Wow, an H-bomb!

Last month my brother, Russell, gave me a copy of my dad's personal history. It is so interesting to read. As I was reading it last night, I was struck by some of his experiences while he was in the Navy. I just have to share this part of his history because I am pretty sure none of us has ever witnessed an H-bomb. This is what it is like:

(in my dad's words)

"I went on board ship in December 1951. As soon as the ship got out of dry dock we started getting ready to go to Marshall Islands. No one knew exactly what for, but rumor was we were going to a big test of some sort. We were there for 3 months. The ship took 2 weeks to get there and 2 weeks to return. We had 3 destroyers and one anti submarine screen escorting us. We had about 20 or 30 technicians and a half dozen scientists on board who were involved in that test. When we got there we discovered they were going to test the first H-bomb on one of the islands. When they had the test I was one of those that got to see it. It was the most awe-inspiring and terrifying spectacle I have ever witnessed. We were more than 25 miles away from it and it still looked like we were too close for comfort. Since I didn't have special glasses that I could wear to watch the blast (only VIP's and officers got those) all [of us] enlisted men stood with our backs towards the blast and buried our faces in our arms. Still the flash was so intense--so bright--that everything went white. With the flash from an H-bomb you don't need to be looking at the flash, just having your eyes open is enough. After the flash we were told to turn around and we could see the fire ball and mushroom from it as it went up. We could see palm trees, water and dirt from the island falling out of the mushroom. I'd have been scared if I'd had time to think about it. Several minutes after the blast itself, while the mushroom was going up, we heard the sound--a loud rumble and a strong rush of air like a sudden breeze...."

These are the two tests that he witnessed:

Operation Ivy in 1952

And Operation Castle in 1954

I am so amazed that he lived for another 26 years after witnessing these tests, what a blessing that is.

Our little bouncing angel

No matter how many pictures I took of this, I just couldn't capture how sweet it was. Lucy loves her bouncer. Tonight she was having the time of her life in it, when Hannah decided to make some angel wings for her. It was so cute how they would flutter every time she jumped.

The Draper Temple Openhouse

Yesterday we went to the Draper Temple open house, what a beautiful temple! It was such a wonderful experience to show our children the inside of a temple, and we were surprised at how well behaved they were while we were there (though we can't say so much for the ride home.) Even though it is not dedicated yet, I think that they were able to feel the peace and spirit that comes from being inside the temple. As I was showing Johnny the mirrors in the sealing room and how you can see forever, the thought hit me of what a blessing it is to be a part of an eternal family. I am so thankful for the blessings of the temple and for how it brings perspective to our lives. I hope that our children see what a wonderful place it is, and want to return when they are older to partake in the blessings that can only be found there.

We asked Hannah and Johnny what their favorite parts of the temple were.

Hannah said that she loved the chandelier in the celestial room and Johnny said that he liked the mirrors best. I thought that the hand painted landscape murals in the ordinance rooms were amazing. It was funny as we were going through them, Hannah asked if Bob Ross painted them. (He is the frizzy haired guy who paints on T.V.) Who knows, he could have.