Sealed for Time and All Eternity

On Saturday, February 3rd, 2018, Nick and I went to the Phoenix temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. A sealing is a marriage performed in an LDS temple where a couple is bound by covenants (or promises to God) for not just time, but for eternity. When Nick and I were married civilly, our LDS Bishop married us for time (or until death). With a sealing in the temple, we believe that through God's power, a couple can be bound together in a bond that even death cannot break. In Matthew 16:19 of the Bible, we read, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." That is the sealing power of God! 

And what a beautiful experience we had being sealed! One of the things that I appreciated most about our sealing is that we weren't consumed by a lot of "other" things. We had already had our wedding. We had already done the cake, the flowers, the reception, the pictures, the worry. I told my dear friends Dallis and Sharae shortly after breakfast (a post about their visit coming next!) that I felt totally different then on our wedding day. On our wedding day, I felt stressed, anxious, and excited all at the same time. On our sealing day, all I felt was excitement and peace.

We had a beautiful day leading up to our sealing (more coming next!), even if we were a little rushed getting to the temple at the very end. As Nick and I grabbed our temple bags, I did one final makeup check, Sharae fixed the last curl in my hair, as we rushed into the car, Nick stopped and we said a prayer together. We listened to LDS hymns and held hands. We talked about how we were feeling and who would come. When we arrived, we were greeted with familiar temple workers that had helped us with Nick's endowment. My dear friend Natalie met me to help me change into my temple clothing. When we walked into the bridal room (a beautiful room in the temple for women to change when they are getting sealed), I was shocked. The room was the definition of grace and beauty! I felt honored to be able to get ready in such a beautiful room and the detail and style of the room testified to me of just how important this sacred ceremony would be. 

Nick and I had the opportunity to sit quietly together in the temple for about 45 minutes, as guests arrived for the ceremony. What a beautiful time together! We prayed, we talked about how much we loved each other, we talked about our goals, and our goals for our family. We talked about how we wanted to be better for each other. And then it was time!

What a powerful experience to walk into a beautiful experience to walk in a sealing room, filled with dear friends that have become our family. As Nick and I knelt across the alter, my eyes welled with tears. I felt so honored to be with him, and so grateful that we had made it to this moment. As I listened to the beautiful ordinance, I looked into Nick's eyes, and I my heart swelled with love for my husband. He is now truly my eternal companion!

Hugging everyone and being with everyone after the sealing was truly magical! We felt so loved and so supported as dear friends had traveled near and far from out of state to be with us.

Thank you to each and every single person that shared in our special day! You helped to make it truly special! I feel so blessed by a merciful Father in Heaven that has made it possible for Nick and I to return to live in his presence and be together forever. With our sealing, there is truly no more "till death do you part." <3

Thank you to Lex Takes Pics for our beautiful images! We love them all!