The Best Weekend in a Looong Time

I know it's Thursday, and the weekend is almost here again, but I had to share what we did last weekend.

Darreck's bff- Timothy Allred- was born on Leap Day (February 29th) so he celebrated his 8th birthday this year, so he decided he wanted to get baptized! So funny, and so ironic, and so perfect. His wife, Ashley, planned a trip for us and a few more friends to stay with her parents Friday night and then do baptisms in the temple Saturday morning. At first the trip seemed a little doomed. My family was supposed to go as well, but then Kayla was feeling sick and Max wasn't doing so hot, either. After fretting for awhile, mom told Darreck and I to go and leave Max with them overnight.

Now, I have to interrupt here with a little side story. We've only ever left Max overnight once before, and we were in town the entire time (it was New Years), so I was a little unsure of this plan at first. Not only would we be leaving the little man, we would also be in a different country where we couldn't use our cell phones. It was about enough to give me a heart attack, but I persevered and only checked in once the entire 27 hours we were gone. Go me.

Back to the trip. Ashley's parents were great, but the highlight was the temple trip. Neither Darreck nor I had done baptisms since we were youth, and it was such a neat experience to be back doing them again. It was also really inspiring for me to see the youth there serving. Of all the things they could have been doing on an early Saturday morning, they were choosing to serve in the temple. What a great example! Darreck and I were also able to do an endowment session after the baptisms, and it was so nice being there with him. It was everything the temple should be (and usually is)- quiet, peaceful, and restorative. The best part of serving in the temple is that it always gives me a better perspective on my life and the decisions I'm making. Serving in the temple is my guidepost to make sure I'm staying on the right track.

Probably the best part of the entire trip, however, was just getting the opportunity to talk in the car. Darreck and I have been together for six and a half years now, and I love that we never run out of things to talk about. As much as I missed Max, weekends away are good for us and good for our marriage, and I'm so grateful to Allreds for getting us to go and to my parents for watching Max.