draper temple...

Tonight was one of the many nights in which the new temple in Draper is open to the public to visit. The Open House has been going on for, I dunno, a couple of months and ends sometime in March (the 11?). My family and I arrived at the chapel where we were to park our car and board a bus to tour the Draper Temple, which will be dedicated in March of this year. We got there at about 7:30 and didn't end up leaving until after 8:30, due to the number of people who cut us in line. The volunteers and missionaries who were in charge weren't very organized. We watched a movie about temples (which is pretty boring for a Seminary student, ah, well) and finally got on a bus. Then we walked through a mile long, white tent tunnel (not a mile, but when you can't see where you're going it feels longer) and reached the temple.

I will be perfectly honest. I was bored. I'm the type of person who spends, like, ten minutes in an art exhibit when my mother spends ten at each painting. Walking from room to room to room for me is boring. I suppose I'm ADD or something, because there were a couple of rooms that fascinated me and I didn't want to leave. The Celestial Room chandelier made me start to go through possible ways that it could fall, such as earthquake, wind, faulty installation, et cetera. My paranoia showing again. It was beautiful though, and fascinating to look at.

The Bride's Dressing Room was gorgeous, and I've decided to decorate my room in a similar style. Another cool thing was the bathroom. It was amazingly pretty. I'm glad I won't have to clean them, though. They're completely carpeted. Even in the stalls. The Baptismal Font was neat to see, too. And the stained glass and wood working. All of the wood is African Cherry. That stuff costs a LOAD of money. Gorgeous stuff, and super nice to work with. Mr. Haight had a block of that and a block of zebra wood, each worth $50 for less than five pounds. Oy.

There was one room that I remember particularly well: the Sealing Room. I sat in the chair where the bride sits, and for some reason I felt odd. Well, I know what it was, but it was strong. The peace made my heart pound and my chest burn. Peace + pounding heart = oxymoron, but it works. It was totally worth the long walk, the long wait, and the heat.

The stake center next to the temple had an art display on, live music, and refreshments. I will say it again, BYU cookies are the best ever. My dad saw some friends of his who used to live in our ward, and I was able to speak a little bit of Spanish to them. I understand better than I speak; I forget everything and just kind of smile and stumble through Spanish 1 equivalent sentences. Ah, well. The treats were good.

It was cold outside. As we waited for the bus ride back to the church where our car was parked, my sisters and I began jumping up and down and singing songs like "Kookabura", "When the Saints Go Marching In", "The Pioneer Song", and "Horsey, Horsey". Not only did we warm up but we entertained the other people in line. They thought we were crazy, but they were freezing and we weren't. Ha.

While driving back, my sisters and I started to get silly. Here's one of the things we came up with:

"In the beginning, Adam married Eve. In the end, Eve killed Adam." (copyright, please don't use without asking me first)

Dad: "I wonder if Adam outlived Eve."
Meghan: "How could he? Eve killed him!" (also, please don't use without asking me first. gracias!)
Sarah: "Yeah, dad, pay attention!"
Amanda: "Sheesh."

I'm glad I went though. There was that special moment that made it totally worth it. And of course, the cookies and water bottles. The way to my heart is through my stomach. Nah, just kidding. But it's true for my beagle.