Since they needed Josh at the temple, and we didn't have child care, he got to go while i stayed behind. It was pretty stressful, trying to shop in Edmonton on a Saturday. We did some of the shopping before we took josh to the temple, then went to Ikea for hot dogs and frozen yogurt. The boys begged and begged to go play in Smaland, so i told them i would bring them back after we dropped daddy off. I thought it would help them burn off some energy and give me a little break for an hour before we went off shopping again. When we returned to Ikea, we found that Smaland was closed for renovations. So i had to try and shop for groceries at another store while they burned off their energy by pinching, biting, hitting and pulling each other's hair, trapped in the shopping cart.
Long story short, it was a rough day. The kids were tired and cranky, as were mom and dad. It was warm. Traffic was bad, even before it got severely congested due to an accident. We spent too much money. We stayed too late and got home too late. I was very disappointed and discouraged that i didn't get to attend the temple. Tempers were raging. And yet, we enjoyed some amazing sights as well - natural wonders that seemed to be Heavenly Father's way of helping us cope with a difficult trip; we don't often see so many sights on a normal trip to the city.
On the way to the city on Friday night, we saw an incredible rainbow - the biggest and brightest any of us had seen in a very long time! it stretched all across the sky! it was magnificent! and it was a double rainbow - though the second one was hard to see much of the time.
when the boys and i went to pick Josh up at the temple, we stopped at the garden, so i could just enjoy the peace and beauty of the place. Though i did not get to feel it inside the temple, the Spirit definitely lingers even outside of it, and i certainly felt the need for it. As i sat back on a bench, breathing in the quiet and the peace, trying to calm my stresses, a baby bunny hopped out of the bushes! It was absolutely adorable, and not as skittish as i thought it should have been. It let the boys get pretty close before it hopped away. Even then, it didn't go very far, so we had a chance to enjoy the wonder and cuteness of a tiny baby bunny in the temple gardens for several minutes.
And on the way home late at night, frustrated and exhausted, we were treated to an incredible lightning show. On the highway, about 40 minutes from home, the whole sky on the horizon lit up with lightning - forks of it dancing from cloud to cloud, just an awesome and beautiful display of nature.
So a trip that was, at many points, severely difficult actually ended up giving us some beautiful moments, and memories the kids enjoy sharing with anyone who will listen. =)
