I'M GOING THERE SOME DAY

On Sunday, we decided to drive up to the Washington, D.C. temple. They have a really good visitor's center there, too and we thought it would be the perfect Sunday activity. The temple is gorgeous and surrounded by trees, hiking trails, and beautiful homes. The kids loved the visitor's center because they have those computers where you push the buttons and voices talk to you about the different paintings and displays. And they got to watch the church commercials on TV in a fake living room. A very sweet sister missionary gave us the tour and all the little speeches they memorize so nicely. They also do the presentation at the Christus statue like they do in Salt Lake City. My daughter and I spent a nice time sitting on the benches looking up at it and she even commented that "He looks so wonderful." We were across the room when they started the recording but she heard it say, "I am Jesus Christ" and her eyes got huge and she said, "Mom, is that His voice?!" I had to explain to her that it was an actor on a recording but I don't think she believed me.

Is it wrong to pick the grass on the temple grounds? My daughter did notice, however, that it really needed to be cut. She was quite obsessed with this lack of attention by the groundskeeper. I couldn't convince her that I think they wanted it long like that. She is such a perfectionist. I wonder where she gets that from?

All around this water fountain where these plants with really soft leaves that the kids loved. My daughter said that if you touch the leaves, it "helps you remember Jesus." After a while she noticed that there was a little patch of them that had gotten all dried out and shrively (groundskeeper, please!). She told us in a very low and ominous voice that if you touch these "soggy" ones, you will "lose the power of God!" It was so hysterical. I don't know where she got that from, but we were laughing over it for the rest of the day.

Okay, so the last story from visiting the temple is this: We walked up to the front doors and they had a gate closed in front of them (since it was Sunday and the temple itself was closed). My daughter peered in through the bars on the gates and could barely see inside the glass doors to the lobby. She looked for a few minutes and then turned to us and said, "It's just so beautiful, it makes you want to go inside."

Now, if she can just keep that thought for the next twenty years, we are good to go.