The Trip to the MTC

Taylor, her father Harold and I drove Taylor to the Missionary Training Center (Provo, Utah) this week. It was nice to be able to spend some more time together. She was so excited to go and serve the Lord, but still had the natural anxieties of a young girl leaving home for the first time. While she has been traveling between her dad's house and mine her whole life..she has always been at home in both of them. This trip was her embarking on an entirely new adventure. This is her step into true adulthood...a coming of age. As she approached it with calm trepidation, I marveled at the peace she radiated. Truly the Holy spirit was helping her to be strong.
  We were advised in out letter not to take pictures in front of the MTC, as time would be limited. So, we stopped at the temple grounds across the street. It was lovely and I was grateful for the quiet peace there.
  After we said our farewells at the curb, it looked like Taylor was going to cry. She turned away from me and said, "Okay, enough of that, you can go now."  I turned away a little stricken, wanting to cradle her and hold her and make everything better. Even so, recognizing her attempt to not cry, I crawled into the car. I was worried. She has always been my  "shadow" she has always joked about it, but really...she has been. Then, suddenly, in typical Taylor style, she was shrieking with delight and running to another sister missionary (apparently a friend) along the curb of the MTC and jumping up and down in a hug. They were visiting excitedly as we pulled away. I was grateful to see her so happy as my mental picture of her. What a blessing for a worry-wart mother!!
Here are some of the pictures we took of my little Sister Missionary!!