a protective barrier to the city.

Blackpool: The Tackiest Place in the UK

Before we left on our vacation, Sam's dad gave us a map of England and on it he circled Blackpool and wrote the note,

"The Tackiest Place in the UK."

We couldn't agree more.

Just imagine a dirty boardwalk filled with run down arcades, casinos, trashy women, drunk men, and a pier with some carnival rides...

...and you've got Blackpool.

We Love Grandma Scott

Grandma Scott may be pushing 91 years old, but like this picture shows, she is still as "cheeky" (British slang for sarcastic humor) as ever.

Sam's Childhood Home

It was very surreal to stand in front of Sam's childhood house and think he actually lived here. Obviously, I knew that he was born and spent his early years in Rochdale, England, but for some reason that seemed to far away, so unreal.