love, amanda: last sunday was wonderful and lovely and just perfect.

last sunday president monson was in frankfurt. and for those of you that don't know, that's only about an hour and a half from where i live. he was holding a special conference for german members and my ward got their hands on some tickets, and i was one of the few lucky ones who got to attend. and it was perfect.

we woke up at o'dark thirty and made our way to the netto, the meeting point for all things church. we got our tickets and were on our way. (my best friend emily and her mom also got tickets to go, so that was pretty darn awesome, and i rode up with them.) we got to the place a little early and waited in line. once they let everyone in, we found an amazing seat and played a little hangman. very mature, i know.

when president monson walked in that room, everyone stood but i felt like the spirit was going to knock me over. i could hardly sing the words to 'we thank thee, o God, for a prophet'. partly because it was in german, but mostly because, if you ask me, being in the same room as a living prophet is a little overwhelming. having lived in salt lake for the past two years and attending conference and christmas devotionals, it wasn't the first time i'd seen president monson. but watching the faces of the german members, knowing that this would probably be one of the only times they would see him, was just so beautiful. the lady next to me couldn't hold in her tears. president monson spoke of many beautiful things, my favorite being the idea that 'love is the catalyst for change.' i took notes the whole time and they are already notes that i will cherish for always.

after the conference, we drove to the frankfurt temple. i'm very partial to this temple--it's my favorite. it's the temple i grew up with, and it holds a very special place in my heart. (plus, the most delicious chinese restaurant you will ever go to is right down the street. but that's besides the point.) we walked around the grounds and took pictures and enjoyed the gorgeous grounds. we start walking back down the stairs when the doors of the temple open. temple? open? on a sunday? something was up. and out walks president monson and we just stop. we make our way back up the stairs as some german ladies make their way to him to shake his hand. we weren't quite sure what to do, so we didn't have the courage to go shake his hand. but just seeing him there was the perfect ending to the day. my heart was full.