For all Eternity

I'm so happy to report that Evan and I were finally Sealed in the Temple today for all Eternity. I'm so happy.

Evan and I woke up bright and early to get ready to go to the temple for our 11am Sealing, as far as we knew, they were calling for 5 inches of rain that day, nothing big.

However, once I woke up, I got a call from my Brother Adam, (he and my Mom had been in route to us since around 6am, our time) they were stranded in Atlante due to the lighting storm and apparently a tornado warning here in TN. He called to tell me their flight was delayed an hour. Still no need to panic, it would be tight but they would still make it. Adam called me a few minutes later to say his flight had been delayed again. I called the Temple to explain our situation and see about moving our time a little later. After speaking with the Temple President he said it was not a problem at all, they would wait for my family to arrive until they closed at 4pm! He said when we arrived they would be ready! I love the Temple!!

Evan, Loren and I had started on our way to the temple when I got another call from Adam saying the flight was now canceled! However, they got another flight that would be leaving in 45 minutes. So I think at this point it would make their arrival time somewhere around 1:30pm (I think) Adam and Mom had arranged to move their flight home to later in the day around 6pm, so that the whole family could have lunch afterwards.

With the Sealing being moved so much later Loren pulled off so we could grab some McDonalds breakfast, then head home to kill some time until it got closer to their arrival time. Evan and I made the most of our wait by going to pick up our keys from the realty office for our new home, then off we were again for the Temple! Take 2!
It was raining hard, but little did we know just how bad it would be. We made it to the Temple, got checked in and waited for the rest of the family to arrive. We were instructed to get ready and we would see the rest of the family when we came into the Sealing room. I knew Adam and Mom had arrived and were only a few minutes away. So I was happy!


While Evan and I were sitting, waiting together, a Temple worker came in to ask me who else I would want to be a witness to the sealing, because my Brother’s recommend was expired. I was in shock for a second, but told her Nobody!!! I couldn’t believe all that my Brother had been through to get here and now he was so close but wouldn’t be able to see his little Sister get sealed!!!!! He had made the effort to come to Maui, made the effort to come to TN, and this is the thanks he gets?!?!?!!!! I started to cry a little, the lady asked if I wanted my mom. I said yes, and went into the hall to wait for my Mom.

By the time I got to the hall I was hysterical! I just couldn’t handle the sadness that my Brother was just outside, so close but not able to come in! As I walked past the Sealing room in tears, I saw someone that looked like my Brother, but I knew it wasn’t him because of the news I had just received. Then my mom came out and I held her so tight, figuring she would be just as upset as me about the situation. She consoles me by saying, “I’m here, I’m here, I made it!” Which goes right along with what I just been told, No Brother!

Mom tries to make it humorous by saying how the day gets even funnier… (Funny?!, how can she find humor in this situation?!) She says, “Adam forgot his recommend at home!” About that time the lady that had told me my Brother’s recommend had expired came back to say, “I got it mixed up, it’s not your Brother, it’s your Husband’s Brother whose recommend is expired!”

What a crappy mistake to make!!!!! I was instantly fine, the tears totally stopped! “Oh! Okay, that’s okay!! I don’t care about that! I just wanted my Brother here!!!!

Now, that is not to say that having Evan’s brother miss the Sealing was okay, but I hope we can all see that the comparison is more dramatic! You would have to know all the behind the scenes effort and our whole family history to understand why not having my Brother Adam there was traumatic for me! Adam has been a Father figure my whole life, he is the peace maker in the family and is always there when you need him.

I was really okay once I knew all was well and the family that had made the journey from WA to be here was all able to attend!

The sealing it’s self was AMAZING!!! I’m so thankful Evan and I had the opportunity and gift to be Sealed for not just while we live on this earth, but the assurance that after we die we will not be separated, we will still be one in Heaven, because after all, it would not be Heaven without my handsome, wonderful husband there beside me! When we were ready to leave the temple they made us wait a while due to the rain, that had now turned into floods!! Little did we know that while we were safe and sound inside the temple floods were overtaking the area around us. We took back roads to Cracker Barrel, which thankfully, because of the floods, was practically empty. Just before the turn into the restaurant the road was closed and 2 cars were trapped in the flood water on the road. After we ate and tried to leave the free way that my Mom and Brother had to take to get to the Airport and we had to take home was closed and we were all detoured along side streets filled with traffic. Thankfully their flight was delayed or else I’m pretty sure they would have just missed their flight. It would have been skin of their teeth close if the flight had been on time.

Evan’s store got flooded out on Sunday night, so I guess it was a good thing they called him in on Sunday to help evacuate it and take all the things out before the flood got worse. For the time being Evan is working up in Kentucky until his store is repaired.

Things to remember from the council we were told:

• Make a commitment to attend church every Sunday (all our meetings, Evan, Laura and Adam all seemed to look at me with that word of council…I don’t know why!) =)

• Fall in love with each other, and keep falling in love with each other

There was one more point he wanted us to remember, we talked about them all later that evening, and thought we would remember them, since there were only 3 points to remember afterall, but we can't quite remember the 3rd, we think it was to pray every day as a couple...either way, that is good advice. =)