Having apparently taken the appropriate steps to avoid being judged as "unworthy" to be married in the temple, I figured that the potential for criticism by our fellow Mormons was pretty much over. Little did I know that in choosing to remain childless for over nine years was going to be as big an issue for us as not having a temple wedding would have been. We lived at University Village for the first four years of our marriage, during which time I saw dozens of my peers have one baby...

I met Matt about a week or two before my high school graduation. We began dating about four months later, and became serious shortly thereafter. I had always been taught that I should marry in the temple, and that that was the only way my marriage would be eternal in nature. It had never really occurred to me to do otherwise. By the time Matt and I were talking about getting married, I began to imagine, as every young girl does, what my perfect wedding would look like. I remember telling Mama...

I am a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been baptized and confirmed at the age of eight by my father. I am a Mormon, but as I describe myself, I am "not your average Mormon." With the passing of every year, I relate more and more closely to a comment Rudyard Kipling is credited with having said: "The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you may be lonely often, and sometimes...