Definitely one of the top 10 days of my life

In case any posterity reading this wants to understand me, you should first know that there is nothing more important to me than my relationship with my Heavenly Father, and his Son, Jesus Christ.  I believe whole-heartedly in the restored gospel, and am eternally grateful to live in a time and place where I can be an active member in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  One of the things I love the most about the restored gospel is the opportunity to have living prophets and apostles.  I know these men speak to God and I know that President Thomas S. Monson is God's prophet on the earth today.  We have true apostles, fulfilling the exact same duties that Christ's twelve apostles served while he reigned on the earth.  I believe this with all my heart.

Another thing you should know about me is that I love Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.  He is one of the twelve apostles serving with President Monson, and although maybe I shouldn't have a favorite apostle, I do.  I revere and love each one of them, but when Elder Holland speaks, I hear God speaking directly to me.  Somehow Elder Holland knows exactly what I need to hear, when I need to hear it.

All that said, nothing brings me more joy than being sealed to my husband and children for eternity.  Not 'til death do us part.  Forever and ever and ever, because of the covenants and promises I made to Ryan and my Heavenly Father in the temple.  It's not just a convenient truth.  It's the real deal, and if I hold up my end of the bargain then my Father in Heaven has promised me blessings without number.  This promise is what makes each trial easier to handle, what brings me hope, and what helps me forgive and repent.

Sunday was the dedication of the Kansas City Temple.  I just know that all the early Saints were there with us as we celebrated the arrival of a temple to the very land where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints were persecuted and killed.  They knew this day would come, and they are putting their trust in us to further the work.

In order to attend the dedication, you needed to be a baptized member of the church and have an interview with the Bishop to prove your worthiness.  My two oldest angels were able to attend the dedication with me and Ryan in the Stake Center.  We watched the service on a screen in the chapel, as it was happening live in the temple across the street.  The words spoken during the dedication were beautiful and timely.  Following the service, we walked outside and I took this picture of the kids.  It was the only picture I took with my good camera that day, because the battery immediately ran out.  I thought it was so neat to have a picture of the temple, when I knew the Prophet and my favorite apostle were inside.  It had been a very rainy, stormy day, so I was glad the rain let up for at least one picture.

As we began to drive away, Ryan said to me, "I'm surprised you don't want to hang around the temple doors with the crowd to hopefully get a glimpse of the Prophet."  Up until this point, it hadn't really occurred to me that I might actually get that opportunity.  I figured only those who were invited into the temple would get to meet the Prophet.  After a few minutes of discussion, I decided it would be worth a try to be in the presence of the Prophet one more time before he left town.  We drove back to the temple and joined the crowds in awaiting the exit of President Monson and Elder Holland.  After a few minutes of chatting with some friends, the Prophet came out the back doors of the temple.  I was so sad that my camera had run out of battery, but pulled out my iPhone and took as many pictures as possible.  While I was busy trying to get pictures from far away, my kids had worked their way to the front.  The Prophet actually parted the crowd and asked for all the kids to come forward so he could shake their hands.  I had no idea my kids were right there with him, because I couldn't see well from far away!  I started to get a bit closer by being just a little evil . . .walking though the flower beds.  I made sure I didn't step on anything but dirt, but I did feel a little guilty!  Every time I looked back at Ryan, he smiled at me.  He told me later that he couldn't believe it took me that long to start charging my way through.  He apparently told some people near him that he fully expected me to jump over everyone and crowd surf to the front!

After I met up with Brynlie and Brevan near the front, I asked them if they'd seen the Prophet yet.  Brynlie looked at me, smiled, and said, "Mom, I've already shaken his hand twice!"  She said that the first time she shook his hand, he had many people around him, so she made her way down the line and shook it again when he wasn't so busy.  He looked right at her and said, "Oh you are just a little Sweetheart!"  Brevan had also met the Prophet and several other men and women in the entourage by this point.  The next two pictures were taken by someone else in the crowd.  I happened to see them on Facebook and asked for permission to download them.  The first picture shows the crowd being parted so the children can come to the front.  The girl in the middle with the white flower in her hair is my Brynlie!!

And this was taken right after she shook his hand and turned to walk away.  She has the braid on top of her head. 

These are some of the pictures I took with my phone camera.  The quality isn't great, but I was grateful for modern-day technology that allowed me to have a way to document such a wonderful moment. I took this first picture right when the Prophet walked out of the temple.  He's standing in between the pillars of the canopy.  The bald-headed guy in the foreground is one of Ryan's golfing buddies, who was the head of security for the Prophet's visit. 

At this point, Brevan was still far back in the crowd.  He's on the right side of the picture, while the Prophet was walking on the sidewalk.

The sweet Elder and Sister Holland.  Oh what I would give to spend a day with them, asking advice and enjoying their company.

Now Brevan and Brynlie had worked their way to the front, and were right next to the Prophet, who is hidden by the tree!

The Prophet is on the right side of this picture, while Brevan and Brynlie are speaking with Elder and Sister Holland.

I wish I knew the name of this little girl, so I could give her a photo to remember the day she met an apostle.

The Prophet, driving away in his motorcade while waving to the crowd.

After the Prophet was driven off, Elder and Sister Holland were waiting for their car.  They were told about a change in plans, because then they suddenly walked back up to the temple.  I ran as fast as my legs would take me and was the only person waiting to see them.  I looked at Elder Holland and said something completely stupid, like "Can I please hug you?"  Brynlie told me later that Elder Holland said I looked lovely.  I have no recollection of this because I was a sobbing mess of tears as I gave Elder Holland a hug, followed by a hug to his beautiful bride.  He told me the presidency loves me, then waved to the crowd and left.  Ryan had been watching the whole thing and was smiling at me as I turned around. 

Brevan took the following pictures.  He actually took videos with his phone as he stood next to the leaders, then he turned moments from his videos into snapshots.  The quality isn't perfect, but the pictures speak volumes.  I will try to upload a couple of his awesome videos to this blog, too.

This picture is of Elder Donald Hallstrom, a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, who spoke to us during the dedication.  His talk was one of my favorites of the day.

And my favorite picture from the day (taken by Brevan), as President Monson taught the children how to wiggle their ears!