Forever Thankful

Lately, I have had a lot on my mind. I feel so blessed-- mostly because we decided on forever. Not until recently did I realize what this meant or how blessed I am for it. I remember being so excited I got this blog name thinking, “What? Did I spell that wrong? I totally scored at getting a great wedding blog name!” That was pretty much the extent of my thought process. I was not thinking about our eternal love. I was simply thinking about a cute name for a wedding blog. But recently, I have thought that the blog name is still perfect. It is now, it will be when we have children and grandchildren, and it will always be.

Like I said, I don’t think I understood what forever meant when I married Peter. And when we were first married, I sure was not excited for forever. Marriage was difficult our first couple of years. We loved one another but it was tough. Literally, I remember crying hysterically because I could hear Peter breathing. Poor Peter. Somehow along the way, I have become more patient and more loving. I can laugh about things he does that use to make me angry or sad. I have learned to love those things about him. (Don’t get me wrong. I still cry and get mad but I am easier to forgive and love). Peter has always been the better half of us and I love him for that. Seriously though, read Peter’s personality test result here. Are you surprised that someone could be so wonderful? Don’t be. The test result is so accurate and he always thinks about me before himself. I love him. He is my best friend.

I am grateful that I never gave myself the option of quitting. Whenever times got tough, I thought, sometimes begrudgingly, “we decided on forever.” I know that we will continue to have trials but I can always remind myself of that and continue on. I am grateful for opportunities to repent and for always being forgiven.

My last thought is this. I heard this quote the other day from President Henry B. Eyring and haven’t been able to get it out of my mind since.

When I was a young man, I served as counselor to a wise district president in the Church. He tried to teach me. One of the things I remember wondering about was this advice he gave: “When you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble, and you will be right more than half the time.” I thought then that he was pessimistic. Now, more than 40 years later, I can see how well he understood the world and life. 

Every time I go into Del Taco, I think that someone sitting and eating in a booth is probably having the toughest day of their life. More than eight years ago, my sisters and I went to Del Taco the day that my mom passed away. I know other people at the restaurant had no idea what a difficult day we were having. I’ll never forget the heartache I experienced that day. People feel that sadness, or even more sadness, every day. Be good to people.

Last week, a good friend of mine lost her husband shortly after she gave birth to their first child. I am sure that she is comforted knowing that their family is forever; they will be reunited one day. This tragedy reminded me of the love I have for Peter. I have held him tighter each night and kissed him more each day after hearing of her loss. The thought of losing him is unbearable and I am proud of my friend for her tremendous strength and bravery. I am grateful for the knowledge I have that if something were to happen to Peter or me, I would see him again and would be with him forever. I am so happy that we decided on forever. 

Peter's Side of Our Story

The first time I met Lynny was while serving as a missionary in Page, Arizona. My companion and I had received a referral from a member that there was a part member family. So we went over to the house in the evening. We knocked on the door and a cute girl, who I was later introduced to as Lynny, came to the door. She welcomed us in and we met the family. Lynny's dad, Ken, had recently remarried a woman from China, Cherry. We set up appointments to teach the missionary lessons and would go over to their home at least twice a week to teach the various lessons. I started to get to know what kind of person that Lynny was and is. She would teach and share her testimony along side with my companion and me. I was amazed at her ability to teach the gospel. I was transferred and continued my missionary service.

In January 2010, I was on Facebook searching for friends from my mission. I became friends with Lynny. We caught up with each other and I noticed how much we had in common. We would talk on Facebook and the phone for hours. Valentines Day was coming up. I decided to ask her to be my valentine! I wrote a poem and asked my twin brother who lived in Provo to get a rose and deliver them to Lynny. She called me after she received the gifts. We talked for a long time. I thought to myself, “these past two weeks I have had a wonderful time talking to Lynny.” I asked Lynny to be my Girlfriend! She said that she would try it out for a week. Although that’s not what I was expecting, I said that would be ok since a week is better than nothing. I tried my best to make it a wonderful week. I called her every morning and every evening. The week went by and she still liked me! (And she still does!)

Over the months, we would visit each other every so often. I visited her in March and she visited me in April. Over time, we grew closer together. I found out what it meant to love someone. However, our relationship was not without conflict. During the summer months, Lynny broke up with me two times. Even while we were not going out, we would still talk to each other and Lynny would still call me every night. I would still think about her all the time. She meant the world to me. With a lot of persuasion on my side, Lynny agreed to date again in October but we didn’t “officially” go out till after she visited me during Thanksgiving. After she left, I thought a lot about her. I asked my Dad how you know if you should marry someone. He said, "you don’t ask yourself if you can live with her, you ask yourself if you can’t live without her." I knew I could not live without her. I looked at hundreds of rings and found the perfect one for Lynny. 

She visited again during Christmas time. I proposed to Lynny on December 23, 2010. She said yes! Quickly, we started making plans for our wedding and I moved to Provo to be with her. Now I find myself just under a month away from marrying the girl of my dreams.  

Lynny's Side of Our Story

A few weeks ago, I was reading some old journal entries from high school: “Today the missionaries came by. Elder Jones sure is a cutie!” I laughed when I saw this because it’s hard for me to believe that Peter is that same missionary that taught my family years ago.  I feel like I’ve always known him so it’s weird to remember just being acquaintances. I remember the first time that I thought Peter was cute. Sally and Cherry (my step family) were speaking to one another in Chinese, giggling and laughing in between words. This always piques my interest so I asked what they were saying. Sally replied, “My mom says that Elder Jones blushes every time he looks at you.” I didn’t believe it at first but I noticed the next time the missionaries were over. Every time the missionaries would leave, my dad would tease me saying, “That’s the boy to marry Lynny!” Who would have thought that I would actually marry Elder Jones.

Fast forward 2 years to January, 2010.  I was at the Courtyard Marriott in St. George with my sisters and their kids for a break from the cold weather.  Peter added me as a friend on facebook.  We started chatting with one another and caught up on one another’s lives. We began talking on the phone. It was surprising to see how many things we had in common. I was impressed by his view on politics and his knowledge of government. Peter and I would talk about everything! We’d take turns asking one another questions and would talk for hours at a time. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Peter wasn’t very good at disguising his questions, like “what is your favorite color of flower?” or “do you like poems?” I was surprised (but not very surprised) when a flower with a poem showed up at my doorstep on Valentines Day.  That night I called to thank Peter. He did surprise me with something that night; He asked me to be his girlfriend. I told Peter I would try it out for a week to see how I liked it. Apparently, it worked out well for the two of us. :). We continued to get to know one another. With every question I asked, I realized that he would be perfect for me. Late each night, I’d say good night to Peter and each morning, I’d wake up to his voice.

Peter came to visit in March. We were slightly awkward. I learned that he was just as big of a nerd as me and began a new game of Zelda on Nintendo 64.

I visited him in April. We fell in love and continued our game of Zelda.

He came to visit me in May and again in July. He endured through being broken up with 2 times and I realized I couldn’t live without him. He was already my Everything.

I visited him in November and again in December. He proposed. We beat Zelda.

He moved here in January. We’re planning a wedding.

♥ I have never been happier ♥

The Proposal

Peter PROPOSED on the 23rd of December. :). We were out on a date when he said that we should stop and walk on the beach. We went by a place we've visited every time I've gone to Galveston. Jellyfish were all along the beach which caught my attention (and is still my excuse for missing this HUGE QUESTION in the sand). While I was looking at a jellyfish, Peter pointed behind me and said, "I think I see a sand dollar over there!" (I had wanted to find one for the longest time!) When I looked behind me, this is what I saw. Peter was already on his knee before I looked back at him. Holy wow, he was fast! I said YES!! :D. Thanks Peter for collecting seashells and sand dollars and for being my EVERYTHING. ♥. 

Our Plan

Right now, Peter is taking classes online from a college in Galveston, TX. In the next couple years, Peter will be a certified Physical Therapy Aid and Lynny will finish her degree. They're getting married April 23, 2011 and will be moving from Provo, Utah to beautiful Galveston, Texas to start their life together.