Temple Blessings

A lot has happened in this past month. A lot. But I have had a horrible time blogging about it. But I have to. I have to. These are super important life events that deserve a spot of blogging history. I think I'll go backwards, though through the events of the month and make sure to cover everything eventually.

I need to start with the wonderful event we celebrated last week. Laney was able to come to the temple to receive her endowments. I never expected that this would be something that she would be doing so soon. Normally this occurs right before someone is married in the temple or before their mission, and I expected it to be awhile before Laney was headed in either one of those directions. But last year when President Monson announced the age change for missionaries, suddenly Laney's future became a little clearer. She knew that she would be headed on a mission when she turns 19 in December. She was able to turn in her papers this month and received her call last week. Once she received her call she could go to the temple. We think that it is important that she has the opportunity to go to the temple often before her mission, and she will have excellent opportunities this semester since the Rexburg Temple will be right next to her as she attends BYU-Idaho. We didn't want for her to wait and go to the temple for the first time while she was away at college, so we booked it quick and got her an appointment this week. That will give her the chance to go again a time or two with us before she heads to college in a week and a half.

Herman does an excellent job of preparing people to attend the temple. He knows just what to say to ease any concerns and give everyone the right kind of information before they head inside. He is able to point out scriptures that explain why we have temples and what goes on inside them. I felt a lot of comfort as we headed up to St. Louis, knowing that Laney is as prepared as anyone I know to make these sacred covenants. 

We left a bit early, so we took some time to go to the mall nearby and do a little bit of missionary shopping. Laney wanted to get a good pair of shoes to wear on her mission, so we decided to see what was available. Because she will be on a mission where she will be required to do a lot of walking, we knew that she was going to need some super high quality shoes that would look nice while being sturdy and comfortable. We looked in a couple of the big department stores at the mall, and although we found several shoes that looked cute, they didn't seem very durable, and she was going to need something durable. Finally we found a store called The Walking Store. The shoes in this store were pretty expensive, but they were exactly what she needed. They had everything from dress shoes to casual flip flops. Laney was able to find a pair that worked perfectly for her. They could go with about any outfit, and it seems as if they are sturdy enough to use for many, many miles of walking.

Here she is modeling them in front
of the temple. Very sensible, I'd say.

We still had a bit of time before we were scheduled to arrive at the temple, so we had a nice dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Their menus are so intimidating. So many things to choose from. And to be honest, I have never found one of their entrees that I have really liked. Yet I go back again and again. I guess it's for the cheesecake, right? I will admit ... those are to die for. Considering what you get they are pretty expensive, and I always think that I could make something fairly similar at home for a lot less. But it's a special occasion so we deserve to splurge a bit, right? Maybe.

I don't really have much to say about the actual experience of taking Laney through the temple except to say this ... I have had the chance to see Laney do some pretty remarkable things in the last few months. She graduated valedictorian of her high school class. She earned a full ride scholarship to the school of her choice. She was honored with several departmental awards in the high school. She has done so much. But I have never been so proud or so happy as I was when I saw her walk into the Celestial Room of the temple, dressed all in white. It was such a wonderful moment. She was there because of her personal choices in life. She was there because she made the choice to live for that moment. It wasn't because we forced her to do anything. It was her choice. I couldn't help but think about how things might be in heaven as we wait to be reunited as a family one day. I can't lie. It was an emotional moment.

I am so grateful for a daughter who has striven to make good choices throughout her life. It hasn't always been easy, but she pushed forward, trying to do better. This is only the beginning for her. She has so much that will be happening in her life in the next few years. This is an exciting time, and I'm excited to see where life takes her.

I love to see the temple, and even more ... I love to see my family inside. Life is good!