US

Sometimes life can be hard...But other times it can be so so so good.

On Monday April 11, 2011 my older sister Hilary and her husband Brian, along with their three children, went to the Provo Temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. (On her birthday too! Good luck topping that!)

It was such an amazing day, we have all been waiting, and praying for this day to happen, for a very long long time. I think I was in shock for a while and sometimes when I think about it, I still get chills. I don't ever want to forget the spirit I felt in the sealing room that day. It was amazing, to say the least.

My brother and his wife were able to fly in from California for that day. We were all able to be there, and witness this amazing event for the first time. (We were missing Liesel's husband who had a final that day)

This is my family

This picture makes me really happy, Kory was there too but we had to go pick up Axel and so he just dropped me off at the front and I got there just in time to be in this picture, while he parked the car. Seen below coming to join the party...

A couple cousins and some Aunts and Uncles were able to be there as well. Which was amazing because we don't have too many relatives here in Utah, most of them came down from Idaho. They also had a lot of friends and neighbors there too. Our old Bishop growing up, and Hilary and Brian's home teacher for many many years was actually working in the temple that day and was able to come sit in.

Brian's dad and wife Karen, as well as his Grandpa (I think anyway) were there.

I am so happy for my sister. I am so glad I was able to be there and to see her darling children kneel besides their parents and be sealed together for time and all eternity. This was my first time witnessing such a sealing, and I am not going to lie, it was probably my favorite thus far. I have such a strong testimony of Temples and the work performed in them. But sometimes I need reminding of that, and I am grateful that the Lord gives me these experiences to humble me.

Often times when Kory and I do temple work I sometimes lose sight of what we are actually doing for them. Too often I feel like its just a name. This day reminded me of just how important it is for those people and their families, and how long they have been waiting to have that work done. It is extremely important stuff, and I am going to try to be better.

I also have to give my sister a shout out, not that she did this on her own, or that she converted her husband. In fact, I don't think I even know what made him want to start coming to church. I think there was just a lot of support and encouragement in a lot of different places.

But I know her example was a key player, it had to be. She never gave up on him, and she kept doing what she needed to do for her family so that her kids would still have the gospel in their lives. It was a definite struggle for her sometimes, I remember many conversations with her about church being hard with 3 kids all by herself, and wanting to give up. (Sometimes I laugh because I didn't get it at first, then I had Axel, and church became sooo hard and exhausting, and I have Kory doing most of the chasing/entertaining even. I laugh how I used to give her advice on how to entertain her two toddlers and a 5 year old, like I even had a clue!)

But she didn't quit going because it was hard, sure she had her days, but she stuck to it, she kept on going, praying and pleading that someday her family would be able to go to the temple together.

I am grateful for the atonement and for how it blesses my life and the life of my family, and allows us all to be able to return to our Heavenly Father.

It was a very very good day.