All Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
There is a slight hazard of being the parents of three daughters, especially when two of them are only 15 months apart in age.
You may find yourself with multiple weddings at the same time.
That's what my sister and I did to our parents. Poor Mom!! I think she may have aged 5 years for those few months of wedding insanity. (Dad just had to pay for it all somehow.) With Terence and I having a slightly longer-than-Mormon-average engagement though, it gave my mom four months in between. Better than nothing, I guess. Anyway, my sister's wedding was set for Thanksgiving weekend. It was a hectically busy time, with relatives pouring in and last minutes preparations to be made.
At this point I still did not have an engagement ring. I knew I was going to get one eventually (Terence had me pick it out back in August), but it had not materialized yet. One tiny silly part of me was hoping that the ring would make its appearance before everyone trooped in for Camie's big day. I just wanted to be able to show all my aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. that I really, truly was engaged.
Sometimes there were exceptions, but overall, Terence really had a good idea of what was important to the girls he dated, and what was important to me specifically. So the night before Thanksgiving, he asked me to just go for a drive with him to kind of get away from all the high stress levels in my house. We took his pickup and drove out into the hills in the middle of nowhere. (Towards Ramona, I think.) We turned off on a dirt road and headed into a very dark valley, no one around for miles. There was a full moon though, and it was so peaceful and quiet. Eventually, Terence stopped the truck and suggested that we get out and look at the stars and the moon. So I climbed out of the truck and headed around to the back. He beat me back there, and as I rounded the back of the pickup, he knelt down in the dirt, holding out a small box in front of him.
How that ring sparkled in the moonlight! It was so beautiful! Then Terence proceeded to very sincerely express his love for me and asked me to be his wife (again.) It was just as romantic as any of my daydreams when I was growing up. Further proof that I was marrying someone who knew me very well.
It felt so good to be "officially" engaged in time for Camie's wedding! (Of course, since I had already ordered my own dress and our sealing was already scheduled at the temple, it wasn't exactly tentative, but hey. . . I was one of those girls who just needed that ring, I guess.)
The next few months were a strange mixture of frantic wedding preparations, adjusting to new family traditions (how do we fit in two families' Christmases?), lazy times just hanging out, nail-bitingly stressful projects at work, and romantic little interludes. Normally, I didn't enjoy the months of January, February and March, but this year was definitely different.
We finally ended our dating and courtship journey on March 11, 2000. On that day, with most of our family and close friends surrounding us, we were sealed for time and eternity in the San Diego Temple. It was one of the most amazing and poignant days of my life. So you could say we had a happy ending . . . but if there's anything I've learned in the nine years I've been married to Terence, it's that the wedding day is not the end. Rather it's the beginning of a very long journey together. Thank goodness I get to take it with Terence. I can't imagine a better traveling companion.
You may find yourself with multiple weddings at the same time.
That's what my sister and I did to our parents. Poor Mom!! I think she may have aged 5 years for those few months of wedding insanity. (Dad just had to pay for it all somehow.) With Terence and I having a slightly longer-than-Mormon-average engagement though, it gave my mom four months in between. Better than nothing, I guess. Anyway, my sister's wedding was set for Thanksgiving weekend. It was a hectically busy time, with relatives pouring in and last minutes preparations to be made.
At this point I still did not have an engagement ring. I knew I was going to get one eventually (Terence had me pick it out back in August), but it had not materialized yet. One tiny silly part of me was hoping that the ring would make its appearance before everyone trooped in for Camie's big day. I just wanted to be able to show all my aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. that I really, truly was engaged.
Sometimes there were exceptions, but overall, Terence really had a good idea of what was important to the girls he dated, and what was important to me specifically. So the night before Thanksgiving, he asked me to just go for a drive with him to kind of get away from all the high stress levels in my house. We took his pickup and drove out into the hills in the middle of nowhere. (Towards Ramona, I think.) We turned off on a dirt road and headed into a very dark valley, no one around for miles. There was a full moon though, and it was so peaceful and quiet. Eventually, Terence stopped the truck and suggested that we get out and look at the stars and the moon. So I climbed out of the truck and headed around to the back. He beat me back there, and as I rounded the back of the pickup, he knelt down in the dirt, holding out a small box in front of him.
How that ring sparkled in the moonlight! It was so beautiful! Then Terence proceeded to very sincerely express his love for me and asked me to be his wife (again.) It was just as romantic as any of my daydreams when I was growing up. Further proof that I was marrying someone who knew me very well.
It felt so good to be "officially" engaged in time for Camie's wedding! (Of course, since I had already ordered my own dress and our sealing was already scheduled at the temple, it wasn't exactly tentative, but hey. . . I was one of those girls who just needed that ring, I guess.)
The next few months were a strange mixture of frantic wedding preparations, adjusting to new family traditions (how do we fit in two families' Christmases?), lazy times just hanging out, nail-bitingly stressful projects at work, and romantic little interludes. Normally, I didn't enjoy the months of January, February and March, but this year was definitely different.
We finally ended our dating and courtship journey on March 11, 2000. On that day, with most of our family and close friends surrounding us, we were sealed for time and eternity in the San Diego Temple. It was one of the most amazing and poignant days of my life. So you could say we had a happy ending . . . but if there's anything I've learned in the nine years I've been married to Terence, it's that the wedding day is not the end. Rather it's the beginning of a very long journey together. Thank goodness I get to take it with Terence. I can't imagine a better traveling companion.
Comments
I am glad he purposed to you like in your dreams!