So now i have to deal with them forever?..

I have been slacking off majorly on this whole blogging thing and it's about time i get caught up. Lets start off with huge events that have happened recently. The first one is easy to think of. Almost two weeks ago now, something seriously incredible happened in my life. Me and three of my very best friends took a  trip to the Draper temple, and were sealed for time and all eternity. My Mom, my Dad, my older sister, Randi, and I were all able to meet up in Draper, Utah and  follow through with a goal tha the four of us together have been heading towards for three years now, nearly exactly. I wont delve into the full details, because ours is a story that would take more than just one blog's length to explain. There was a lot to it. A lot of twists and turns and trials that all lead up to one very incredible day: Wednesday, October 19th. To give you the important facts, you should know that all four of us were converted. Well, my parents were both baptized at the age of eight, but my father never went to church and as he puts it, his parents 'baptized him so the neighbors parents would let them play with him'. (for all of us that grew up in Utah, it makes a little sense) My mom went to church until about the age of 16, when she finally purchased her own mode of transportation and there wasn't a whole lot her parents could do to force her into the building, especially while rounding up their other five daughters. To put it shortly they both had their share of good times, and walked away from the church with no intent of looking back. In December of 2004 we all moved from San Diego, California, where my sister and i had grown up our whole lives up until this point, to Richfield, Utah. Their current population was somewhere around 8,000, with three stoplights in town, more church buildings that there were options in fast food, and all the business's in town could be found right along Main Street, you could say it was a bit of a culture shock. It took a little adjusting but we all seemed to fit in alright after a little time. Over time i noticed that my new school and community was predominantly LDS and became interested. I rode my bike to the store, bought a Book of Mormon and soon after invited the missionaries over to have the discussions with me. On January 21st, 2006, i was baptized a member of the LDS faith. In October of that same year my sister made the same incredible decision for herself. After that things went very well for us. My sister and i's faith continued to grow and my parents continued to maintain their attitude that they did not believe the same things we did but they would allow us to practice whatever it was that we chose to believe. They lived their lives out the same way they always had and Randi and I began to change ours. My parents opened a car dealership in town somewhere during this time period and they sure did love their jobs. But in October of 2008 the dealership was shut down, and to compress it into a lighter form, some other big things happened in their lives. After a giant reality check they both embarked on a mission to regain whatever testimonies they may have had as children. They started coming to church with me (my sister had gone off to college at this time) and reading the Book of Mormon. They began having weekly discussions with our bishop and our good friend Joey Carlson, to learn all they could about the gospel. It wasn't an easy road. They had habits to kick, and major life changes to make. They both had to improve, and adapt, and turn their lives completely upside down to adapt to the standards they had finally come to believe to be true. It was an incredible journey, but finally, they made it. And finally, we were all able to gather over that alter together, the four of us, and be sealed for time and all eternity. I can not even express how long this has been coming. I can remember nights laying in my bed, years ago, just hoping and praying that one day my family would be eternal, but knowing completely that it could never happen. I should know better than to underestimate the power of my Heavenly Father. He truly does know no bounds. My heart was so full and my smile was so big. i couldn't even believe i was there, dressed in white, along side my family, my best friends, knowing that i would never again have to say goodbye to them, not truly. The day was incredible. the spirit was so strong and it didn't fade. not when we left the temple, not when we left draper, not when we went to sleep or woke up. my parents stayed in Utah with my sister and i until the next Monday when they left to return to San Diego, where they currently live once again. During this time i took a complete break from life. No work. no school. no homework. no responsibilities. i focused all of my time and effort into maintaining that

spirit and feeling the love of my family and my heavenly father. irresponsible as it may have been, and as much make up as i had to do, i wouldn't take it back if i could. i have never felt such close ties with my family. we have never gotten along so fluently, all of us, at the same time. i can not wait to be with them forever. my life has been truly blessed. i thank heavenly father everyday that my parents hearts were softened, and i am grateful everyday for the blessings of the missionary program, and for the good leaders that are active in our wards today. i love the temple. it is my favorite place to be, and i would proudly state that in any setting, not just at BYU or in Sunday school. this gospel is real. it is the truth. it is the fire behind our waking up each day and falling asleep each night. it is our motivation for living and it is the force allowing us to. there is not for one second even an ounce of doubt in my mind about the things i believe in. The books, the doctrine, the commandments, it is all real. And it is all so valuable. i have seen a change in someones heart. i have witnessed a life turned completely around due to the teachings of this gospel, and i have seen even the most stubborn of them all turn to it and get down on their knees to ask for reassurance of it's truth. i am so grateful to be one of those who already know. and i am so grateful to be a member of this last generation. I would not be myself without this gospel, and my family would not be an eternal one. And i can't imagine ever saying goodbye to them. My mother, she is my best friend in this whole world. I love her, i look up to her, i have learned in so many ways from her what kind of woman to be. This includes some 'what to do's' as well as some 'what not to do's' but i love her the same either way. My father, is a difficult man to understand, and at times, many times, has been a difficult man for me to get along with, but i have never felt closer to him than i do now, and i have never been more confident in saying how much i love that man. My sister is my role model, also a best friend and someone who i can always turn to in every situation. her and i had to stick together there for a few years, and watch our parents make decisions that dragged them farther and farther from our eternal happiness every day. but we also were together to watch them work towards us, and were together that day in the temple, hand in hand, when we became an eternal family. I love my family. i love this gospel, and i am so lucky to have been so blessed by each. I leave this small portion of my testimony with you, whoever may be reading, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

loveisourweapon