In order to give Marty experiences, we've been trying to take a weekend trip away once a month.  This month, Kansas City.


I am not a believer in coincidences.  I believe the Lord plans out our lives and coincidences are actually miracles.  This past weekend was one such miracle.  Shantel is my younger cousin by two years from my birth mother's family.  I would see her for a day to two each summer, but really lost touch with her over the last 20 years.  We weren't especially close growing up either.  We reconnected via facebook in the last 3 years or so.  


When I heard that the open house for the new Kansas City temple was to take place the first 3 weeks of April, I knew that this would be an experience for Marty.  He doesn't have any remembrance of the temple.  I decided this would be an easy way to re-introduce him to the temple.  I looked at the calendar and the weekend of April 13-14 was the only available weekend, so I booked tickets for the afternoon of the 14th.


After booking tickets I found out that Shantel had been invited to attend the open house the evening of the 13th with the Smith family.  She is a part of the church's historical society and has become quite the expert on Emma Smith.  She was invited to escort the descendants of the family through the temple.  The Lord was able to make a long needed reunion happen in Kansas city.


She drove with her husband 8 hours and we drove the 4 hours there.  We got to the hotel within about 10 minutes of each other.  Our rooms ended up side by side.  I felt like a teenager getting ready for a slumber party!  She headed off to be with the Smith family and we agreed to meet up for dinner afterwards.  


We sat at Red Lobster for hours, talking, laughing and catching up.  I had never met her husband and she had never met mine.  We were like old friends.  We were so engrossed in conversation that we didn't realize we had stayed well after the restaurant had closed.  The staff was so polite and didn't even say anything to us as they cleaned all the way around us.  When we finally realized how late it had gotten, we apologized to the manager.


As we were leaving the restaurant to head to the hotel, Marty started to say good bye to them.  I said I had full confidence we'd see them in the morning and I wasn't going to say goodbye.  Well, through various circumstances, we didn't see each other again after the parking lot of Red Lobster.  I am so sad we didn't think to get pictures taken.  


When we were driving home last night, Marty commented multiple times about how much he enjoyed our visit.  Marty is not usually comfortable around people he doesn't know well.  He loved them.  He said he wished it were possible to do that every weekend. Shantel and I are kindred spirits.  We are so much alike it's almost scary.  I feel like I have a new friend in a cousin.  I am grateful that through small miracles, we were able to be in Kansas City the same weekend.