The Beginning of the End: Temple Tuesdays

Tuesday has quickly turned into my very favorite day. Its not because Tuesday are unusually fantastic, or that I feel my best on Tuesdays but simply because Tuesdays are temple days. My sister and I have a goal to visit all the Wasatch temples before I leave on my mission. We were going to do all of them but lets be honest neither of us really want to make the trek out to Monticello or Vernal... so all temples except those two and the ones that aren't open yet or under renovation (Ogden, Provo City, Brigham City). There are 5 temples we aren't going to yet there are still 10 that we want to visit. This is not an easy task. Thus far we have visited three, Mount Timpanogas, Jordan River, and Draper and I visited Provo by myself. We still have 6 more to visit and it will be a tight squeeze to get them all in before I leave for Vegas for the summer. I may have to come back up to Utah to finish the ones we don't get to.

Going to the temple is awesome, but going to the temple with my sister is amazing. We tried to get to the temple for the earliest session so that she can get back to her kiddos. This means that we are usually up and out the door by 5:30ish to make it to the temple for a 6:30 or 7:00 session. Let me tell you it is a sacrifice. I am not a morning person. To be honest I usually wake up and complain to myself for a minute, before my little shoulder angel reminds me that Satan is probably behind the lapse of attitude. Then I roll out of bed.

There is something about driving 25+ minutes to the temple before the sun is even up that is a little bit meditative with me, my thoughts and the gospel music playing in the background. I love when you can first see the temple in the distance. They all just glow. "Look towards the temple" has a whole new meaning, literally and figuratively. Today I was on my way to the Draper temple and got a little bit turned around. I was driving up a mountain and could not see the temple. I knew I was lost. So I turned around and took the turn that I missed and immediately saw the beacon of light that the temple is. I felt relief, I knew that with the temple in my sights I would get where I needed to be. I didn't need my GPS anymore because I could see the temple. I knew that even with a few wrong turns I could still see it and would eventually get there. I think that is very figurative as well, if you are working towards the temple and have in your sights you don't need exact directions you just need to keep moving towards the temple and you will find your way.
Being in a session with Aur is awesome. Every time I walk out feeling an increased love for her. I am so incredibly blessed to have her as a sister. She is such a great example to me. I love being able to sit and listen to her insights. I am so grateful for the sacrifice she (and her husband) make so that she can go to the temple with me. I always walk out of the temple feeling so incredibly blessed for everything that this gospel has given me, like temples, eternal families and charity for the people around me. I cannot even image life without it.