We found an AMAZING babysitter, so we ended up going on two dates in one week! I was called into the Young Women's in our new ward and I am pretty sure I want to request having a calling in there whenever we move. It happened in TN as well and I have found it is a great way for me to get to know the girls and scope out who I want taking care of my kids :) Having always been a babysitter growing up, it is fun to be on the other end as the mom who gets to see the excitement from my girls when they get to spend time with the fun sitter and hear all that they have to say afterward.
As for our dates, they were two very different events however I am grateful for both. The first was on Tuesday when we went to a free early showing of the new movie "Deepwater Horizon" here on base and they had Kurt Russell, Kate Hudson, and the director Peter Berg talk for a little bit before the movie. The movie was really well done and it was neat to have somewhat of an insight into what happened. I have heard (from a local) that after the big oil spill of 2010, they tried to put something (I can't remember what she said it was) in the water to help it get back to normal but instead it made it worse. We live 2 minutes from the coast but drive over an hour to enjoy the ocean because of what Dave has seen and heard at the hospital from people who have gotten bad infections from the water. We do LOVE the view we get to see though, so even if we don't get to swim in it we love driving next to the coast each day!
Today, we made the 2 1/2 hour drive to Baton Rouge, LA to go to the temple. Our wonderful babysitter, Rachel, has an amazing family so the girls went to their house for the day starting at about 6 am this morning. It was so peaceful to be at the temple and feel the spiritual renewal we needed together and for our family. It has been interesting to think today about how when we were first married, we lived less than a minute from a temple. Then in Sacramento I think it was about 20 minutes. In Hendersonville, we were about 45 minutes and now we are almost 2 1/2 hours away depending on the time of day. So, from start to finish it is about an 8 hour day to get to the temple. I was thinking how grateful I am that we were able to be close early in our marriage to develop the habit of being there regularly. As we talked to the Lyman's (family who kept the girls) when picking up the girls, I was reminded that 95% of church members live within 2 hours from a temple now so I guess we are part of the 5% who are over that amount. I am grateful for the peace and guidance I feel in the temple and that Dave and I were able to be there together today. When we went to get the girls, they continued to play with the Lyman's 10 year old boy, John, who we found out had made forts like an airplane for the girls and other imaginative play that they love while we were gone. (He is the youngest of 6 and also spoke in sacrament Sunday more poised than some adults.. needless to say he is not like most 10 yr old boys and I was so impressed). The girls loved playing with him, Rachel and their dog. We have only known the Lyman's for a month or so (Dave met them today) and I am so grateful for the positive influence they have had on our family already and the relief I feel to have such a wonderful family to take care of our girls if we ever need it.
Oh, and we found a Panera Bread less than 10 minutes from the temple and two more on our path back! This was pretty exciting news because Panera Bread is my all time favorite place to eat out and I recently looked it up to see the nearest one in MS and it is at the top of the state, so about 300 miles away. I was thinking I would be missing out on my fall favorite: turkey, apple, cheddar sandwich with autumn squash soup but I hadn't thought to look in Alabama or Louisiana for a location. Needless to say I was so happy to eat there today and if you need a recommendation, definitely try this sandwich and soup! It is seasonal so I think they keep it on the menu through December... If you do try it, let me know what you think :)
