I'm a little late to the party this week, but then again, I've never been big into parties :) Except this one. Because it's actually fun. If you haven't joined in the Book Blogger Hop before, do it. It's a great way to find new blogs. Your Google Reader won't thank you, but you'll have a good time checking out all the great book blogs out there. If you're here because of the Hop, welcome! Enjoy your stay and have a fabulous weekend. Looks like it's going to be a rainy one for us, which is just fine with this reluctant desert dweller.

This week's question is: Do you ever wish you had named your blog something different?

In Heidi Ayarbe's YA novel Compromised, a teenage girl travels from Reno, Nevada to Boise, Idaho, in search of her aunt. She spends part of that time living on the streets of the city, sleeping in alleys, shelters, etc. Interestingly, given Idaho's large LDS population, Mormons are only mentioned once. Near the end of the story, Maya Sorenson tells her friend:

"'I've been to a synagogue, Luthern, and Methodist churches, even a Mormon temple. But they wouldn't let me in the temple, so I sat outside and looked at it,' I said" (427).

Since there are 134 LDS temples in the world (with 23 more on their way), you've most likely seen one before. Temples are beautiful buildings with unique architecture and lush, beautiful grounds. The insides are clean and serene, as befitting a house of the Lord. The walls are decorated with religious paintings, depicting scenes from the scriptures. Everything about temples - from the plants outside to the art inside - is designed to make it a peaceful, calming place to be. Even if you just spot a temple's spires from the freeway, you can tell that it's a special place.

Because Mormons believe the temples to be sacred buildings, only members of the church are allowed to enter. Even then, they must hold a "temple recommend," which signifies that they're worthy (meaning they abide by the laws of the church and are honest, morally clean, etc.). Those who meet the requirements are able to go to the temple whenever they please. Inside, members can be married for time and all eternity. They can also worship the Lord, make covenants with Him, learn more about the Gospel, and serve each other. Going to the temple is a spiritual experience, cleansing, peaceful and inspiring.

If you want to know more about the purpose of temples or just want to see more pictures like the one above (which is the Boise Temple), check out LDS Temples.org.