This past Saturday, John and I had the opportunity to attend our Stake Temple Bus trip. It's a four hour trip to get to St. Louis from Olathe - and I am very grateful I didn't have to drive! Plus, you can't beat $20 a seat with how high gas prices are right now.
We had an awesome babysitter come stay over night and spend the day with our kids. John and I got up at 5 am, showered, got dressed, and met our group at 5:45 am. Then off we went. We met lots of new people from all over our stake. The most fun part was sitting near four different people who signed - as in sign language. Now, I don't know sign language, but my hubby has lots of experience and used to work as an interpreter. We had so much fun getting to know the other signers, two of which were deaf.
We arrived at the temple at 10 am. After getting changed, we were able to attend two endowment sessions. During our first session, there was a problem with the sign language video, so John had the opportunity to interpret for our deaf friends. What a wonderful and inspiring experience. I was able to watch John while he signed and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. By the end of the session, John arms and hands were exhausted. Thankfully, the temple workers were able to get the sign language video to work for our second session.
I love going to the temple. When I walk in, I am filled with feelings of peace and tranquility. It's often difficult to find moments of calm in the rush and business of every day life. When we lived in Utah, sometimes I would drive to the temple just to sit in the foyer for fifteen or twenty minutes and just let those feelings soak in. Having the opportunity to spend six straight hours in the temple was heavenly. By the time we left, I felt rejuvenated and happy.
We spent the first hour of our trip back home, having a testimony meeting. It was wonderful to hear about everyone's experiences. Then we stopped for dinner (a yummy chinese buffet in Columbia). The last three hours were filled with chatting, church videos, and for me, lots of snuggling with my hubby - a huge bonus of taking the bus! We arrived back at the church at 9 pm. When we returned home, we were pleasantly surprised that our house was in order and all the kids were asleep in their beds. Our babysitter reported that all the kids had a good day. Anna didn't cry for Mommy, Isaac didn't tantrum or having any fights - the only person who was sad was little Rob, who missed Mommy at bedtime and cried for a little bit while our babysitter gave him hugs and read him books until he felt better.
I am grateful we were able to go to the temple and that our kids had such a great time with their babysitter. Now I'm counting down the days until our next trip!
