We started by taking Melanie, the family dog, to a Pet Daycare for free for 4 hours called Dogs 24/7 or something on Guadalupe and Gilbert. I noticed a Goodwill and asked Gracie if we could go there on our way back to pick up the dog. The person at the front desk had Gracie fill out a lot of papers, in the which she spelled my name wrong: Jhon, and also spelled Melanie in a way I have never seen before. Something like: Meline, or something. That was 8:30 and they told us to come back at 12:30. I spent the morning doing my morning routine, like eat breakfast, study from Mormon, With One Accord talk from April 2018, and some of the Saints book chapter 2. It recounted a version of the First Vision, which was really interesting and which I am going to do more research. Like, there are four accounts of the Vision by Joseph, and three or four secondhand accounts written by people who have heard. I talked with Sarah and she encouraged me to take the fifth and final exam I had in the allotted 3 hour time frame without distractions, including from Gracie. So I promised I would after we picked up the dog.
My car was covered in dust. Why? Because there was a Haboob that I kinda experienced yesterday, but didn't really. In fact, I was inside all day yesterday pretty much and when Uncle Jesse came home he was like, how was your experience, and I had no idea what he was talking about, haha. I look outside to see a haze of the afterstorm, and dust on the floor...and later today, on my car. Honestly, even though it is probably freaky, I look forward to one I encounter. The biggest thing I heard is just to not drive in the storm. Uncle Jesse was at the supermarket when it hit so he stayed in his car for a while and ate dinner. And Gracie and Aunt Kerry waited it out as well. The whole time I don't even really know what I was doing. Nothing cool like them, haha.
I called LIFE today to see the status of my interview and see if they were going to contact me. They said I'd get an email by Wednesday (finally). It's been like 3 weeks. I also signed up for my NES Special Ed test at the Rio Salado College test center on Monday at 10:30 am. I also applied to a place Sarah had recommended. Hopefully, one if not all all those avenues will pan out, and I'll have a selection of choices.
We picked up the dog. She peed right when we got there. Fortunately it was in the facility and not in the car. They had told us the system they follow with new dogs like Melanie is to introduce her to all the dogs first one at a time until she is familiar with the surroundings. Well, that supposively takes all the energy out of the dog. On the car ride home, Gracie and I stopped at McDonald's so she could pick up a Lg. Diet Coke. Also, we stopped at Goodwill, and I looked at pants and books. I'll have to take advantage of the 50% off sale they are having next saturday and get some good jeans and slacks.
While we were driving home, Gracie was appalled that I like Football. She was like, no offense, but I don't take you as a football guy. I called Sarah and she plead my case and let her know the origins of the love for sports and my competitiveness. T-minus 29 days until Sarah comes and the first football game of the 2018 BYU college football season. I'm excited (for both of course).
I took the test, like I said I was going to do (in half the time) and got a 228 (with a needed score of 220)!!! That was definitely a morale booster. Also, Gracie gave me space and even went upstairs the whole time (which wasn't my intention). But when I got her and told Sarah, they both cheered me on. So now to the actual test this Monday.
In my call to Sarah, I found out that she remembered that there was a Juniper Ward campout and that she had a ride with the Garcia's to Silverwood Lake. She was on her way to Winco to meet them. We talked and enjoyed each other's company while praying that everything was good. She commended me for still wanting to go to the temple.
Well, Aunt Kerry came home and they quickly got ready to go to workout. I had let Kerry know that I would be going to the temple while they went. Right when they left, I spent several minutes cleaning dog poop in their small yard, and I took their overflowing trash out. I want to be of some semblance of help while I stay with them. They are so nice to take me in. I looked at the route to the temple (which I had taken with Gracie the day prior {found an easier and not out of the way better way}). Said bye to the dog, and was on my way. It took about 4 or so songs of the Missionary Hymn Project to get there. I took my entrance pictures and brought in the name from Hermana Sierra that the JUNIPER ward wants me to do.
I barely had time to get the one initiatory done for Carlos Alberto Tejada Milla. Plus, I had to navigate an unknown temple and get the nuances of the temple down. I asked where the initiatory booths were. Decided to choose a locker close to the booth, to my detriment later, and quickly sign up for initiatories for one person. Man, those guys were slow, the whole process. Maybe I'm just use to hearing the blessing uttered quickly or something. Part of it is I think some of the workers were new. But, man, I ran to the desk and I had five minutes til the session. Well, the name givers talked to me for a bit, and when it didn't seem I was getting the name recorded, one of them went with me to get it from a file they have outside the dressing room. Well, it was filed under Hermana Sierra's name, but I had forgotten it, so I was relieved to finally find it and quickly get my new name and enter the session just in the nick of time.
I was in the very back of one of three endowment rooms. The capacity is 104, and believe me, the session was full to the brim. Of course, ladies went all the way to the back, men had one and a half rows vacant. They showed the oldest movie. It was a callback to old times. They have like six light chandeliers that look like lanterns, and I noticed one on the women's side that was flickering. It was a small, almost unnoticable flicker. Probably half or more people didn't notice it. Those lantern lights are cool and they have a seven pointed star on the bottom of them. There is also a stain glass rectangle that has glass that look like six 8-pointed flowers. It's quite beautiful. You are in that endowment room the whole session.
Quite funny (and a bit blasphemous) is that right after the covenant you make not to take the lord's name in vain, we were dressing ourselves in the robes, and an elderly man kept saying the letter G-O-D, G-O-D, because he was having trouble with putting them on. At least that is what I think I heard. He was in the back row, and leaned in to the guy next to me (who helped him) and said, "This is what happens when you are 73."
The session was nice. A lot of couples. A lot of people in the Celestial Room. It is a really big room with a magnificent chandelier. I had already taken the time to pray before I entered the room, which is what I do when I am in the back rows and last to be serviced. I sat next to a temple worker lady on the outskirts of the room and asked her some questions about the Gilbert Arizona Temple.
Now the detrimental part. I had put my clothes away and was getting changed (in the lockers next to the initiatory room). Well, I hadn't noticed that in the lockers were hanging white coats belonging to temple workers, and that the locker I chose, since it was close to the booths, were frequented by temple workers. Well, a temple worker, while I was changing asked for his coat and I handed it to him from over the locker. But worse, an elderly temple work (short and hunched) asked to get inside the locker while I was changing and in garments. I kinda reluctantly let him in, hiding behind the door and he got his coat or dropped it off and he told me, "Good of you, young man." It was quite the experience. I didn't feel too bad as I'm sure he goes to a lodge where he's around half-naked men all the time, haha.
The names were in those drawers next to the men's locker room but they hadn't been let out yet. So I took the time to write names for the temple roll, as I always do. Then I got the name (under Sierra), and walked out of the temple. I took a lot more pictures. It was definitely getting dark. Which added nice ambience to the pictures. I called Sarah. Told her about all the funny experiences. Then, I took a few more pictures, and left the grounds. I took the long way home and called mom and dad and talked to them for a little while. I parked near a Wendy's and got something to eat, before I headed home.
I found Jesse in Gracie's room, talking to her and we talked for a little while about the area and the Indian reservations and all the places I should move to in the future. Then, we got on the subject of Trump, whom Jesse really prefers, and we talked for a while about him, to Gracie's disgruntledment. We were going to watch the end of an anime that we started watching, but Gracie was falling asleep.
I changed.
And now it is bed time.
