The Temple

I love having the Houston Temple so close to our home.  It's about a 45 minute drive and Curtis and I usually on weekends and I often go with girlfriends during the week.  I love the perspective I get from going to the temple.  It's a powerful reminder of why we are here and what really matters.  I know many people are curious about Mormon temples and it's really so much less exciting than people imagine.  But I love learning about the creation and quietly thinking in the Celestial Room.  I also find it really empowering to participate in ordinances where women only are laying their hands on my head.  I have felt such a sweet peaceful feeling doing this work and am so grateful to have access to it.  
I absolutely love the viewpoint my faith has on Adam and Eve.  I read a book a few years ago called "Eve and the Choice Made in Eden."  I actually got to hear the author, Beverly Campbell speak and her life has been so interesting.  I find it hard to believe that many people blame Adam (and more specifically Eve) for all the suffering in this world.  A God whose plan fell apart so easily in the Garden of Eden doesn't seem very omnipotent.   So much confusion has come from difficulty in translation, most especially with the word "beguiled."  This is a Hebrew verb that has not been used in centuries and the meaning is complex.  It implies an intense emotional and spiritual experience. This interpretation dramatically changes that part of the story. Suddenly Eve is not weak and naive.  She is someone who sees the big picture and understands that staying in the garden will frustrate God's plan because she and Adam need knowledge in order to have children.  We don't know how long Adam and Eve were in the garden or how much they talked and walked with God but I believe that they were valiant and brave and we owe so much.  
I love my faith and and so grateful to have it, especially in a day when values seems to be changing on a weekly basis.  I appreciate the clear voices of prophets in our day, reminding us that we are God's children and He cares about our individual happiness.  I love this letter written by Terryl Givens: Letter To A Doubter.  I think it's harder to be a religious person today than ever before and God wants us to chose faith.  

Austin Swimming Holes and Water Biking

Texas in the summer can be so miserable.  (I just really wish they would consider year round school but that's another post.)  It's too hot to even be at the pool and so many indoor activities are over crowded and over priced.  My girlfriends and I decided to head to Austin for a couple of days to visit some swimming holes there.  We had a terrific time and the kids did too.  We all stayed at a Hotel together with rooms close by so the kids could play board games together in the evenings.  The hotel staff was so accommodating to our large group (16) and even fed us all pizza one night. 

The places we visited were:

McKinney Falls State Park- This was gorgeous and the water was cool.  It was a little scary to jump off the rocks but other people there showed us where it was safe to jump and then we went at it.  All of our kids are older and are good swimmers and we all stayed close together.  It was a lot of fun!

Water Biking under the Congress bridge to watch the bats emerge was a great time.  We had a perfect view of the bridge and rode around while the sun was setting.  We saw plenty of bats but not the huge cloud that you will see in August or September.  Lucy and I rode together and it was amazing how quiet it seemed in the water, even though there were people on the shores and bridge.  Something about being on the water was just really peaceful. 

Barton Springs Hiking and Swimming- I loved this area and it was actually free.  The hike was probably half a mile and since it was in Austin and shaded it was actually quite pleasant.  The Springs were cold and we enjoyed climbing around the rocks and practicing our backflips and other tricks.  We spent hours there and when we eaten through our stash of Nutella and Ritz we headed over to Round Rock Donuts to have the World's biggest donut!  I have to say it wasn't actually very good and I was super tired by that point but fun to say we went.  :) 

The last day we stopped by Barton Springs dam and just hung out for a bit.  It was actually not my favorite part.  It didn't seem especially clean.  Too many people and dogs and too little water.  :(
I like Austin but I don't think I'd want to live there.  Definitely a great place to visit though!