The List of Lasts (12 days to go!)

As I shut the lid of my washer on Wednesday night, I realized that I may be doing my last load of socks as a single woman--truly, a momentous occasion. It hit me that I'm coming to the end of my list of lasts. It's a list that started with my last Christmas living at home, and it will eventually include my last Sunday in my singles ward, my last FHE with my family as it is now, my last day of relying on my mom's grocery shopping (and having a clear conscience about it), and my last night of having the most comfortable bed in the world all to myself.

But it's also a list that includes my last day going through the daily grind on my own, my last night of leaving him on the doorstep with a kiss, and the last time I can only imagine what he was thinking about right before he went to bed and right after he got up in the morning.

As Mike reminded me tonight, we'll go through a re-birth of sorts when we get married. We'll give up some things, leaving traditions, routines, and parts of ourselves behind as we develop other parts of ourselves that have been waiting for the opportunity to be accessed by such a deep change. It's a leap of faith that will take us to a level of happiness we can't imagine now.

Like unto Temples

I recently learned firsthand that every detail of a temple is planned out and presented to the First Presidency before any ground is broken for it. The computer program-generated images look as real as a photograph. The intricate gold trim around the floor-length mirror in the Brides’ Room, the potted plant that sits to the left of the recommend desk, and the specific fabric that covers one of the chairs in the Celestial Room—all are included in the preparatory design.

Isn’t it fascinating that our bodies are often compared to temples? Paul asks the Corinthians, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?” (1 Cor. 3:16). Among many other comparisons between us and the temple, here is one that I really get:

“Every star is different, and so is every child,” we sang in Primary. Even twins have different personalities and life experiences. Just as every temple is different, so are we. And to accomplish that difference, the temple designers don’t just sit around and say, “Well, let’s have the dressing rooms switch sides on this one,” or “We’ll get the smaller sized potted plants this time,” and move onto the next temple. From a primary resource, I know that extensive care and research goes into every single architectural and interior design decision. Local traditions are considered, local artists are commissioned, and the “historicity” even comes into play.

When I think about Heavenly Father specifically designing my body from my incredible cardiovascular system that not only keeps me alive, but also does a little dance whenever Mike holds me, down to the hair follicle that graces the knuckle of my pinky finger, I understand a little bit more about how He knows me better than I know myself.

If you start to think about it, the similarities between us and the temple are endless! One that I’m particularly in awe of at the moment as I am on the verge of starting a family (in 2.5 weeks!) is that families are organized in the temple, and families are created by the functions of our bodies. Family, always family, is the height of excellence in the temple and in the body.

There is a lot more to say about the connotations of the Spirit dwelling in both the House of God and in our own temples. I would say that a personal study of this comparison yields the most fulfillment of all, so I will leave you to it.

For some awesome perspectives on temple architecture, check out this blog written by my sister-in-law's twin brother: http://thetrumpetstone.blogspot.com/.

One of the Best Decisions Yet

To gather addresses for wedding announcement purposes, Mike and I created a form into which everyone input his/her address. Just for kicks and giggles (as Dr. Feighery, Communications professor, would say), I put a optional "Comments" field into the form. I tell you, it really is one of the best decisions I've made so far in this wedding preparation journey. Mike and I have some pretty darn entertaining friends and family. Some comments made us smile and some made us guffaw. It made us grateful for having such a great support system.


Mike served his mission in Japan, and he likes to tell me some of the funny Japanese to English translations he's seen. I'm not sure how the relationship between the two languages came to be so entertaining, but I highly enjoy it. Some examples of Japanese to English translations are "the big happy" (= a yummy beverage), and "I feel peacefulness for this smiling face" (next to a picture of a cat). There are many many more.


We sent announcements to a few people Mike has remained close to in Japan. One woman filled out our form and wrote in the comments section. She wrote in kangi, which I can't read to save my life. Being the curious soul that I am, I quickly utilized the greatness of Google translate to figure out what it said:


"Happy marriage forever!

We find the same joy that your worthy opponent.

Please if you have a great love always deeply widely.

For all the countrymen for all women

Mayumi Matsui friends forever grateful to have met that "



I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I feel really great about how she mentions "forever" and "always." I also like the connotations behind "a great love", "always deeply widely," and "your worthy opponent."