The cool story I promised - I hope you think it's as cool as I do!

I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on November 26, 2005. For those of you who don't know, Latter-Day Saints are also known as Mormons. I was introduced to the Church by missionaries who moved into the apartment complex where I worked and after 4 months of investigating and asking numerous questions, I decided to be baptized. I take my faith and membership in the LDS church very seriously and my decision was nothing short of difficult. It was a life-changing decision but if given the opportunity, I'd do it all over again.

This past weekend, I attended my 10 year high school reunion and had so much fun seeing lots of people I hadn't seen in, well...10 years! As I was walking around talking to people, two boys I've known since elementary and junior high tapped me on the shoulder - Brett Frandsen and Donnie Warren. I immediately recognized them and screamed with joy, which I don't think they were expecting. These guys weren't really friends, moreso acquaintances, but I was excited to see them nonetheless since we had numerous classes together.

Donnie said he had seen my blog through his sister who saw it through a friend of hers. Did you get that? Anyways, he noticed the Church logo on my page. He and Brett have been members their whole lives and wanted to congratulate me on my baptism. It was seriously so cool to find out after all these years that Brett and Donnie were Mormon and I had no idea. I never thought I had a whole lot in common with them, but now, that's totally changed. They were really great, all-around nice guys who married girls they deserved. I got to meet their beautiful wives and they met Joseph and we had a great talk in the middle of the dance floor!

I think the coolest part about this experience actually comes before the reunion. When I was trying to figure out what I wanted to wear, I looked in my closet and of course hated everything! Thankfully I had some birthday money to spend and so I went shopping! Being Mormon has also changed the way I dress. I no longer wear anything sleeveless or strapless and shorts always go to my knees. That may seem strange to some of you but it's a personal choice and most LDS members abide by this rule. We feel strongly about modesty and chastity, and go by the notion that our bodies are our temples. Because I haven't been a member all my life, I used to dress in that way, meaning tank tops, short shorts, etc. Don't get me wrong - I don't feel that dressing that way is wrong or bad. It's just not what I do anymore. After having a kid, I feel the need to cover more anyway! So as I'm searching for something fun and cute, a flash of a thought crosses my mind that I could wear whatever I wanted to the reunion. Not a lot of people from high school know I'm Mormon now. It's not like I would see anyone from church so why not wear a fun little strapless dress? I considered it but heard a little voice in my head telling me not to. After some thought, I felt in the end I would be much more comfortable sticking to my modesty guns. I found a really pretty, modest dress at The Limited and was really excited about my choice.

So here I am at the reunion, and lo and behold, I see Donnie and Brett. Two members who wanted to congratulate me on my baptism. I can't imagine how I would have felt had I worn that strapless number! Not that they would have judged me - because I know they wouldn't have. I just would have been embarrassed. Here I am, proud as punch to be a Latter-Day Saint, but dressed in a non-LDS way. How can I set an example for my family when I can't even follow my own example. I realized later that night that the voice in my head telling me not to buy the little strapless dress was the Holy Spirit. And how thankful I am to be worthy to have the Spirit with me to help me make tough decisions.

Being Mormon doesn't just mean you don't drink, don't smoke, dress modestly, have lots of babies (just kidding on that last one!), etc. It's much more than that. A friend of mine put it perfectly - "It has been a process of me figuring out who I am, who I want to be, what values system I hold and how I will interact with my family in my home." (Thanks Carrie!) Being baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was the greatest decision I've ever made. It gave me the opportunity to find my husband and be sealed to him for all time and eternity, to have Jonathan and be sealed to him and all other children we have. It's made my life much more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined. I'm truly thankful to my parents and brother for accepting my decision, tough as it may have been in the beginning. I'm also thankful to my friends who I've known all through my non-Mormon days for not judging me and staying my true friends.

Thanks for listening! I am now stepping down off my soapbox, at least for tonight.