Daniel was called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He left in October of 2003 and entered the Missionary Training Center, to prepare to preach the gospel to the wonderful people of the Philippines. We separated as friends for a few different reasons. The main reason being that I was only a junior in high school and for me to be “waiting” for a missionary would have been ridiculous.
Though we separated as friends we kept up a regular exchange of letters. The letters were originally surface skimmers, and fairly shallow. I tried to help Daniel focus on the work he was doing by sharing my testimony with him each time of a blessing I had seen occur since the last letter. Daniel tried to keep his distance by not responding to frequently and keeping the letters very detailed as to what he would do each day while at the MTC.
I doubt either of us knew the friend we would miss those two years that he was to be gone. Nor did we ever imagine the friendship that was to emerge from the letters that were exchanged over that time. Thankfully I was able to keep myself fairly busy with being in The Sound of Music at Madison High School. I was excited when I was cast as Liesel, and loved every minute of being 16 going on 17.
Sometime in December or January Daniel left the MTC and moved out into the mission field. I missed those days of $0.32 a letter, as $0.90 was sure to break the bank on my $20 a week I earned from working at Western Watts. I remember for Christmas I only asked for and received STAMPS! We wrote each other on a regular basis. By regular I mean that there was an exchange on average of at least one letter a month. I would spend a week writing a letter then it would take 3 weeks to travel snail mail to the Philippines. Daniel would get my letter, spend a week writing a response and then send it and approximately 3 weeks later I would be dancing in the driveway looking like an absolute fool.
Our letters started out fairly uneventful, but over time we started to enjoy the relationship that was forming through the letters. I was fairly involved in activities at school as I was participating in the Jr. Miss program that was being put on by the school. But I made sure to send Daniel a package at his 6-month marker. I believe it consisted of a couple pictures (my Jr. Miss photo included, and a picture of me in my talent costume. My talent was not merely jumping rope, no because anyone can do that…my talent was jumping rope in a pink and white polk-a-dot dress trying to look like a 6 year old. Not pretty or flattering, why I sent him that photo I am not sure). I also started a tradition that was a fun one to keep up for the remainder of his mission. I would buy packages of Jello and remove them from their boxes (as that just takes up too much space) and so he had a surprise of Jello flavor. I never got complaints from him; I only got expressions of gratitude so I assume I was doing something right.
The Summer following my Jr. year in high school I auditioned for and made it into the Mack’s Inn Dinner Theatre. I, along with my two older brothers and their wives, had the opportunity to entertain hundreds each night. I hoped that this opportunity would provide some chances to grow and live outside of the Rexburg bubble as I had been raised there for most of my life.
Daniel and I continued to write each other during the summer. I continued to flirt, and have fun. I was going to be a Sr. in high school who would I have been kidding if I would have “put my self in cold storage for two years!” In the mean time the letters we wrote changed from “people who knew each other at one point in time who were now living thousands of miles away” to “friends!” We both got a little less stiff in our writing. I, because I was tired of being so formal, and Daniel’s (I am told by a very good source---the horses mouth) because he was starting to fall for me. No do not be alarmed, he remained a good missionary, and continued to focus on his mission. Though his flirting became more and more apparent (not inappropriate by any means) but the jokes and teasing we could exchange was far more telling than any of those letters we wrote the first 8-10 months of his mission.
For Daniel’s birthday, one-year mark, Merry Christmas and any other holiday or special occasion I sent him another package. I found that the $10 flat rate envelopes were lifesavers, as long as I could get them to close I was good to go. This time Daniel got some gag gifts (ie handwriting paper, a magnetic chess set etc.), food (blue berry muffin mix, peanut butter chips—or P.E.C.Ks as we called them, and among other things…you guessed it the mystery Jello) I was very proud of myself for the letter I sent, complete with hand drawn pictures (I was too poor to take photos and develop them, plus there is something to be said about a hand drawn image of your: first flat tire, the seating arrangement in choir, the set you helped to build for the summer show etc.) Ironically Daniel too was putting together a simple birthday gift. He sent me a very intricate hand made pop up birthday card, and a request for something small and black, and would play my voice if he put it in a tape deck.
I was such a softy that I gave in and made a tape for him. I had everyone in the show of Hello Dolly help as well. I don’t remember much what all went on to that tape, but I do remember that my younger sister Jordi and I made a recording of a song we sang for a Relief Society social. If I am not mistaken about the time line, he received my next package at about the same time as I received a package from him. It was a wonderful late Christmas present. There was talking, singing and even a fun game that he and the Elders made up. They played a game called “Lauren Is…” and then each person had to state an adjective in Tagalog that described me, and the last person describing me with words that hadn’t been used won…if you ask me I think that Daniel had a bit of an advantage as he was the only one who actually knew me.
I of course was curious about the words that they were using to describe me. I happened to be doing some service hours at the free health clinic here in town and it just so happened that there was another volunteer there that served his mission in the Philippines. I explained the situation about the tape and he gladly volunteered to translate for me. There were typical adjectives such as: kind, nice voice, looks like a model, nice smile, good testimony…and then one that through us for a loop that Daniel said…a goat. I wasn’t sure how to take that; I assumed it was a simple mistranslation on Daniel’s part. I have never nor will I ever hold that against him.
Our letters continued to be exchanged, and we grew to be better and better friends. I started to act like a little kid counting down the days til Christmas or my next birthday the day after. I was looking forward to school being out because that meant that I was graduating, and that I would be spending the summer up at Mack’s Inn and then I would be starting college and then Daniel would be home some time around mid terms. I wasn’t set on marrying him or anything. As a matter of fact I was keeping my options open and dating around, and even crushing on a handful of guys as Daniel was on a mission I was a sr. in high school and we were no longer dating. If you would like a list of individuals who can attest to that fact I would be more than willing to share it with you.
Daniel liked to tease me in our letters. I think he knew just how to confuse me, and how to make my toes turn in and my thumbs twiddle while I sat in bed thinking about him. I remember one particular occasion when he shared some information with me about how he was saving the money he had for souvenirs because he wanted to buy something a little smaller and more worth the money when he got home…
The summer after my sr. year in high school was a difficult one. I think it is a tough transition for most, and I was no exception. I was trying to find out who I was. I tried living on the edge a little and even put my toe to the line with some of the “rules”. I learned a lot about myself that summer, and I learned a lot about relationships. I remember a very desperate e-mail that I sent to Daniel without thinking, telling him how much I missed him and needed him at that point in time. I know that the speed of the next letter to arrive from him was not just an accident or coincidence, but he was so good and supportive and his reproving for distracting him came with sharpness but had an outpouring of love after. He expressed how much he wished he could be there to help me through whatever trials and struggles I was going though, but that he knew that there was someone even better by my side, and that companion would never leave me. That letter was such strength, I am ashamed to say that at times I have forgotten the help it gave.
We shared one last birthday package before the summer ended, and we each sent one last tape before his mission came to a close. He was excited to talk to me in Tagalog though he made me promise that I would not have anyone translate what was said on the tape, because he wanted to be the one to translate for me the words he said. I made him that promise, and eagerly awaited his return.
After the soap opera summer of Mack’s Inn I was excited to move on and start college. I buried myself in classes taking 17 credits (a rookie mistake). I had sworn off of boys after the summer I had been through, and promised myself that I was not going to date anyone seriously or get engaged until after a year of school. I tried to put myself out there and flirt with the guys in my classes, but I must have had in large black letters stamped across my forehead, “BACK OFF I HAVE A MISSIONARY FRIEND COMING HOME!” because I did not go on a single date the first half of the semester, either that or my swearing off boys got around campus very quickly.
The whole time that Daniel was on my mission I knew and had decided that I was not going to be at the airport, I wanted him to make the first move, and I did not want to chase him anymore. I had even been so decided in this fact that I had told him in a letter that I would not be at the airport if he was wondering. A few days before Daniel was scheduled to fly into Idaho Falls I got a phone call from Dianna Johnson. We chatted, and got onto the subject of Daniel flying home. She asked me to please be there, as there wasn’t going to hardly be anyone there, because one of his sisters and brother didn’t even live in the state. For those of you who know Daniel’s mom you know just how convincing she can be.
I was gutless, that is all I have to say. I couldn’t stand up to her and say that I refused to go, and I couldn’t get up the courage to go to the airport alone, no I had to bring my friends. This is a good old case of the girl getting up to go to the bathroom and the whole table of girls goes with her. So I managed to drag along my two good friends (Jenna Gallup, and Krystle Reed) and my older sister who started this all. To top off the gutlessness, I didn’t want to see him face to face, so I took brown paper sacks for each of us to wear over our heads. I think it was kind of the, “I don’t see you so you can’t see me” mentality. I am not sure if the bags were to help ease the nerves or not. When we got to the airport I was surprised to see quite the group of people there as a welcoming party, I was half tempted to turn back around though my comrades wouldn’t let me. I don’t know if it was a localized earthquake under my feet or just nerves but I was dizzy and shaking like a leaf. Daniel enjoyed the surprise of unveiling each of the paper bag heads, and I believe he was excited to see me though he was not allowed to give hugs, so his mom gave us each a proxy hug as she held his hand.
I was glad to leave the airport and go the concert at the high school, but I couldn’t stop looking at my phone to see if he had texted or called. At 10 pm I received a phone call from the former Elder Johnson, wondering if it would be alright for him to stop by for a visit. Thankfully my parents agreed, and within a few minutes he was at my front door, with his mom by his side and his dad in the car (his driver’s license had expired). My mom and his mom sat in the front room and talked while Daniel and I went out and sat on the trampoline and talked. If he was nervous, or awkward at all he hid it very well. We talked for about an hour and just enjoyed the company. We walked inside and I walked him to the front door and he asked if he could take me to lunch tomorrow. I told him that would be nice, and he…pulled out his mission planner and “penciled me in”. There it was, the geeky missionary coming out. I won the bet…but don’t tell him I said that.
Daniel met me in the MC for lunch the following day, we talked and joked around. He walked me to class, and we talked about the plans I had made for us the next day (Friday) and the date we would have the day after that. I had auditioned for and made it into the BYU-Idaho’s Broadway Review with “16 going on 17” the song that Daniel helped me to learn and won me the part of Leisl shortly after Daniel left on his mission. I had invited him and his parents to come and see the show. I was terribly nervous, but the show went fine. We went to his house after the review and we listened to the tapes he sent me and as he promised he translated them for me. On his tape he bore the most wonderful, heartfelt and sincere testimony. He shared insights into how he had changed, he expressed his gratitude for the friend I had been over the years, and the friendship we were able to cultivate while he was away. He admired various qualities he saw in me, and then he told me “I love you!” to which I responded the only way I could think of… “thanks.”
The next night we had tickets to the Annual Halloween concert at BYU-Idaho. The theme was “The Planets.” We went as a couple of Spaniards. More or less we tried to look like Tango dancers. I originally wanted to go as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, but Daniel didn’t like that idea. The concert was great, especially the part where we held hands. I don’t remember a whole lot of the music that was played by the orchestra after that, I was enjoying the sound of my beating heart, which was pounding with excitement and leaping for joy… “He Still Likes Me!” I felt for once in my life like Lisle in the Sound of Music when Rolf kisses her and she just squeals “WEEEEEEEEE!”
The first Sunday he was home was his “homecoming” for church so I went to his ward and followed him home for the “after party”, but hid in the shadows mostly as I was not ready to be introduced to extended family, though Daniel was eager to show me to anyone and everyone he hadn’t seen in the last two years who may not know who I was. We spent at least a portion of every day together from the day that he returned from his mission. After he would take me home and we would say good night, we would call each other and talk to each other on the phone for hours on end. I have no idea what we talked about, but apparently it was worthwhile at the time.
School continued to go well, I passed my midterms much to my surprise and my parent’s I am sure, as it probably seemed like all I did was with Daniel and nothing else. Daniel would meet me on campus with home made lunches to eat in the gardens, or sit with me outside my classes while I studied. It all seemed to be going swimmingly, a part from the fact that my “no boys my first semester of college” pact had been broken, and I had no idea just how broken it was.
Three weeks after Daniel got home from his mission (the 2nd or 3rd week of November) he started to get a little secretive. I called him one time while I was in town and asked him to come meet me at a music store, or if I could come meet him. He insisted that he would come meet me. When I asked him where he had been, he did not specifically answer, and said that he couldn’t spend much time because he had to meet his mom in town. Now if there is one thing that I am slightly grateful for about Daniel is that he is not the best at keeping most secrets. I decided not to push the subject and just let him have his secret, I knew that the secret would come out, and it was only a matter of time.
I am sure that Daniel had no idea that the secret he had would be betrayed by a confidence of his while she was spending the night at my house. I was excited to have a girls night with one of my best friends from high school. We were talking about school, and plans for the next semester, what we were going to do over Thanksgiving break and Christmas break that were fast approaching. I was excitedly telling her about the plans that Daniel and I had made to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family the day before Thanksgiving, and then we would drive with his parents the morning of Thanksgiving to Utah to have Thanksgiving dinner with his family, when she couldn’t keep it in any longer. “I know a secret about Daniel and you but I can’t tell you what it is because I promised I wouldn’t!” That statement begged and pleaded to have me pry, “What are you talking about? Is Daniel planning something for Thanksgiving weekend?” To which she sheepishly nodded. “Was he planning on proposing Thanksgiving weekend?” This time a nod with a grin. “Does he even have a ring?” I asked fairly confused at the speed of all this. A mere nod would not suffice “He does and it is beautiful, I only know because he wanted me to make sure you would like it, and he had me try it on to see if it would fit.” I soon discovered that he was planning to propose the next week when we were in Salt Lake City with his family for Thanksgiving. I was petrified. I was not ready or even sure what sort of a commitment he was hoping and I was hoping to make. If you would have asked me when I was 16 I would have said, “yes” but perhaps the 3 years that had passed since our first date made me a little wiser too.
The stress that came from knowing about the ring and the planned proposal became very apparent as I had a horrible nightmare. I dreamt that Daniel and I attended a Hunt family reunion. When we went to say “hello” to Grandma Bette, she refused to speak to Daniel, and announced to everyone in the room that he was disrespectful as he failed to ask my father for my hand in marriage. We were essentially “booed” out of the family reunion. I have never been one to place a lot of emphasis in dreams, let alone dreams that I have, but this dream was one that worried me. I shared the dream with my mom and asked her what dad would think if Daniel proposed without permission, or if she thought that dad would give permission. Neither of the answers she gave were very promising or positive for that matter.
My family has in the past had Thanksgiving dinner before the actually Holiday, this allowing the married children to spend time with both families if they choose, and then my parents and the children that are still living at home are able to go to the cabin and enjoy the remainder of the week. The day before Thanksgiving Daniel and I were driving out to my parents. I decided to share with him my dream. He was very quiet, and I assume slightly shocked that I had such a “prophetic” dream. I asked him, “Were you planning something special for this weekend when we were in Salt Lake?” He sheepishly nodded. “Were you going to propose this weekend?” “Maybe” was his reply. “Daniel it is the day before we leave to go to Salt Lake, when were you planning on talking to my dad?” There was a pause, “I don’t know, I hadn’t figured that out yet.” The good thing about the relationship that Daniel and I have is we are able to be fairly open with each other. I told him what my mom said, and then discouraged him from carrying out his plans.
Of course the next logical time for a proposal would be only one short month down the road. I had a very distinct dream between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I dreamt that Daniel was trying to decide between two rings. When he showed them to me I was mortified. The gem on one looked like a cube of butter and the gem on the other looked like a dead butterfly. I awoke in a panic, and knew that I needed to talk to Daniel. Why I needed to talk to him about this dream when I myself had not even yet made the decision to marry him or not I do not know but I knew I needed to talk to him. When I shared the details of the dream, he was astonished. He had been trying to decided between two rings, they were similar in style though one was white gold and with a larger diamond. But he assured me that neither of them looked like a cube of butter or a dead butterfly.
Knowing that Daniel was wanting to get married was a little bit of a stressor for me. I was unsure if it was what I wanted and what the Lord wanted. I made it somewhat of a priority in my prayers and in my fasting, to see if that was what the Lord wanted. I was later taught by a professor and good friend that I was going about the process the wrong way. When I changed my prayers from “Is this the right choice?” to “This is the choice I have made is that acceptable in your sight?” I got an answer. I was in my family history class, it was nearing the end of the semester, and we were preparing to take names to the temple. The opening hymn that the teacher had chosen for that particular day was “I love to see the Temple”. As we sang the first verse I thought to myself, “I am going to the temple some day, and I am going to be married there,” when the second verse started, a voice that was not my own entered my thoughts and I was filled with peace, “It is a good choice, go ahead and I will be with you the whole way, you don’t need to worry I will be there.” It was such an experience that I could not keep the tears from coming as I knew that I had received an answer.
I told Daniel that I knew that the Lord was ok with us getting married. But I had other concerns. We talked about how we both now knew that the decision to marry was a good one, the problems we kept running into was the timing for the engagement and the wedding itself. We were able to agree that though it would have been cute and traditional, a Christmas time proposal was not a good idea. We talked about January, and agreed that was too soon too. For some reason February was the ideal month, it just felt “right!”
In January Daniel got a little frustrated with the “help” he was getting from his family for choosing a ring, and the mixed signals he was getting from me about the style of ring I would like. We left the Paramount Twin after a date and drove up to the water tower to look out on Rexburg. “I can’t stand it any more. I want to take you ring shopping. I wanted it to be a surprise and I wanted to choose the ring for you because I wanted it to be special, but I am just so confused. Will you please go ring shopping with me?” I consented and the next day we went. I was so worried that my parents would drive by Jensen Jewelers and see us in there and that I would then be grounded. But no such thing happened.
Daniel and I walked into the store. He showed me to the section of the store where the ring was that he had chosen for me, and that was all the information and direction I was given. I could choose any ring but the one he chose was in the section in front of me. I looked at the rings in the window. There must have been 20 rings or more. I knew what I had always said I wanted, I wanted a “simple, straight band, white gold, single diamond” but there was a ring I wanted to try on instead. As a matter of fact it was the exact opposite, it had two bands (engagement and wedding), was yellow gold, had an “S” curve band, and had multiple diamonds. I put it on and it was beautiful. I gave it back, and tried on a straight band, white gold single diamond ring. It looked nice but not as beautiful. I saw another ring like the first one I tried and asked to try it on. I put it on and said, “Now don’t be mad, I know it is nothing like I said I wanted but this ring is as beautiful as the first one I tried on, and I love it!” To which the store clerk added, “You really must because it is the same one you tried on first, and it must be some special ring, because that is the one that Daniel chose for you!” I felt like Bob Barker should have come out and his whole camera crew, to tell me what I won. The look on Daniel’s face though was priceless, the fact that he knew me so well that he chose the right one the first time, three weeks after he got home.
During the month of January we were both in school. We made every effort to spend as much time with each other as we could, this meant even between classes. So Daniel would meet me outside of a class and we would walk down to his class. Then after his class we would eat lunch, and then he would walk me to my class and got to his class. I would meet him in the Snow building at his practice room and I would study in his practice room and fall asleep (yes while he would practice his saxophone I would take naps, this proved to be fairly problematic as when I would go to his concerts I was conditioned to fall asleep to any kind of saxophone music, the concerts weren’t boring I just would fall asleep…it took a while to get Daniel to understand this).
One day while we were walking to and from classes together we ran into a friend of mine. We took a moment to get caught up, and she mentioned how she had just returned from Ecuador, and loved working in the orphanages. She lit and old flame that I had forgotten about completely. All of the sudden I felt driven to go to Ecuador. Daniel was not happy about this and even cursed the fact that we ran into that friend. We had talked about getting engaged in February and then getting married in April when the semester was over. But now I was thinking about leaving the country for 3 months in April. We tossed around the idea of me dropping out of school and going to Ecuador in February, I was hesitant about this, the add drop date was nearing and so I needed to make a decision fast. I looked up information, filled out applications, and begged and pleaded with my parents for finances. When all was said and done there was no way for me to go with the February group, and the April 3 month group just didn’t feel right. I guessed that it just wasn’t meant to be. But I still felt this burning inside that I was supposed to be there.
The first week in February I walked out to my car to find it completely heart attacked, I had been asked to the dance. Daniel wrote a cute “roses are red” poem and filled my car with paper hearts, each of them had a reason or thing he loved about me. So I answered him by toilet papering his car, and on the seat I placed a cake…or so it appeared (in all actuality it was a phone book in a plastic bag then covered in frosting.) I left him this poem, “Yes roses may be red, and violets may be blue, but just in case my answer is no here is some tissue!” so he went home super excited to eat the “cake” when he cut in he was slightly depressed. Instead of a cake he found a wild goose chase that eventually lead him to a page with my “YES!” answer.
So the evening of the date arrives, he picked me up in the afternoon and we made each other’s flowers for the dance. Then we went to Frontier Pies. Daniel had packed with him in his coat candles and Champaign glasses. We ate a candle light dinner and had sparkling cider. He took me home and left me to get ready. He was fashionably late, which I did not mind as it usually takes us women more time than we are given to get ready for these date dances. When he showed up he was a little flustered, I asked him what happened he sheepishly confessed, “I was working on something on the computer and it was being dumb and so I was running late so I didn’t stop at the stop sign all the way and I got pulled over, and so I am even more late, I am sorry.” I just chuckled and we left. We got to the dance and got pictures, as is typical by the time we were done with pictures there was only like 30 minutes left, so we got in a few dances. He did leave for a moment to take a phone call, but promptly returned, “I don’t feel like I got enough dancing in do you? Why don’t we go have our own private dance somewhere else?” This sounded fun. As we walked out to his car we were greeted by his mom who was getting out of the car, “Oh I just forgot something!” then she stepped back and just looked at us for a moment, “Well have fun!” she said then walked off.
We drove up to the water tower to our previous look out point but there were too many cars to have a private dance. Daniel decided to take a tour of the dry farms. We turned down a road and went over some rail road tracks, and he stopped the car, “Wait is this some kind of historical sight? I want to see.” He gets out of the car looks around, then walks over to my side of the car. “Lauren you should come out and see this it is beautiful out here.” “Daniel it is freezing I am in a dress, high heels, and nylons. It is below zero can we go some place warm?” “Please just get out, just for a second, I will keep you close and warm.” Much to my dismay I consented to get out of the warm car. He helped me out of the car and walked right in front of the head lights, “Wait here a moment.” He walked back to the car, tried to pull something out from under the seat. He knelt there tugging at it for what seemed like minutes to my freezing body, but eventually the wedged item came lose and he pulled something out and put it in his pocket, then pushed play on the CD player. He came and took my hands and started singing. He must have been slightly frazzled by the evening and the most recent fact that he couldn’t get the item unstuck from under the driver’s seat, because after a few seconds of singing he stopped, and looking embarrassed asked, “Can I try that again?” I smiled and he restarted the song. This time he sang to me a song from his heart that he composed for me, and for this exact moment. When he finished singing he got down on one knee, pulled a box out of his pocket and made a proposal of marriage, I don’t remember the exact words but I am sure that it went something like this, “I would be honored if you would be my wife for all eternity!” I laughed, gave him a hug and told him “Yes!”
It may seem like the proposal was a Murphy’s Law proposal, and perhaps that could have been taken as a sign for the way our marriage would go, or the way that most marriages are, but that didn’t stop me. When I asked him why his mom was at the car when we left the dance he sheepishly confessed. Apparently he was working on the finishing touches of the song he wrote and was trying to burn the CD, but it wouldn’t burn no matter how hard he tried. This was why he was late picking me up. He called his brother in law who rushed over to try and save the day; the family sent Daniel on his way, the phone call he took was from his mother telling him that his brother in law Gene had gotten the CD to burn and that she was going to bring the CD in but needed to know where the car was parked. So that is why his mother was at the car when we walked out, because she was placing the CD in the CD player. Looking back on it we both laugh now, so often the moments that we prepare for and plan out in life rarely work out the way we plan.
On Valentines day (the following Tuesday) Daniel had planned a candle light dinner of Chicken Enchilada in a Crock Pot, a meal that is to die for. He picked me up after school and we drove out to our new favorite “Historical Sight” out in the dry farms. We folded the seats down and ate dinner in the back of the Subaru. A little cramped but always memorable. While we ate dinner my phone rang and I was surprised to see that it was the coordinator for the Ecuador Orphanage Support Organization, so I answered. “Hello” “Hey Lauren?” “This is she.” “This is Amber from OSSO, I was talking with Rex Head, and we just figured out who you are. You are Murray and Maryjo’s Daughter right?” “Yeah.” “Well we are willing to open a 6 week position for you to go serve in April if you still want to.” “That would be great!” “Come in sometime and we can get all the information worked out.” So once again our April wedding was moved, only this time it was official.
April came a lot faster than either of us thought it would. We got through mid terms and even finals with hardly any problems. We felt though that we should have gotten an automatic A in out “Preparation for Eternal Marriage” class that we were taking because we were actually taking the steps to have an Eternal Marriage. During the break between semesters Daniel and I took the 4 hour drive to Salt Lake. We stayed the night in Centerville with Daniel’s Grandma and the next day he drove me to the airport. For the past 6 months we had spent at least some time together every day and this moment at the airport would mark the beginning of 6 weeks of no visual or physical contact, and we knew that when I got back we would continue on with limited physical contact (only hugs and hand holding allowed—we wanted to save our first kiss for that special time across the alter). With all the tears I was crying people around me were very confused, especially since most of them thought Daniel and I were brother and sister. They just didn’t understand why I was crying so hard while saying good-bye to my brother. Little did they know.
We arrived in Cuenca Ecuador after a full day and a half of flying and waiting in airports. They gave us a tour of the house and then town and then had each of us call our parents to let them know we were safe. The wonderful thing about the phone we used was that it was a Utah number and so Daniel could call it for free. Daniel and I talked every night even if it was just for a few minutes. The time I spent in Ecuador serving those children was priceless, and an experience I would never forget. Daniel in the mean time was the perfect fiancé that any blushing bride could ask for. He was taking care of everything from designing our wedding announcements to getting address labels printed, and making all the reservations needed to be ready for our reception and wedding 3 weeks after I got home.
Before I left for Ecuador, while Daniel was driving me to Salt Lake I made him a silly promise. I promised that for the next 6 weeks I would not shave my legs, but once we got married I would make sure and shave my legs far more often than that. Thankfully my leg hairs aren’t coarse or terribly dark, so I was able to keep my promise. The morning in June came and I flew from Cuanca to Quito and Quito to Dallas, then from Dallas to Salt Lake City, where my knight in shining armor was waiting for his very own Rapunzle (though he wouldn’t be climbing up my head of hair if you know what I mean). I can not tell you how happy I was to see Daniel waiting at the foot of the escalator ready to give me a big hug. He gave me a hug and asked if he could kiss my cheek. I told him that would be fine (we had decided in those six weeks that since it was so close to the time of our marriage that it would be wiser if we would have a physical fast until we were kneeling across the alter, this meant that we could give a goodnight hug and hold hands but anything beyond that was out of the question) and that was the only kiss we would share for the next 3 weeks. After he kissed my check he said, “Let me see your legs!” Now I must admit I was very embarrassed, and couldn’t wait to get to his grandmas so I could shave, but he was impressed, by what I am not sure.
We arrived at his grandma’s house and got settled in for the evening. I shaved at the bathroom sink (I had showered under a dripping faucet that was meant to be a shower for the last 6 weeks, so this seemed perfectly normal) not to mention that we were discussing our plans for the next 3 weeks to prepare for our reception and marriage. We spent the evening with his grandma playing games and just enjoying the company. We awoke the next morning and drove to that Davis county court house to get our marriage license.
A few days after I got back home I went with my some of my family to the Idaho Falls Temple and I received my endowments. The experience in and of itself was special, but to be in the temple with family and with my future husband made the experience that much more wonderful.
Daniel and I were busy for the next 3 weeks finishing with plans, collecting decorations (as we were decorating the reception ourselves) and making fudge (as we were catering the reception ourselves). We made over 1,300 pieces of fudge for the even, we thought it better to have more than enough than not enough…we had no idea how much fudge was “more than enough”. We stayed up very late one evening folding, filling, stuffing and licking envelopes and then went early the next day to hand deliver any invitations that were to friends in the Rexburg area. It wasn’t until my mom got a phone call from the Sugar City Post Office that the found out it was illegal to place letters in personal mail boxes (even if we personally knew the individuals) so the mail man that followed behind us and removed our invitations from most of the families we delivered them to in Hibbard caused us probably as much head ache as we caused him.
June 30th came very quickly, a little too quickly as we were still hand delivering some invitations. We woke up early and gathered any and all needed tools and decorations met at the Cresthaven Church and set up camp. It took several hours but in the end we had what we felt was a simple but elegant spot for a reception. We hurried home, ate some food, showered and returned ready to host a reception. We enjoyed chatting with people we knew and tolerated chatting with well wishers we didn’t know. Daniel’s quartet sang a few numbers and then he sang the song he wrote for me. We had our dance to a song that meant so much in our relationship, but it was not a good song for dancing to. The fun we had moving across the floor to “You Raise Me Up” will always be a fond memory, especially the part where Daniel asked, “Can I twirl you under your arm?” and I said “Nope!” wedding dresses were made to look pretty not to be danced in. Following our dance I asked my dad to dance with me. As he walked onto the floor with me and Jordi began to sing “My daughter’s eyes” we both began to cry. That was our song. For some strange reason, every morning that my dad drove me to high school Martina McBride would sing that to us, and it wasn’t until that moment on the dance floor that we realized how much the song meant to us. It represented who knows how many daddy daughter talks on the way to work and school, uncountable “CTR, don’t do drugs, work hard, study hard, play hard, have fun!” reminders, and thousands of moments shared in that big gray van driving down Barney Dairy Rd.
“In her face! In her face! In her face!” may have been the statement made by those gathered around to see us cut the cake, but the statement made by me to my dear fiancé was “Remember I have to wear this dress again tomorrow!” So we lovingly fed each other a piece of cake. I tossed my bouquet, and Daniel shot the garter (that was actually my new nieces head band because in our rush to get things decorated and to get ready that day we forgot to get the garter out of my hope chest.) Following the remainder of the traditions we packed up our things and were on our way to Daniel’s grandma’s in Centerville. We drove and talked all night. We arrived around 2 in the morning, we unloaded our things and we said good night. He went to the basement and I went to the guest room. We both slept very peacefully and didn’t bother to wake up early, as our sealing wasn’t scheduled until 2 in the afternoon.
We met up with the family, and Crystal again helped me get ready. We went to the temple with our parents and then we waited. It wasn’t until we were sitting in the Celestial room waiting to be sealed that it hit me how big of a decision I was making, I knew I had gotten my answer and I knew Daniel had gotten his, so here we were about to be sealed together for time and all eternity, and we had never kissed on the lips…that seemed like a little mistake because everyone in that room knew this kiss over the alter would be our first. When the sealer said that we could kiss over the alter the room seemed to close in on us…as every eye was watching to see our first kiss. We didn’t kiss only once over the alter, and we have been making up for lost time ever sense.
People always told us that the first year of marriage is the hardest, but I think they chose for that to be a bad thing. We chose for the first year of marriage to be the best year, and every year has gotten better since then. Even fairy tale love stories get bumps and bruises on the way, but why sit and focus on those while there is such a beautiful sunset to ride off into? We choose to keep riding into the sunset!
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