In January of 2005, I moved to Rexburg, Idaho to start college at BYU-Idaho. A girl I had known from high school lived in the same apartment complex and ward. My second day living there, she invited me to go sledding and meet some people from the ward; boys. So the next day, I got all bundled up and met everyone down in the parking lot. There was a HUGE van full of people and inner tubes. There were two boys that told me I could ride with them. Their names were; Mark and AJ. They were best friends and had never been sledding before in their lives. I was born and raised in Idaho, so I had seen my fair share of sledding. Well, they asked me if I would teach them how to sled. I thought that was hilarious, but I graciously spent the day with them and "taught them to sled." They didn't get it and could not stay on the inner tube. We became quick friends and started doing things together. Mark asked me on a date a week and a half in advance. The first Sunday I was there, Mark invited me to go stadium singing and he brought his room mate. BIG Mistake! I fell for his room mate and we started dating. By the time the date with Mark came around, his room mate and I were a couple. This didn't make Mark very happy.
At BYU-Idaho, we have Family Home Evening groups to meet with on Monday nights. Mark and his room mate (the one I was dating) were in my group. After a few weeks of dating, he broke it off and broke my little heart. This is where Mark decided to step back in. I was really mad at his room mate about something one night after FHE. Mark asked me to go on a walk with him so I could cool down and talk about it. After that, we started hanging out a lot. In early April, a big group of our friends were going to a monster truck ralley and Mark asked me to be his date. We had so much fun together.
Then, the last week of the semester, things started to get serious. On the last Monday of the semester, I was running late for a class. I only needed to drop off an assignment, so I hurried and parked my car and ran into the building to get it turned in on time. 15 minutes later, I walked outside and my car was gone. It was raining and I didn't know what to do. My car had been towed because I parked in a no parking zone. By brother, Jason, helped me get my car back and by the time I got back to my apartment, I was soaked and grumpy. I changed into my pj's and fell asleep on the couch in the living room. I totally forgot about FHE being that night. Well, Mark was one of the only ones that showed up, so instead of FHE, he asked me out. He wanted to take me to see "Phantom of the Opera." It was in theaters still. I was grumpy and told him that I was not going to change out of my pj's, and so he would have to wear his to the theater too. He laughed and obliged.
While at the movie theater, I could tell he was nervous or something. He wouldn't hold still. And then, suddenly, his arm flew straight up in the air and around my shoulder. It scared me so bad I almost fell out of my seat! I laughed and so did he. And that is how we started dating.
We only had a chance to date for one week, and then he flew home to North Carolina to work for the summer. I was devastated! I had sent two guys on missions that had wrote me off. Nothing could convince me that this would be any different, but he promised he would call me as often as he could. And guess what?! He did!
We talked almost everyday and emailed each other all the time. After a few weeks, things started to get serious between us. He decided it was time for me to meet his family, so he flew me out to North Carolina for a week. We had so much fun and I fell in love with his family. We had our first kiss in North Carolina. I had to stand on a picnic bench to reach his lips. Ha Ha He is so tall! (Mark is 6 ft 7 in) When it was time for me to fly back to Idaho, we both felt like it was the end of the world. We cried and just held each other, sitting at the airport just outside security, for as long as we could.
We talked for two more months, and by the time he came back for school, I had bought a wedding dress and my mom had scheduled the temple, behind our backs! We had decided we were getting married and just started planning, even before he proposed.
Mark's first week back in Idaho, he and my mom went ring shopping, secretly, and bought my ring. They planned out the whole thing, and when he proposed, I was so shocked! I just thought we would get married and then I would get a ring. We were already so far into the plans, I just thought of us as engaged already.
So, here is the story. My uncle had just bought a cabin in Island Park, Idaho. My family planned a weekend there for the week Mark got back. I was going to surprise Mark with a candle light dinner on the water. (The cabin was right on the beach of the Island Park Reservoir) Well, my sneaky mother told him all about it and they thought they would use this to their advantage. When we got there, everything went wrong. It was too late to cook the steak, so we decided to just take hot dogs down to the dock and look at the stars. Still cute, right?! My mom was helping me pack the dinner and she said, you should take some candles down there. I told her I thought that would be totally cheesy to have hot dogs by candle light. She kept telling me to take them and then finally she yelled at me and said "TAKE THE CANDLES!" I said ok, just to make her happy. When we got down to the dock, Mark handed me a small "Diamond" matchbox and told me to go ahead and light the candles. As I pushed the little box open, he got down on one knee. Inside the matchbox was my ring. He told me he loved me and that he wanted to spend eternity with me and then asked me to marry him. I don't even remember answering him. We just kissed and I cried while he slid the ring onto my finger.
Five weeks later, on October 14, 2005, Mark and I were sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple for time and all eternity. We have been married for almost six years and they have been wonderful. I love him so much and I am so glad that he fought so hard to win my heart.
Shortly after we were married, we moved to North Carolina for the summer and to work. Mark had sold pest control for a company called Summit Pest Control and they asked him to come back for the summer. So we moved in with Mark's parents. This is when I developed the wonderful relationship I have with my in-laws. In fact, I hate that term, in-laws. I shortly started calling them Mom and Dad.
While we were living in North Carolina, we were surprised to find out that I was pregnant. We had both wanted children right from the start, however due to some medical problems, the doctors had told us to hold off for a while. Finally, we had past that time period and I got pregnant right away. We were so excited! We made our first doctors appointment only to find out that this baby would not grow into a living child. We were devastated.
Well, we returned to Idaho at the end of the summer and Mark started school again. While Mark finished college, I worked as an apartment manager. It was a really good job and paid for Mark's education. While working as an apartment manager, and 13 months after my first miscarriage, we found out that I was pregnant again. We had a great first appointment and even got to see the baby's heart beat. About a week later, we found out that this pregnancy was over as well.
The following year, Mark and I decided that it was time to get on an adoption list with LDS Family Services. We were so excited to finally have an option to start our family. After being on the list for a year, and Mark had graduated, we decided that we needed to move to Arizona. There was a job opportunity waiting and we knew it, even though we didn't know what it was at the time. We moved in with his Grandparents in Mesa. Shortly after we moved, we found out that because we moved to a different state and didn't have a home of our own, we would have to take our names off the adoption list. At first, we weren't sure why. Then we found a fertility clinic that would work with us. Very quickly we learned that I have a condition known as Diminished Ovarian Reserve. Basically, I don't have very many eggs left, and we don't know if I will ever be able to get pregnant on our own.
So, at this point in our lives, we are happy to have each other. We know that no matter what happens, our family will be forever. Whether it is through adoption or very aggressive fertility treatment, we do not know, but we do know that God has a plan for each of us and that in the end, whatever happens, is what God intended for us.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We pray that you will be given your answer and that you will be able to make the right decision, no matter what it is.
God bless you and your little one.
At BYU-Idaho, we have Family Home Evening groups to meet with on Monday nights. Mark and his room mate (the one I was dating) were in my group. After a few weeks of dating, he broke it off and broke my little heart. This is where Mark decided to step back in. I was really mad at his room mate about something one night after FHE. Mark asked me to go on a walk with him so I could cool down and talk about it. After that, we started hanging out a lot. In early April, a big group of our friends were going to a monster truck ralley and Mark asked me to be his date. We had so much fun together.
Then, the last week of the semester, things started to get serious. On the last Monday of the semester, I was running late for a class. I only needed to drop off an assignment, so I hurried and parked my car and ran into the building to get it turned in on time. 15 minutes later, I walked outside and my car was gone. It was raining and I didn't know what to do. My car had been towed because I parked in a no parking zone. By brother, Jason, helped me get my car back and by the time I got back to my apartment, I was soaked and grumpy. I changed into my pj's and fell asleep on the couch in the living room. I totally forgot about FHE being that night. Well, Mark was one of the only ones that showed up, so instead of FHE, he asked me out. He wanted to take me to see "Phantom of the Opera." It was in theaters still. I was grumpy and told him that I was not going to change out of my pj's, and so he would have to wear his to the theater too. He laughed and obliged.
While at the movie theater, I could tell he was nervous or something. He wouldn't hold still. And then, suddenly, his arm flew straight up in the air and around my shoulder. It scared me so bad I almost fell out of my seat! I laughed and so did he. And that is how we started dating.
We only had a chance to date for one week, and then he flew home to North Carolina to work for the summer. I was devastated! I had sent two guys on missions that had wrote me off. Nothing could convince me that this would be any different, but he promised he would call me as often as he could. And guess what?! He did!
We talked almost everyday and emailed each other all the time. After a few weeks, things started to get serious between us. He decided it was time for me to meet his family, so he flew me out to North Carolina for a week. We had so much fun and I fell in love with his family. We had our first kiss in North Carolina. I had to stand on a picnic bench to reach his lips. Ha Ha He is so tall! (Mark is 6 ft 7 in) When it was time for me to fly back to Idaho, we both felt like it was the end of the world. We cried and just held each other, sitting at the airport just outside security, for as long as we could.
We talked for two more months, and by the time he came back for school, I had bought a wedding dress and my mom had scheduled the temple, behind our backs! We had decided we were getting married and just started planning, even before he proposed.
Mark's first week back in Idaho, he and my mom went ring shopping, secretly, and bought my ring. They planned out the whole thing, and when he proposed, I was so shocked! I just thought we would get married and then I would get a ring. We were already so far into the plans, I just thought of us as engaged already.
So, here is the story. My uncle had just bought a cabin in Island Park, Idaho. My family planned a weekend there for the week Mark got back. I was going to surprise Mark with a candle light dinner on the water. (The cabin was right on the beach of the Island Park Reservoir) Well, my sneaky mother told him all about it and they thought they would use this to their advantage. When we got there, everything went wrong. It was too late to cook the steak, so we decided to just take hot dogs down to the dock and look at the stars. Still cute, right?! My mom was helping me pack the dinner and she said, you should take some candles down there. I told her I thought that would be totally cheesy to have hot dogs by candle light. She kept telling me to take them and then finally she yelled at me and said "TAKE THE CANDLES!" I said ok, just to make her happy. When we got down to the dock, Mark handed me a small "Diamond" matchbox and told me to go ahead and light the candles. As I pushed the little box open, he got down on one knee. Inside the matchbox was my ring. He told me he loved me and that he wanted to spend eternity with me and then asked me to marry him. I don't even remember answering him. We just kissed and I cried while he slid the ring onto my finger.
Five weeks later, on October 14, 2005, Mark and I were sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple for time and all eternity. We have been married for almost six years and they have been wonderful. I love him so much and I am so glad that he fought so hard to win my heart.
Shortly after we were married, we moved to North Carolina for the summer and to work. Mark had sold pest control for a company called Summit Pest Control and they asked him to come back for the summer. So we moved in with Mark's parents. This is when I developed the wonderful relationship I have with my in-laws. In fact, I hate that term, in-laws. I shortly started calling them Mom and Dad.
While we were living in North Carolina, we were surprised to find out that I was pregnant. We had both wanted children right from the start, however due to some medical problems, the doctors had told us to hold off for a while. Finally, we had past that time period and I got pregnant right away. We were so excited! We made our first doctors appointment only to find out that this baby would not grow into a living child. We were devastated.
Well, we returned to Idaho at the end of the summer and Mark started school again. While Mark finished college, I worked as an apartment manager. It was a really good job and paid for Mark's education. While working as an apartment manager, and 13 months after my first miscarriage, we found out that I was pregnant again. We had a great first appointment and even got to see the baby's heart beat. About a week later, we found out that this pregnancy was over as well.
The following year, Mark and I decided that it was time to get on an adoption list with LDS Family Services. We were so excited to finally have an option to start our family. After being on the list for a year, and Mark had graduated, we decided that we needed to move to Arizona. There was a job opportunity waiting and we knew it, even though we didn't know what it was at the time. We moved in with his Grandparents in Mesa. Shortly after we moved, we found out that because we moved to a different state and didn't have a home of our own, we would have to take our names off the adoption list. At first, we weren't sure why. Then we found a fertility clinic that would work with us. Very quickly we learned that I have a condition known as Diminished Ovarian Reserve. Basically, I don't have very many eggs left, and we don't know if I will ever be able to get pregnant on our own.
So, at this point in our lives, we are happy to have each other. We know that no matter what happens, our family will be forever. Whether it is through adoption or very aggressive fertility treatment, we do not know, but we do know that God has a plan for each of us and that in the end, whatever happens, is what God intended for us.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We pray that you will be given your answer and that you will be able to make the right decision, no matter what it is.
God bless you and your little one.
