I know, I know...you're probably sick of hearing our "love story." I feel like I've blogged about it a lot BUT...we just celebrated our 6 year anniversary!!!! This was Shannon's year to plan the festivities and he did a great job. Life has been so busy lately that I wasn't sure if we would do much more than go to dinner but Shannon surprised me and planned a quick weekend getaway. He took me back to the place where we celebrated our 2nd anniversary: 7 Wives Inn Bed and Breakfast. Only in Utah, right?! We get a kick out of the name but it is seriously the cutest old house and their breakfast is to die for! Look at us in 2007:
Me saying, "I'm number 1 and the ONLY wife!" lol
Shannon with his Fire Academy haircut (which he's not allowed to get again lol) saying, "I came to get 7 wives!" What a dork!:)
This little Bed and Breakfast has seven rooms that are named after the "wives" that lived there. Last time we stayed in a cute room named, "Harriet" and this time we stayed in a room called "Jane." It was in the attic. Very cool. Take a look at our pics this time...
The stairway up to the attic- the room we stayed in. So cool! I'm not gonna lie though- I constantly teased Shannon that he chose the attic in order to force me to exercise! lol. By the time we went up 3 flights of stairs over and over, I was definitely winded!
It had 2 beds...hmmm. Was Shan trying to tell me he didn't want to share a bed? jk
I LOVE the old timey tubs.
Shan told me I couldn't share this picture...but I just couldn't resist. I mean come on! Look how cute he is!
These rooms just have such cute personalities.
It was so cool because one night it rained really hard and the rain was so loud against that old roof. The power went out and we couldn't watch tv or anything. It was so fun. We crawled into bed and just talked and played "Farkle." I know. We sound like old fart already! haha.
Thank you, Shannon for a wonderful weekend a couple of weeks ago and for your love and service these 6 years. It is a rarity for me to not get choked up in my prayers each day when I'm thanking Heavenly Father for you in my life. I don't know why I was so blessed.
I wanted to share another excerpt from my journal about Shannon and my love story...but I'm blogging in the Labor and Delivery room right now trying to catch up before baby 2 appears. I will have to share an excerpt later.
But what really has been on my mind as I've pondered about my wonderful marriage is the fact that we made it! We both have made this marriage what it is. We try to do the "little things" to keep it fun and fresh. The element of surprise goes a long way. It might sound corny, but Shania Twain keeps popping in my head, "Looks like we made it. Look how far we've come my baby... They said, "I bet they'll never make it. But just look at us holding on. We're still together. Still going strong. You're still the one."
I just wanted to share my feelings. When I became enagaged, I was told by several people that I was making the biggest mistake of my life. I understood that to so many on the outside looking in, they felt like our situation was a little ludicrous and impossible to know that we truly loved each other. For more on the history of us, read more here. It was a hurtful time to have opposition, negativity, and no support from many who were close to me. It's good to be concerned for those you love but it's also good to listen to your heart AND your mind. This is what people were missing. They thought I was acting only on feelings of "puppy love" or lust and it was all just "following my heart." This was not the case. I knew without a doubt Shannon was the one I wanted to marry because not only did my heart burn so deeply with love, but my mind felt clear and unclouded. It made perfect sense. When something is not only a strong feeling in your heart but also manifests clarity in your mind, this is a right decision. You can call it what you want, but I know that convictions in your heart AND your mind combined are the results of an answered prayer and the Spirits' way of telling me everything is right.
I was sad that family and friends didn't believe and trust in my decision making. In their defense, I did get engaged when I was 18. I see so many 18 year olds myself that are engaged and I know they're personally not ready. Me, I was ready. My life situations and life experiences growing up matured me before many others. I'm so glad that I didn't listen to those voices around me telling me to postpone, delay, or cancel altogether. Slow down. Grow up. Finish school. (This one cracked me up the most. Apparently getting married means that you quit school? Education becomes less important? Life goals disappear? It's quite the opposite. Finding someone that you love more than anything means that you support them in their dreams and push them to reach their potential. You can't stand to see them live less than their capabilities. That's true love.) I remember specifically 2 people told me that we wouldn't last 1 year. I remember people telling me he was probably cheating on me because he was so far away and there was no way he was staying faithful to me during engagement.
Wow! Where would I have been had I not trusted the feelings of the Spirit of the Lord? It's important to listen to advice of loved ones, but at the end of the day, who has to live with your decision? You! I look at my life and try to imagine my past 6 years without Shannon. My stomach turns, my heart jumps to my throat and tears swell instantly. He has changed my life. He has made me a better person. He has loved me unconditionally. He has served me and continues to serve me. He has supported me in my life goals and pushed me to be better. I'm so glad that I trusted in myself and allowed myself to love someone more than I ever imagined I could.This is true love...against all odds.
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