This weekend was a peaceful one for me. John and I finally got to go to the temple, which I haven’t done since before I was sick and pregnant. For about a year now I haven’t been able to go anywhere with ease, especially places that required me to sit for long periods of time without easy access to a bathroom. It might have even been almost a year for me since I went to the temple, the last time I wrote about it was last May. That is crazy. For me, going to the temple is a very important part of faith- as I don’t always feel the peace I need to at our regular, local church meetings. There is something in the busy, people-planned nature of our meeting each Sunday that makes it personal, personable, and too hectic to really feel peace at times. But the temple is only peace. I go there and leave everything else outside, and I feel like I really understand that I am a daughter of God. It’s a good, centering experience.
That said, getting to the temple wasn’t a centering exprience. We relied on Cynthia, who decided to take us into the very middle of Boston (as in, “Hello, Big Dig”(is that still going on?)) and all around East Jibippi before we finally realized that she needed more precise coordinates to find the Temple. As we drove around neighborhoods and back streets, I really thought I was going to throw her out the window. It was especially funny when she said, “Arriving at destination on right” as we pulled up to some boating store. I was all, “Well, maybe it’s…no. It’s not behind the boating store.” WRONG DESTINATION CYNTHIA. Seriously, lots of Dunkin Donuts in Boston. Lots of them. When we got into a town where I know a blogger-friend lives, I thought about knocking on doors til I found her to 1) introduce myself and 2) see if she’d direct me to the temple. And because it seemed to make about as much sense as listening to Cynthia. In the end, the iPhone saved us. And John gloated.
We also accidentally found and REI on our trip, which was AWESOME because we got a dividend (= free money) that we wanted to spend. I ended up getting a new bag for our trip out west for practically nothing after the dividend and a membership discount- and although I feel like I’m always posting: hey look what I got! (Cause I am, and I should stop, but it’s COUPONS yo. AND DISCOUNTS. and SMART SHOPPING. I know I need to stop) I am going to show you anyway.
Yay! I’m using it as a diaper bag right now, cause although I love the one my Mom bought me before Camper was born, it’s not the best airplane option. So I think I’ll give this one a spin for awhile, and maybe getting around to washing my Birdie one, so that I take good care of it.
Yeah, I like figuring out ways to get free stuff. It’s kind of fun. I was telling John that the weeks I don’t have coupons or dividends or points on the credit card or credits anywhere to get good deals, I end up just going to Price Chopper and getting buy 1 get 2 free English Muffins. Because it just feels thrifty.
But anyway, yes. I feel better about life this weekend. I feel like with added peace the temple brings, we can be more patient in the job search, still hoping to find something to get us through school that doesn’t require John to work nights, more patient in waiting to figure out where I’ll go to school, more patient all around. Other situations were resolved, as well, and now that I feel free of the pressure to be friends with someone when I just can’t, I feel free to be friend-LY. I feel relief because I now know that someone won’t require of me more than I can give.
It’s funny, I didn’t update yesterday and ever since I got home last night I’ve felt all post-itchy. Gotta post. Gotta post. Gotta post. I think I may rely on you too much, internet.