Off to the Temple!

Mark and I are headed to the Winter Quarters temple today, to kick off our 2009 temple attendance.

Last year, we had the aspiration of going twelve for twelve: a temple session every month, all year long. It was tricky - what with pregnancy, two family weddings, reunions in another state, child care, childbirth and so on - but we made it! Actually, Mark made it. We went in September before George was born, but somehow, I just couldn't pull my little postpartum self together in October. Mark was able to go with a Branch baptism trip, that month, though. So, as a team we made it all twelve months. We didn't think we were going to be able to go in December, because it was so stinking busy (but in a good way). And we had just assumed that the temple would be closed from Christmas Eve until after New Years Day. As Mark and I sat down to do our weekly planning on December 28th, we were talking about the end of the year, and maybe pouting - just a little - about the whole temple goal.

Suddenly, it occurred to us to check the temple schedule that we conveniently have posted on the fridge. And what do you know? The temple was open December 26, 27 and 30. We looked at each other, and then began making phone calls like crazy people. We scrambled and begged, but we were able to find someone who could watch the five children (for seven hours on miserably short notice: major brownie points in Heaven!), and one of my Seminary students agreed to give up half of a day of his Christmas vacation, and come with us to Omaha to take care of George (what with him being a nursling and all) while we were in the temple.

Great thanks to Michael the Seminary Student, and Matt & Amber, the long-suffering, babysitting friends, we made it. Huzzah! Tuesday evening at 6 p.m., we were there for the last temple day of the year. It was packed, I must say. I don't think we were the only ones with the idea that night.

On the way home that night, I mentioned to Mark that I thought I needed to wash our temple clothes, because they were starting to smell a little iffy. He chuckled sheepishly, and then told me about the surprise he had found in his temple bag earlier in the evening. Apparently, he had put his wet things from the baptisms back in October in a bag, and then put that bag in his temple satchel, and then promptly forgotten about it. Two months later, those clothes were all pretty colors of mildew, and the smell had flavored everything in the satchel. My satchel, which sits on the closet shelf next to his, was funky by association.

And so, we start this new year of temple attendance with sparkling clean temple clothes. I washed everything, and did a little mending, and so on. The clothes from the bag are unsalvageable, but everything else is fine and odor-free (or odor-reduced, depending). Here we go, trying for another twelve out of twelve. Or maybe even better!