May 28th, 2010 by Kateastrophe

I’ll never forget the moment the sealer in the temple announced that we were sealed together for eternity.  I blinked back tears and looked up from our clasped hands and looked into Matt’s eyes.  They were practically glowing blue from the combination of the heavenly lighting in the room and I think he too was blinking back some rogue tears.  I think it’s a close to heaven on earth as I’ll ever come.  I wanted to take a picture and have it to look at forever and ever.  Luckily, it’s one of the moments from our wedding day that is still crystal clear in my memory.

Neither one of us broke down and actually cried, as I’ve seen many people do at that moment.  I’m not sure why.  I’m usually a big old bawl baby.  Part of it may have been my determination to keep my make-up intact, but most of it you can probably contribute to the happiness we both were feeling at that moment.  We’d found each other and we hadn’t screwed it up.  We’d done everything that had been asked of us and we’d followed the rules and we’d been worthy to be sealed in the House of the Lord - no easy feat when you’re madly in love and the hormones are raging, but we’d done it.

The rest of the day is a blur.  Things didn’t go perfectly with the ring ceremony or reception but it was an AMAZING day.  I wish my brain would let me forget about the speed-bumps and just remember the awesome things.  I want to focus on things like my Dad crying as he announced to our closest friends and family how proud he was that I’d achieved my goal of being married in the temple even though it meant he didn’t get to see us married.  Our first dance as a couple.  Our parents dancing.  All of Matt’s family being there and feeling so at home with all of them.  My hilarious family antics.  The delicious wedding cake.  My amazing friends.  The amazing man that picked me.  ME!!  This wonderful, kind, sweet, never-yells, always positive, gives-me-whatever-I-want man picked ME, this selfish, loud, boisterous, obnoxious, spazoid of a woman to spend forever with. 

These last five years have been the best of my life.  With Matt I found everything I had been missing.  He is truly my better half and I’m so lucky to have found him and to have somehow tricked him into thinking I was awesome, too.  We’ve had so much fun.  We’ve been places neither of us ever imagined we’d be, from the beaches of Hawaii to the tallest buildings in China.  We’ve laughed until we cried.  We’ve fought and loved as fiercely as any two people are capable of.  We’ve learned so much from each other and it’s been amazing. 

I cannot wait for the adventures of the next five years.  We’ve got big plans and surprises in store and I’m so excited we’re in on them together because our life?  Is going to be epic.

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I know some of my LDS beliefs and jargon are foreign to many of you.  If you’d like to learn more about my religion and what I’m talking about, you can go to Mormon.org .  You can also go to this page to learn more about the temple specifically.

Update:  The Church has just announced the completion of a to-scale model of the inside of the Salt Lake Temple.  You can see pictures and read about it here.  This is the first time since the temple’s dedication in 1893 that individuals who do not belong to the LDS Church can see inside.  It’s amazing!