Pocatello Idaho Temple

Temple 118
December 17, 2021
Pocatello, Idaho

     When we heard the Pocatello temple was being dedicated we immediately began thinking of a time to make a quick trip up to the Gate City. It was dedicated on November 7th, and we didn’t wait too long to go. It was a busy time of year but we picked a weekend and made plans, and, of course, Ivy’s parents didn’t want to miss out on a chance to go to a new temple either and so they made the plans with us. 

     We left home on Friday right after I got off work and drove to Ogden. There we dropped off Zoey at Ivy’s brother's house for the night before heading up to Pocatello. It was just under two hours from Ogden to Pocatello and we got there early and so checked into our hotel first. We had planned to do sealings that night and then a session in the morning, so we went to the temple after getting situated in our hotel and changing. 

      The Pocatello temple sits on a little hill to the East of Pocatello surrounded by a nice, affluent subdivision. It was night and so the temple was lit up brilliantly and we could see it from a distance as we drove to it. We passed many well-to-do homes that were lit up with Christmas lights that made us feel as if we were being led to the temple. And then as we turned up the road to the temple the road led straight to the front gates and the temple shined like a grand beacon in front of us. It was beautiful to say the least, and very welcoming. 

     We walked through the below freezing air and into the warm temple. The stained glass windows shown brilliantly from the inside and outside as we went up three flights of massive stairs and into a sealing room where we did sealings. Sealings are always wonderful to do; we get to hear similar words to what were said when we first got married, and it just brings smiles to both of our faces. 

     The temple is adorned with colors of pink throughout it, mostly in the flowers that decorate the entire temple. There’s designs of flowers in the stained glass, motifs, carpets, ceilings, and elsewhere. We found out that there were three flowers placed in designs throughout the temple; the Syringa, Idaho’s state flower, the Bitterroot, Montana’s state flower, and the Indian Paintbrush which is Wyoming’s state flower. They were in the stained glass, in the carpet and rugs, painted on the ceiling and placed as motifs throughout. There were more flower decorations in this temple than any other we have been to.

     After the temple we went back to the hotel and spent a cozy night there. We travel cheap, so whenever we travel with others we share a hotel room, so we did this here too. It may seem odd to others but to us its practical. 

     The next morning we woke up early and went straight back to the temple. We had a session scheduled and were able to go through the temple again, it was such a delight! At the end we went into the celestial room which was tall, vast and beautiful. It had a lot of pink shades in it and more flowers painted and placed throughout it, even carved into the carpet. It was peaceful and was the best place to end a visit to a temple. Afterwards we drove home and that was the end of that trip, another temple visited and another great experience.