Lunch Park

Pictures taken July 14, 2011

We have spent a lot of our summer eating lunches in this park.

On this particular day Ammon ate while Peter danced.

Looking back I wonder if this was the day that Peter later melted down into a grumpy crazy boy.

Caused by never actually eating his lunch.

It probably was.

Touring Salt Lake

Pictures taken July 13, 2011

My sister called one day and told me that she was planning to take her kids to see some sites in Salt Lake.  She had a whole list including the Church Office Building, (which is the tallest building in Salt Lake and has observation decks on the east and west sides of the building) the Beehive House, (an original home of Brigham Young - the LDS Prophet who settled Salt Lake) Temple Square, (which has multiple visitor centers, buildings and tours) and the Church History Museum to name a few.  We decided to join her on the outing.

We started with the Church Office Building.  They had a nice little tour and showed us a huge mural of Jesus with his disciples.  We also saw little pictures and statues along the way that made reference to some of the early pioneers and people who had settled the land.  We went upstairs (I think it was 26 stories high) and were able to look out over the valley.  It was a very hot day and the anomaly of being up so high and being able to see so many landmarks in the city wasn't nearly as impressive to the kids as it was to us.  By the time we headed back down, Katy and I realized that we would probably do the Beehive House and call it good for the day.  We headed to the Beehive house and Ammon's reaction was this:

It makes me laugh because I remember my mom dragging me around to these sorts of places when I was younger, and not feeling much different than him.  But it is one of those things that you grow up to appreciate. Andrew has never been on these tours and was jealous as all get out that the boys and I were there.  I feel like I have done my motherly duty - tormenting my children in dragging them to these places, and am now hoping to plan a date night with my husband when we can go together and enjoy the sights and information given on the tours.

Bear Lake

This year, our Bear Lake trip found me without a camera.  These pictures are from my cute sister-in-law, Krista.  Ammon, Peter and I drove up on Friday morning with my mom.  We made our traditional stop in Logan for some renowned Aggie Icecream.  Then we continued on to camp.  My sister and her family had arrived the previous day and were staying in a condo near by.  We headed over for dinner with them.  Peter had fun riding bikes with Isaiah while Ammon spent the evening swimming with Carolyn and Kylie.  My brother Joey rode up with Andy after they had both finished work.  They arrived around 8:00 at which point we began setting up camp.  My sister Rebecca, who had a later work schedule, arrived around 11:00 that night.  The following morning, Joey's family arrived on their way home from a visit to Idaho and our group was complete.

We spent the morning at the lake.  The water was high this year, and although that made the beach smaller, I enjoyed the shore line being so close to camp.  Andrew decided to do a one-man triathlon.  He started by swimming in the lake.  Then he took himself on a 10 mile bike ride followed by a three mile run.  We all gathered back at camp for a group lunch and then went on our annual bike ride.

The bike ride is just over three miles from the camp ground.  There is a nice trail and it's pleasant to travel.  To make it even better, our destination is a milk shake shack, so we all get a treat when we arrive.  Two years ago we had Ammon ride his bike and we were SO proud of him for making it all the way there.  Unfortunately we had troubles with our bikes (some flat tires and things) so Andrew rode back to camp to get the truck making the bike trip a one-way ordeal.  Peter had ridden in a little buggy pulled by Andrew's bike.

This year we decided to let Peter ride his own bike.  He had two cousins his same age that were going to be riding, so even though we thought he might need a car rescue at some point, we figured we'd see what he could do.  When it came down to it, though, he had one cousin who ended up riding in a buggy, and one cousin who rode a "pilot" (which is an attachment to his father's bike) so Peter was really the only one who was pedaling a little bike with 12 inch tires and training wheels.  We knew he would lag behind, so I got out at the front of the group.

We hadn't gotten more than a tenth of a mile, or so when Peter looked up at me, and with much discouragement said, "I can't take this much longer."  I figured we had made a good effort and was ready to turn around and take him back to a car when we saw my brother coming up behind us.  At that point, Peter's competitive spirit took over and he started pedaling with all his might, trying to stay ahead of Uncle Joey.  It didn't take long for Uncle Joey to pass him, but by the time that happened, someone else was coming up behind him.  Cute little Peter kept going and going until we were finally joined by Aunt Rebecca and Daddy.  The four of us stayed together and we eventually made it to a park about a block away from our final destination, where the group was playing and waiting.

After enjoying the playground and walking the boardwalk down to the lake, we continued our journey to the shake shack.

On the bike ride home, Andrew and Rebecca stayed with Peter while I rode ahead.  With every hill and long stretch of road I worried, knowing that my four year old was going to need to cover this same distance.  Once I was back in camp, I watched and waited for them to come back and considered going out in a "rescue vehicle" to pick them up.  I was already so proud of the distance Peter had accomplished.  I tried calling to see where they were at, but neither Andrew nor Rebecca answered their phones.  Finally, just as I was ready to drive and look for them, Rebecca called me back.  I was shocked when she told me how close they were, but still told her of my plan to come and get them.  She insisted that they were fine and that Peter would make it without help.  A few minutes later, Andrew and Peter came riding into camp.  I cheered for Peter as he completed his 7.8 mile round trip!

We hung and and played at camp, then went swimming in the pool.  Ammon played around in the deep end but still struggled with his swimming.  I went with him in the deep end and just dropped him in the middle of the pool, instructing him to swim his was to the edge of the pool at the shallow end.  He did a great job but stopped as soon as he could reach.  We repeated the exercise and that was when swimming really just clicked for him.  He easily swam the length of the pool.  He was shocked when he looked back and saw the distance he had covered.

I wanted him to get some more practice, but we started getting rain drops and decided to try to beat the storm back to camp.  By the time we got back, rain was starting to pound down.  (I'm telling you - we can't have a Nunes family camp out without severe weather.  It gets us EVERY time!)  We were all planning to head home after dinner, so we all raced around camp, packing everything up as quickly as possible.  Rebecca and Joe and his family decided to head straight home.  They met the storm in the canyon and said they drove through standing water on the roads.  Katy's family, my mom and us all hunkered down in the motor home and ate our dinner.  When the storm let up for a moment, we decided to make our run for it.  Although it rained a little on the way home, the roads were fine and we made it home enjoying the view of a beautiful rainbow along the way.

Samuel

 On June 30, my newest nephew was born.  Frighteningly, he was quite sick.  Fortunately, he had fantastic doctors and medical staff who took great care of him.  I was able to visit him in the NICU when he was just seven days old. 

My visit with him was a peaceful one.  Sam's mom took me into his room and told the nurse that I had permission to hold him.  Then she dismissed herself so that she could speak to the doctors about how he was doing.  We arrived just after his lunch time so he was full, happy and wide eyed.  I was able to talk with him for a few minutes (I LOVE talking to babies).  After a little while I just snuggled him in my arms and he fell asleep.  He is such a precious little boy who has already received so much love in this little life!  When Jen was done learning about the medical updates she needed on her adorable little boy, she joined me in his room.  We were able to sit and visit for a while.  Finally, we headed home, hopeful that he would be coming home in just three more days - which he did!

Twin Falls Camping Trip

My super fun neighbor Shae planned a camping trip and invited us to tag along.  In total we had 15 adults and 15 children.  It was a fun group!  We left just before noon and several of us drove up caravan style.  We stopped in Tremonton for lunch and then arrived at our campsite in the early evening.  The first day of camp was spent setting up, cooking and eating a fantastic dinner, Shae leading the kids in fun games like Red Rover and Mother-May-I and, of course, marshmellow roasting!  Ammon was noted for his unique marshmellow likes - he burned them to a crisp and then ate the charcoal colored marshmellow on his s'more.  No one thought he would really eat it - but he did. 

Shae had planned a great itinerary including a trip to the Ice Cave.  Unfortunately for most of our group, the men went to the store and were "convinced" by the cashier that the Ice Cave would be a terrible place to go.  She insisted that it was much too hot and there was no ice at all and that it would be really boring for the young kids.  So the men altered our plans and selected a place to go fishing.  We ended up at a place called Magic Reservoir where, instead of catching fish, a few of the kids caught leeches.  After that, the men were banned from planning anything.  (And honestly, the kids still had a TON of fun for the short time that we stayed.)

We noticed that the Ice Cave was on our drive back to the campsite so we pulled over to check it out for ourselves.  It was sub-freezing once you get into the cave (not hot as the cashier had said) and indeed did have much ice.  In fact, for the first ten years after it was discovered, ice was excavated from it and sold (this was pre-refrigeration time).  It was a fascinating cave to get to see.  Andrew loved every second of it and Ammon called the experience, "Awesome!"

After getting back from the Ice Cave, we ate lunch and spent some time swimming in the camp ground pool.  We had tin foil dinners that night and then the boys went out on another attempt at fishing.  They didn't catch anything, but sure had fun trying.  They were so excited about it that morning, that Andrew slipped away just before dinner and bought Ammon and Peter each their own fishing pole.  So now they HAVE to plan a real fishing trip and go catch something this summer!

On the 4th of July, after cleaning up camp, we headed to Shoshone Falls.  They were beautiful.  (And we were there in low-water time - I'll bet it's even better when the water is higher.)  We had fun looking around for a while and then went up to play in the lake.  The boys had lots of fun.  Andrew practiced his open water swim.  Ammon made a valiant attempt at passing the swim test which would allow him to venture out deep in to the lake.  As expected, he didn't pass, but the life guard watching him couldn't help but exclaim, "He just doesn't give up, does he?!"  I was proud of him for trying so hard.  He just needs more practice.  On the way to the Falls we passed the Twin Falls temple.  We would have stopped to get pictures but we had some people following us who didn't know where to go without our direction.  I thought we'd stop on our way back home, but we actually left going a different direction, so we never did get to stop there.  There was also a hike I wanted to do, but we were worn out and too tired for that one as well.  We finally headed home knowing that this is a place we would like to come again.

We planned to watch fireworks close to home, but Ammon insisted that Uncle Jeremiah does the best firework show anywhere.  We contacted my sister and ended up having a fun time watching the fireworks with my mom, grandparents, and sisters family.

This was the best 4th of July weekend we've ever had and we owe it all to our great friends and family.  Thanks everyone!

Play Date in Sam's Honor

On the last day of June our family welcomed a new little nephew/cousin to the gang.  He was obviously in the hospital, so the next day Ammon, Peter and I were able to spend the afternoon with baby Samuel's three older siblings.  We had a lot of fun at their house and at the park across the street. 

Slumber Party with Aunt Rebecca

Pictures taken June 29, 2011

It was after 8:00 at night when my sister called to remind me that the boys were invited to sleep at her house that night.  I was heading out the door to walk with my friend while Andy put them to bed.  Still, I knew they were still awake, so I hurried and asked Andy if he wanted to take the boys to Aunt Rebecca.  Relieved to have an escape from bedtime duty (which he does faithfully pretty much every night) he rushed around to gather the swimming suits and other things needed for their sleepover and drove them off to Rebecca's new apartment.  They watched a movie and kept Rebecca up way too late.  In the morning they had fun swimming  with all of the cousins on the Nunes side (although Krista and her girls were gone by the time I arrived to get the boys).  The boys LOVED having a slumber party with Aunt Rebecca and it was just heavenly for me to sleep in as long as I wanted that morning, and then do some shopping by myself before picking them up.  Thanks Rebecca!

Thing 1, Thing 2 and Their Siblings

Pictures taken June 27, 2011

Our brother-in-law was out of town, so Andrew's sister decided to use that as a chance to do some rare play dates for the cousins.  My boys were thrilled to have Will, Kate, Spencer and baby Jack come and visit.  They weren't really sure who Hannah was, but she is only seven months old and has probably been sleeping in her car seat pretty much every time we've seen them, so I really couldn't blame them for not knowing their cousin.  Ammon and Will read a Lego  book together.  Peter did a puzzle with Kate and Spencer.  Jack kind of did his own thing and Hannah, well I think she mostly slept in her car seat...  haha!  Just kidding.  I think she was awake for some of the time - I even held her for a little while.  It was a fun visit.  Maybe Dale should go out of town more often...

Mario Kart Birthday Party

Pictures taken June 26, 2011

On Sunday evening Peggy and Derrick came over so that we could celebrate Derrick's birthday.  We planned to play Mario Kart, which Peggy had only played once and was willing/excited to try again.  Derrick had never played.  They enjoyed the game while I finished up dinner.  We had a mexican fiesta, so we put the candles in the corn bread cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday.  For dessert we had root beer floats.  Weird choice since it wasn't mexican food-ish or birthday-ish, but Andrew designed the menu and after making sure he thought the birthday boy would like rootbeer floats, we went with it.

After dinner we had some more Mario Kart and then Ammon snuggled on the couch while Derrick read Harry Potter.  Ammon was almost at the end of the second book and Derrick read for an entire hour!  Ammon didn't want to stop.  Peter alternated between listening and playing the fish game with Gramma Peggy.

We finally sent the boys to bed and visited for a while longer before Andrew's parents went home.  Thanks for celebrating your birthday with us, Derrick!  We had a great time!

***

Funny comment from Peter:

While looking at the picture of the two candles he asked, "Is Grandpa 11?"

The Next Generation

Pictures taken June 25, 2011

On Friday afternoon, one of my high school friends announced that he was having a party for our old gang.  The party was spontaneous and short enough notice that we didn't have a great turnout.  Still, a few of us got together and had a good time.  Their backyard was perfect and the kids enjoyed some time in the pool.  We hung out with a nice BBQ lunch and enjoyed just shooting the breeze in the shade.  It was a pleasant afternoon and the only thing that could have been better was a bigger turnout.

I am always amazed, though, when we all get together and I watch our kids play.  We were just kids when we hung out, and now, here are our kids growing faster than weeds and defying the sense that we are just the same 'ol gang we were in high school.  It's amazing how much can change with time, and yet how much still feels the same.  Thanks for the party Scott!  I hope you have many more!

Bridal Shower

Pictures taken June 25, 2011

One day several months ago, our family arrived at my parent's home and noticed that my brother's car was in the driveway.  We were excited to run into him there and told the boys that he was most likely inside.  While explaining that Uncle David was there, I also realized that "Aunt" Nikki was probably there.  It was the first time I had thought of my brothers girlfriend as an aunt to my children, and at the last minute I choked the word back and decided that we probably ought to not give her that label until their relationship developed a little further than just his girlfriend.  With that being my closing thought as we shut the car doors, we headed inside for a visit.

We walked into the living room to discover a very celebratory atmosphere.  My grandparents were there and my dad was up hugging people and here we were, stopped at the front door wondering what wonderful thing had taken place.  I actually thought that perhaps my grandparents home had finalized the sale or something, but a few moments later my dad turned to David and said, "Do you want to tell Jenny?"  About that same moment, I noticed the diamond ring on Nikki's finger.  I couldn't have been more excited as I realized that my premonition in the car had been right and that my boys would have an "Aunt Nikki" after all.

Nikki was sweet and her response to being engaged to my brother just melted all of our hearts.  As we rehashed all the details of how he proposed (on a hike in one of the neighboring canyons) and what their plans were (date to be married etc) she would alternate between huge grins of joy and sweet emotional tears of happiness.  I have to say, they were the cutest newly engaged couple I have ever seen.  My interpretation of Nikki's emotions was that not only were all of her wildest dreams coming true, but that her future with my brother exceeded her dreams and hopes for life.  It does a heart good to see a couple so in love and joyous to be together.  It is a happy thing to see a girl so in love with your brother when you know he loves her back with such devotion.

We recently had Nikki's bridal shower.  She was nervous and felt completely out of her element for it, but it turned out to be a really great day.  Her friends were adorable and it was fun to see the women from the two families come together - many of us meeting for the first time.  Afterwards Nikki was nothing but grateful saying, "It was everything I could have asked for and more."  Nikki comes from a small family and I know that our large, rambunctious group can overwhelm her a bit sometimes.  But honestly, I can't picture anyone I'd be happier to see my little brother with.  I'm so happy for them and wish them the best on their upcoming marriage!

Picnic Dinner

Pictures taken June 24, 2011

My mom happened to be out of town the week the kids were in swimming lessons.

We went to her house every evening and helped Grandma with dinner.

It was perfect to eat our meals there because lessons ended at 4:30.

Getting home and still needing to cook a meal would just be late into the evening.

We enjoyed our time with them, but were exhausted by the end of the week.

(Especially when one night turned into a visit to the ER for Grandpa.)

On the last day of swimming lessons, we had our own little dinner in the park.

We enjoyed the sun, and relaxed as our own little group.

Then we went home.

And it felt good.

Swimming Lessons

We enrolled the boys in swimming lessons.

They had a fun week.

Peter's bravery shined through.

It was obvious that he was intimidated by the water.

But he always did the things the teachers asked of him.

And he always came out of the water with a HUGE grin of self-satisfaction.

He was completely adorable to watch.

Ammon is the most enthusiastic swimmer around.

He clearly LOVES the water and enjoys his time in the pool.

As is consistent with his personality, he has no fear.

He swims with heart!

It was a fun week and I'll need to be sure to get my boys more time in the pool!

Red Heads

Pictures taken June 20, 2011

I will forever think of myself as a red-head.

Although many people who know me now think I'm crazy for saying so.

I guess my hair has turned a lot more brown than it used to be.

My brother understands my pain - his hair is exactly the same color as mine.

And people scoff at him when he calls it red.

But thanks to his lovely wife - who has vibrantly red hair, he got something I want.

He has two beautiful red-headed daughters!

These girls just tug at my heart every time I see them.

Because I would love to have a daughter.

And if I had a girl, I would love for her hair to be red.

I love babysitting these two beauties.
My heart melts and I love every second of  watching them

Even when the little one screams most of the time...

Father's Day

Pictures taken June 19, 2011

We had a fun Father's Day weekend.

We spent Saturday evening with some of my family and had a delicious Spaghetti dinner.

On Sunday we had dinner with some of Andrew's family.

On Saturday morning Andrew helped Derrick buy his new grill.

Then on Sunday we broke it in with some delicious orange chicken.

Ammon and Michael had a good time together.

Peter and Sophia enjoyed playing with the ring toss game.

Quincy mostly took a nap.

The rest of us visited and enjoyed the awesome food.

Andrew is an amazing father.

Before Ammon was two weeks old, he was running errands with his Dad.

Daddy is better at bed time than Mommy.

He knows Peter's favorite night time songs in just the right order.

Daddy gets the boys ready for church every Sunday.

(I don't know how I got so spoiled!)

The boys always have a nice white shirt because DADDY makes sure it's ready.

Daddy plays games, reads stories and has lots of fun with the boys.

They are lucky to have such a wonderful dad.

Thanks Andy! 

You are wonderful and we all love you so much!

Happy Father's Day!

Gardening With Grandma

Pictures taken June 18, 2011

On one of our frequent visits to my mom's house, I lost Ammon.

I'm pretty comfortable letting him run around inside and out, but I thought I should check on him.

I found him hard at work outside with my mom.

They were planting flowers in her front yard.

She was a good and patient instructor.

He loved playing in the dirt and accomplishing something productive.

Thanks for the experience Mom - he loved it!

Dinosaur Hunt

Pictures taken June 16, 2011

A couple of days ago I received an invitation from some friends to join them at the zoo.  I was pleased when it worked out.  We all lived on the same street a few years ago, but two of us have since moved away and it was nice to see them again.

The zoo put in a new dinosaur exhibit this year and has dinosaurs scattered throughout the zoo.  Ammon has been a couple of times since the dinosaurs arrived, but he hadn't taken the time to hunt them all down yet.  Apparently the last time we were there, he had found nine of the fourteen.  This time he was determined to get to all of them.

Ammon hunted down all fourteen dinosaurs one by one.  The younger children enjoyed all the animals we saw along the way.  They also had fun riding the carousel.

By the time we got back home, the boys were completely exhausted.  But it was a fun time and I'm glad we went.

The Proposal

(part 4 of 4)
Continued from Driving to Manti 

We were in Manti to see the Mormon Miracle pageant, and Andy had come prepared with chairs, blankets, games and food.  We began to unload the car and I was surprised to find myself carrying the awkward, (relatively) heavy chairs while he carried the blankets.  Andy had always been so chivalrous in the past and I wondered if perhaps he thought that the blankets, though lighter, were actually just warmer and too uncomfortable to burden me with.

We found a nice spot to set up our stuff and I immediately went to work on opening the chairs.  Now these chairs weren't anything fancy - they were the basic foldout camping chairs that everyone has.  And yet, for some reason, I could not get mine to open up.  I took it out of the bag and struggled and struggled to set it up.  I still have this exact same chair - I can throw it open with one hand.  But that day it would not budge.  Andy was behind me, setting up the blanket and, without turning around I expressed my frustration with the chair and said that I just might need his help in a moment.  Then, suddenly, it opened as easily as I would have expected in the first place.  I set up the second chair and turned around.

With the Manti temple in the background, Andy knelt on the grass with this quilt spread out in front of him.  In the center of the quilt was a ring-box with the most perfect ring.  I was completely shocked.  I looked around and saw that in the midst of hundreds of people we were having our own private, life-changing moment.  I remember thinking, "Oh my gosh - this is really it!  This is the real thing!"

I got down next to him and with trembling hands he placed the ring on my finger.  About this point the people next to us noticed the wording on the quilt and asked, "Did you guys just get engaged?"  We nodded that we had and they congratulated us.

Later Andy commented that I had never actually said yes.  I reminded him that he hadn't actually articulated a question.  And so he asked me if I would marry him and I, of course, said yes.  I was beyond elated and wanted to scream my news from the rooftops.  I wanted to rush home to tell my family in person.  Andy was pretty certain that he hadn't ridden all the way down here just to turn around and go home and so he convinced me to stay.  Getting engaged seemed like the kind of news to share face to face, but I was too excited to wait.  We called my parents and then my Grandma.  I have always appreciated Andy's wisdom in enjoying the rest of the evening together.  We held hands and snuggled and kissed while we watched the pageant on the temple lawn.  It was a beautiful evening still serves as a wonderful memory.

And every year on our anniversary, he is always sure to say, "Thank you for saying yes."

Driving to Manti

(part 3 of 4)
Continued from Telling Andy

On the drive to Manti, I was a giddy, love-sick girl and couldn't stop talking about our future together.  In my memory, Andy drove, patiently tolerating my unbridled enthusiasm, piping in on the conversation every so often.  He and I had both brought a stack of CD's for our road trip and I remember putting mine into his case saying that we might as well combine them now.

After a while I started lamenting about the fact that I didn't have a ring.  The ring had been an interesting point of discussion throughout our courtship.  At one point he suggested that we casually look at rings together, but I refused.  I had been "engaged" once before.  I use the word loosely because in retrospect the whole thing seems practically imagined.  A boyfriend and I had committed to marry and we had announced it to family, but nothing further than that had really happened before the relationship crumbled apart.  We (the ex-boyfriend and I) had gone out ring shopping numerous times and nothing ever seemed right.  I remember one time holding his hand (the ex-boyfriend) as we walked into the ring shop.  He paused unexpectedly at the door and it felt as if he was forcing me to look like the foolish girl pulling the un-wanting boyfriend into the ring shop.  That experience had always left a sour taste in my mouth, and I had refused to ever look at rings with Andy anywhere but online.  I remember a night or two when Andy was working that I sat at my computer looking at rings and I sent him links to the things I liked.  Andy would e-mail back, asking clarifying questions, and eventually he and I both had a clear idea of exactly what I wanted.

One time Andy's parents actually pulled us aside, offering us a family diamond in the case that we ever got to the point of engagement.  They had recommended re-setting it, which seemed unnecessary to me because it was a simple gold band with a solitaire diamond, which is exactly what I wanted.  Except that I wanted a square diamond and this one was a traditional round one.  Andy refused to accept it, saying that when the time came for something like that, he wanted to give me a ring that he selected and paid for himself.  Driving that day to Manti, though, I started to beg for that ring.  It didn't matter - I told him.  "I don't care what the ring looks like or where it came from," I explained.  "I just want something to show the whole world that I am promised to you!"

Well Andy hated this whole line of conversation and continued to stand firm in the point that he wanted to get me my very own ring.  Eventually he admitted that he had already been to a jeweler and had a ring ordered.  I was absolutely shocked (and a little bit mad that he told me and ruined the surprise - poor guy can never win with me)!

Around lunch time we stopped at Arby's to pick up some food.  Then we drove to a nearby hiking trail that my mom had told us about to have a nice picnic.  It was one of the most uncomfortable meals of my life.  I could see Andy wanting to do something more formal to cement our engagement.  I felt like I was forcing him into an awkward proposal that he wasn't prepared for.  We were both extremely nervous as we ate and I was relieved when we finished lunch and got back on the road.

A few hours later we arrived in Manti.  As we parked and got out of the car, I had no idea that he was about to propose to me in a way that had been planned and prepared for well before I admitted having called the temple that morning.  In telling me about the ring, he hadn't ruined the surprise at all - he had tricked me!

To be continued in The Proposal

Telling Andy

(part 2 of 4)
continued from Scheduling the Wedding

I was mortified at my presumptuousness in scheduling our wedding without Andy's knowledge, and suddenly I was faced with the challenge of having to admit to him what I had done.  In about an hour and a half he was going to pick me up for a date where we would be spending the entire day together.  I realized that I couldn't wait, and I called him and asked that he come over immediately.  "We need to talk," I explained.

I met him out on the porch and we sat on the bench.  He was uncertain as to what to expect from me at this point and I nervously blurted out, "Guess what I just did?!"  (As if he could possibly have a clue.)  Of course he didn't guess it so I eventually confessed, "I just called the temple and scheduled our wedding!"  My hands flew to my mouth as the shock of what I just admitted hit me - it was as if I was trying to pull the words back in.  Ten years later, and I honestly can't recall exactly how the conversation went from that point.  I think I watched for his response, wondering if he would be angry and end our relationship right then and there.  He must have taken it fairly well.  I begged to know if he was really OK with it.  He said he was fine, but that he needed to get going to be ready for our date.  We hugged and kissed before he left and he rushed off to prepare for our day.  I ran back into the house and got ready for the day, amazed that the morning had gone this way, but not having time to process it at all.  By the time he left we had about an hour before we were scheduled to leave for Manti.

To be continued in Driving to Manti

Scheduling the Wedding

(part 1 of 4)

I woke up with one pressing thought on my mind: "I need to call the temple and schedule my wedding."  I jumped out of bed, ran upstairs and quickly retrieved the phone book from the kitchen.  I was back in my room, phone in hand, dialing the number before the absurdity of my actions occurred to me.  I suddenly stopped and exclaimed out loud, "What am I doing?"

The night before Andy and I had been on a date and somehow conversation had gotten me into an emotional tizzy.  The topic of marriage had come up due to some comments made by other people, and I was going on and on about all the reasons I wasn't ready to get married.  I had been distraught and upset and completely beside myself at the thought of "giving up my independence" and making a commitment of that level.  I listed all the reasons marriage would interrupt my life in an unwelcome way and why it just wasn't something I was interested in at this point in my life.  It had just been a theoretical conversation - we had no plans or intentions to cause serious concern.  But my distress at the thought was extreme and I made it known.  Andy had thoughtfully listened to me during probably my most horrific breakdown ever (in retrospect I honestly blame hormones for the craziness I felt that night) and after several attempts to comfort me, he finally offered to give me a blessing.  I don't remember what he said in that blessing - just that I felt a sense of calm come over me.  He left shortly afterwards and I immediately went to bed.

As I recounted the events of the night before, remembering that not only did Andy and I NOT have any sort of understanding of marriage, but that I had spent hours that previous night building up a case as to why I wouldn't be at all interested any time soon, well, it gave me reason to pause and I quickly slammed the phone back down onto the receiver.

But the impression remained, "Call the temple and schedule your wedding."

I battled with this for several moments - the clear and blatant prompting vs the complete insanity of the idea.  Somehow during the night, my heart had changed.  I knew I wanted to be married to my sweetheart and best friend.  I wanted to spend eternity with the man who listened to my tirade with patience and stood by me to offer comfort and support.  I wanted to move forward, united in life with the man that I could share myself with so completely and honestly.  From the beginning of our relationship, Andy was a person with whom I could admit my most genuine thoughts more openly than anyone else I had ever known.  With him I could be me and from him I received nothing but love and acceptance.  Andy was thoughtful, tender, fun, intelligent, handsome, spiritual...  the list ran on and on.  He was everything I wanted - the discussion of marriage wouldn't have so terrified me otherwise.  And in the light of the morning sun I was no longer frightened.  I was suddenly willing and desirous to pledge my life to him.

Still, the realization that I wanted to marry my amazing boyfriend was a far stretch from needing to schedule my wedding.  But as I tried to wade through my thoughts and feelings, the prompting to do so would not go away.

I set aside the phone and knelt in prayer.  I prayed and prayed and prayed, pouring out my heart to Heavenly Father.  I explained my desire to always be obedient to His will, but also pointing out how ludicrous this seemed considering my most recent conversations and understandings with Andy.  The prompting remained and I finally finished my prayer committing to trust Heavenly Father in this ridiculous course of action and act in faith.

With determination I retrieved the phone and began dialing the number.  It had been easy to find - the phone book practically fell open to the correct page.  (In retrospect that has always been interesting to me as other times I needed that number it wasn't so easy to find.)  The phone was answered on the other end and I took a deep breath as I was transferred to the appropriate person to schedule a temple sealing.  

Although there had been no agreement between us, Andy and I had looked at rings and talked about wedding dates.  It had all seemed theoretical at the time, just playing with the what if's of life.  Based on that, I had fallen in love with an autumn date and so when the Sister at the temple asked when I wanted to be married I easily told her September 29.  She asked me whether I wanted a large room or a small room and I quickly said small.  She took down my name and then asked, "What is the name of the groom?"  Panic seized me.  "The groom doesn't even know about this!" I thought to myself.  "Will lightening strike me down as I have his name recorded in the most Holy place on earth, as an unknowing husband-to-be?"

"The name of the groom?" she prompted again.

I gulped and responded, "Andrew Christopher Shadel."  My ears were burning in humiliation and I was certain she would know my lie.  I had no right to be providing his name as someone who intended to commit his eternity to me.   After nervously giving his birth date, the phone call was over and I hung up wondering what I had gotten myself into.

Then I faced the most alarming thought of the morning as I wondered how in the world I would tell Andy what I had done.

To be continued in Telling Andy

Written on the ten year anniversary of the day it happened.

One Last Time

Pictures taken June 14, 2011

Andrew's parents moved to a new home earlier this year.

They love it.

The sale of their old home is finishing up this week (or next).

We went to move some final things and the boys couldn't help but gravitate to the backyard.

After Andrew and Derrick finished packing stuff into the truck, I couldn't resist.

Would Grandpa go out back and push the boys one last time?

These swings showed up in the backyard about as soon as Ammon was big enough to sit up.

OK- maybe not quite that soon, but early on in his little life.

They were there since before Peter was born.

Grandpa Derrick taught my boys what an under-dog is.

(Pushing the swing hard while running under it, through to the other side.)

And on many family occasions, he spent the afternoon indulging them.

I'm glad Peggy and Derrick are so happy with their new home.

But I'll admit, I got a little choked up knowing we won't ever be going back to this one.

Chili's

Pictures taken June 14, 2011

If you are ever in South Jordan and need some food, stop by the Chili's.

(Located by the SouthTowne Mall.)

Chili's is one of my very favorite restaurants.
I always say that I could go there every day for a week,
order something different every time,
and never be disappointed with what I eat.

Ask to be seated in Dan's area - he is the best waiter in the world!

(And my brother - isn't he cute!)

Lately, Chili's has been running lots of printable coupons online for kids to eat free.

One came out yesterday, and my sister and I both decided to hit it up.

The kids had a BLAST going out to dinner together.

Dan kept us well-stocked on chips and salsa.

And no one ever got thirsty with the drinks he brought non-stop.

(Don't you love the tower he built with all the kids empty cups!)

What a fun night!

Birthday Girl

Pictures taken June 14, 2011

The boys had so much fun at the park last Saturday that they wanted to go back to the same one.  We ran some errands in the area and realized that we were driving right past my nieces home.  On her birthday!  We realized that her little sister was probably napping, but we called and asked if we could bring her to the park with us.  It turned out well.  We got to party it up at the park with the birthday girl, and her mom got to work on her cake.  After we were done at the park I asked if she wanted to go home, or go visit Grandma Lynn.  She was very definite about going to visit Grandma Lynn.  We had a wonderful afternoon with her and can't wait until her party on Saturday!  Happy Birthday to my cute little niece!

Brothers in the Bounce House

Pictures taken June 11, 2011

On Saturday we went to the West Jordan City Park where the county library system was putting on a grand 'ol party as an opener for their summer reading party.  I emphasized to the boys that I wanted them to stay together, and they did a marvelous job.  My heart swelled with pride and joy as I watched my children standing in line side by side and sometimes hand in hand.  They waited to get on the bounce house where people were being allowed on one at a time.  In their most sincere efforts to be obedient, they arrived at the front of the line and told the person in charge, "We're brothers."  Fortunately she was able to translate their meaning and asked, "Do you two want to go together?"  They grinned really big and nodded that they did.  These two are so independent of each other in so many ways that it is just precious to me when I see them playing with each other so flawlessly.

We were later joined by my sister and her three children.  The playground there contains a really fun castle structure that the kids love.  They enjoyed running around and had a great time.  We also stopped by several booths, one of which provided us with some great coupons for Famous Dave's, where we had never been.  Since we had planned to go out for dinner anyway, we decided to use them.  We LOVED that restaurant and had fun trying something new.  It was awesome that Ammon and Peter both ate free and that our meals were discounted.

After dinner Andy dropped me off to do some clothes shopping (something I NEVER do) and took the boys home.  Peggy (MIL) came to pick me up and she and I headed to a Scentsy party at Rebecca's new apartment.  (It was the first time I've been there.)  I was planning to just ride Trax home, but Peggy insisted on driving me after the party was over, which was very nice of her.  It was a great day and the only thing that could have made it better was finding a shirt to go with the new skirt I bought.  But I'll work on that this week.