A few months ago, I was shocked to learn that a certain part of the wedding ceremony normally performed at LDS temple marriages was not done when Chris and I were married. I had always assumed that this was because I had gone through the temple for the first time several years before my marriage, in order to serve a mission. A group of us ladies were talking, and somehow the subject came up and I mentioned that I didn't think that was very fair that girls who went on missions got denied this simply because they weren't going through the temple for the first time the day of their marriage. Every one there assured me that this was not the case, that several of them had gone through the temple previously, and it was still performed when they were married. So then I started freaking out that Chris and I weren't all the way married, since it had never been done. He laughed it off, but I was really worried about it.
Saturday, March 20th the Stake had organized child care for all couples who wanted to attend the temple in Bern. Naturally, Chris and I jumped at the chance and had a great morning at the temple. As we were leaving the Celestial Room I told a temple worker about having this performance done, since we didn't think it had been. He was a bit flummoxed, as apparently it doesn't come up often, and went to go ask someone who knew better. Eventually, the temple President came and spoke to us. He said, "Well, there is a very easy way to find out if it was done, or not. Do you remember doing it, Chris?" "No." "Do you remember doing it, Amy?" "No." "All right, let's get it taken care of." So, we did, and then he told us to change and meet us in his office. He spoke to us a little more, shared with us some cool stuff, and then wished us all the best. On the way home, I told Chris that we could start celebrating this as our wedding anniversary and ditch the date in December that I always hated anyway, since it was too close to Christmas. (It was the only thing we fought about while we were engaged. As a foreteller of things to come, I finally just gave in to keep the peace.)
While we were inside, the kids were having a fantastic time next door at the regular meetinghouse. They had about 15 different stations that the kids could visit and participate in different games and activities. Sarah was very excited that she got to meet President Uchtdorf's granddaughter, (his son lives in our stake) and the rest of them had a blast playing all the different games. After we picked them up, we walked across the street to the LDS bookstore and picked up a few fun items. One of the things we bought was the movie, "One Good Man" written and directed by Chris' friend Christian Vuissa. Cannot recommend this movie enough, it was excellent.
Naturally, the kids were most excited about lunch from McDonald's, since they only get to eat there about twice a year. We had a little picnic on the edge of the temple grounds, and then drove home. It was a very nice day, and I am so grateful to all those who organized and volunteered their time for the childcare.