Quick update because life is always changing:
-I moved out of my parents house! Super random (but very well placed thanks to the Big Guy), but on my YSA ward's (which I hadn't actually transferred my records over to at the time) Facebook page, someone posted looking for a roommate. So I contacted her and went ahead and met her and the other roomie, and long story short, I knew Heavenly Father needed me to spread my wings and leave the nest! I've lived with my 2 roommates, only 15 minutes away from Mom & Dad, for two weeks now. And I love life! The Singles Ward is treating me great, and I'm really happy where I'm at.
My roommates! Heather, Lorrie, & I went and saw Beauty & the Beast!
Heather & I at an ASU baseball game! (She doesn't always pose like this, I promise)
So over the summer, I remember having this long phone call with Ellyse, probably around July. We talked about the future, and how specifically both of us had decided (through different circumstances) that we probably weren't gonna serve missions. Then we talked about how both of us were thinking about the temple and how the church has gotten less strict with letting girls go through for their own endowment. It used to be that you had to have a mission call or were getting married or were over the age of 26 or something to go through for yourself. Nowadays, you can start thinking about the temple even if those 3 specific circumstances don't apply to you.
After that talk we had, I kinda tucked away into the back of my mind the thought of going through the temple for myself, to save for when I felt ready. December comes and I am not doing great spiritually. I made it a goal for myself to work towards the temple so I could be better spiritually. I started a temple prep class in January and I never took all the lessons consecutively, but I got pretty much all the lessons in, before other callings took over my 2nd hour block at church. A couple weeks into February, I had a distinct thought to schedule an interview with Bishop Tanner about the temple. I talked with him, and by the end of the day, I had a temple recommend to take to the stake president to sign. I met with President Oakes the week after and was officially ready to 'legally' step foot into the temple beyond that front recommend desk. And of course I got my temple recommend signed the Sunday before the Gilbert temple closed for 2 weeks for maintenance. I called 2 weeks later and scheduled my endowment session for March 14 so my brother and his wife who live in Tucson could come. I love my extended family, and they were invited too, but the ones I really cared about coming were my parents and my 2 older brothers with their wives.
So the day came and I was able to go through the Gilbert temple and receive my own endowment this past Tuesday! What an amazing experience. I loved every second of it. I tried to soak in as much information as I could, but there's a lot to take in! I had worried the weeks leading up to this that I wasn't ready or that I was misinterpreting promptings from the Lord about the temple, but as soon as that session started, it just felt right. I've felt plenty of different things when feeling the Spirit, but never like this. I've felt bouncing-off-the-walls happy, peaceful, and content, but never like I felt in the temple. Everything I'd been doing in my life was leading up to this point when everything was just simply right. I definitely didn't understand everything, but I'm so excited to keep going back. I'm excited to learn more about the covenants made and the symbolism shown. And I'm excited to one day come with my future husband to get married there. Do yourself a favor and make the temple your goal because it is SO worth it, I can promise you.
The day after this amazing experience, my family and I were able to go with my sister to receive her patriarchal blessing. It is so cool to get a small glimpse of how much potential she has! There are many things in her blessing that astound me and make me feel so much more love for that girl. I am so thankful that she is my sister.
As hard as the last 8 months have been since I graduated, I am so happy with where I'm at right now. It's taken a lot to get to this point, but I'm so grateful for the trials that have strengthened me and the friends that have lifted me up. I'm ready to see what else the Lord has planned for my life.
"One day we're gonna come back and laugh at it all. One day we'll look at the past with love."
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