I would like to make a toast the temple...and the thoughts it actuated afterward.

So, I went to the temple for the second time after becoming an endowed member of the Church. I am such a huge fan of the temple. This time, though, I slunk over there with my sister, Ash, driving through weepy drizzle and finally getting to use my windshield wipers (I get such satisfaction out of a good pair of windshield wipers). I am afraid to admit it...but I am kind of enjoying the recent change in the weather. People, we live in Utah--beautiful, distinct seasons are a part of the package. Quit complaining that it's raining in November. We've had a long and beautiful summer and fall--and now it's time for winter. But I digress.
We met two friends at the temple. One was Christina, an adorable RM in my ward who teaches at the MTC, is super fun, and is one of those people that just shines all the time and doesn't care how cool or nerdy you are--she just exudes love and confidence. I just discovered that she is an only child and was surprised and fascinated by that fact for some reason and I just wanted to learn more about the little gem. I love learning people's stories. You can learn so much about a person just by meeting their family or finding out whether they are the youngest of 4 or the oldest of 12. Let's be honest: it makes a difference. I am the youngest of five children and thus can handle pretty much any teasing and dish it right back. I don't get offended/don't care what people think because my siblings teased me but always made sure that I knew they loved me, so who cares what they say? I also think that I'm a little dense because I'm the youngest...I was frequently teased for always using the intelligent phrase, "Wait, what?" I like to be included in things, so I'll pop into the middle of a conversation and ask what I missed, annoying those in the original conversation. Also, I'm friggin' hilarious so that I can keep up with the weird senses of humor that make up my family, else I'd probably be behind their quick humor by about 2 1/2 days.
We also met Naomi at the temple--pretty much the sassiest, cutest, funniest British girl I've ever met. The girl is super strong--she's endured more hard times than any young woman should ever have to endure by 21. Plus, she has an accent. I could just sit and listen to her all day, wishing I had a similar way of speaking while I wrote books in my library with a Great Dane sleeping at my feet, biting a pair of round spectacles and laughing in a jolly way at the cleverness of the paragraph I had just written.
I am actually very talented at doing a New Zealand accent, but I avoid doing it except to make my sister laugh when she's sad. I feel like the type of people who do accents are the weird people in 9th grade drama class who wear LOTR necklaces and feel more akin to the characters in their most recently read fantasy book than any real person. Perhaps I am exaggerating. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the workers in haunted houses are just plain strange, though...you have to have a little crazy in you if you make a career out of horrifying people all day with your creepy, psychotic antics. I had a hard time refraining from making fun of the scarers at the American Fork Haunted Forest. I worry sometimes that I am desensitized and sick because I never get scared when I watch a scary movie or attend a haunted house...but then, it's not real--why should I be afraid? Then again, perhaps I should be afraid of those 9th grade drama class weirdos who think I'm just another Orc that they must ruin...
ANYWAY. At the temple, who happens to be in the same session as me? Mary Wilde AKA Mary Holmes, one of my best friends from freshman year. I was reeling to think how far we'd both come since our freshman year--her, pregnant and with her adorable husband, Brady, getting ready to move anywhere in the country for dental school, and me, preparing to serve a mission in Russia. It made me so happy to see her and made me look forward to the rest of my life--a mission, finishing school, marriage, a family--I will so make a toast to the things that lie ahead of me.
Cheers.