Last day at the temple

We went to a picnic for Matt’s work. It was at the Solomon’s Rec Center. 

We ate and the girls bounced. 

Then, even though it was in the low 70°’s, we went over to the pool. 

These crazies all swam while I read. 

I can handle a cold ocean, but not a pool. 

They all swam a few hours and no one complained. 

The crew showered and we headed to the temple for the last day of the open house. We had promised Delaney we’d take her back another day and it took us till the last day to make that happen. 

I told the girls it was Delaney’s day. The first time I took her, I also took Cyndi and all the Dorns were with us. I was probably a little more focused on Cyndi than Delaney. So this day we went at Delaney’s pace and shower her all our favorite parts. She was the only Ray that didn’t get to volunteer and she took that disappointment like a champ. Sometimes it’s hard to be the baby.  

Perfect day. 💕

While I was taking the picture with Delaney and Adi I saw a man waving in my direction, but I figured he was waving at someone behind me. A few minutes later he walked up and introduced himself and it was our friends the Forsgren’s! They lived here when we first moved here and Gina and I had many a visiting teaching adventure together as companions, and then got pregnant together and we took our Bradley childbirth class just a few weeks after they did. It was so fun to see him and their daughter that’s a little older than Adi. And in my defense for not recognizing him, he had to call Gina and describe us because he couldn’t remember our names. It was a long time ago! Anyway, he took some nice pictures of us. 🤗

They also told us that Gina was one of the painters of al the gold borders in the temple, so they got a special tour and got to go on the roof, and then we saw this photograph on the roof. 

It got v busy after our tour, that line of people along the trees were all waiting to go in. 

I talked to a security guard and he said around 350,000 people visited the temple during the open house. Such a blessing to be able to be part of it!

The next day I went to the Bowie Ward and then Sharon and I went on the most beautiful ministering visit. They just lost a woman in their ward to suicide, and the woman we visited had lost her son to suicide in January. To sit with her in her grief was sanctifying and edifying in a sacred and powerful way. We all cried together and truly had our hearts knit together in love. I have the best calling. 

I logged on to a missionary meeting while I drove home, and then arrived home to potato soup on the table surrounded by family and old friends. Brenda and Tony came to visit and it was so fun to catch up with them.

Brenda and I sat on the porch and had to laugh as Tony showed off his truck. 

And some Internet treasures. I really like this description of grief. Growing around grief. 

This is 100% Adi. 😂 Oh the words she mispronounces! 

My mom had a ton of Panamanian chotchkies like these table cloths. Sara gave them, and a mystery Panamanian wagon none of us kids had ever seen, to a friend that decorates in this cute Santa Fe style, and she loves them! They look so good at her house, and we love that they are being loved. 

I follow the Auschwitz Memorial on Twitter, (which I’m only on to keep up with political news) and I always take the time to read their little spotlights. I make a point to say their names and look at their pictures. It had been a long time since they had spotlighted someone who survived, and so of course I cried.

I’m still Wordle’ing, even though a glitch in the system messed up my stats. That’s not what it’s about, but it’s still annoying. Anyway, I’m always surprised when I figure it out in 2. 4 guesses is, by far, my most common score.