Memories revisited: The Washington DC Temple

 I have had a memory etched into my brain of the DC temple.  But it's getting foggier and foggier the older I get.  I haven't been back to see this temple since the original open house in 1974.  My family was living in Michigan at the time and I remember the excitement as time drew closer to its dedication.  It was the first North American temple built East of the Mississippi since Nauvoo, and the Saints in our area were ecstatic to have a temple within a 24 hour drive!  My mom was in a dedicatory choir that sang at one of the dedication sessions and I thought that was so cool!  I remember driving on the Beltway and being completely awestruck as the temple appreared so big and beautiful!  I also remember walking through the open house and being very impressed at the simple elegance of the celestial room.  But the biggest impression was the feeling I felt while I was in there.  This was my very first experience entering the Lord's house and I knew then that I would be married in the temple someday.

 I remember hearing the statistics about how much marble covered the temple and being very impressed.  When I got home I did a report for school on Washington DC, but most of the report was on the temple. Now I sort of chortle as I think that my non-member third grade teacher read it and had me read it to the whole class.

 So on Sunday after Church, Michelle and I decided to take the kids and go to the Visitor's Center at the temple.  As we got there, the sun was on it's way down, so I hurried around and snapped a few shots of it.  I love how the daffodils were up.  I just love the spires and how magnificent the whole building is.  It was chilly so Mik took the kids in and waited for me. When I came back in she mentioned that there would be a small concert there and we could stay.  It was really lovely and just so happened to be a Chamber orchestra with a few guest artists.  The orchestra was made up of musicians from surrounding stakes.

 Mik ran into a few friends from her ward there that night and as we were leaving, one of them volunteered to take us on a tour of the Pentagon since she worked there.  We were so excited to plan to meet her Tuesday morning and do something a little out of the ordinary for most people.

Anyway, I was so glad that I got to go and walk around and hope I can get back there sometime to go in and do some temple work.  We would have if we didn't have to worry about Libby.  Oh, well, I was there and got to snap some pictures and admire its beauty.  That's enough for now.