Sunday was our anniversary. I hope that posting this at this time doesn't seem too self-indulgant at this time because some of you may or may not know, but my sister's husband Chris passed away on Saturday. (More on that later). However, I wanted to do a quick post about my wonderful marriage and my wonderful husband because I am truly blessed and I am lucky to be married to the man I am. Especially in the wake of Chris' death, I know what a marvelous thing it is to have an eternal marriage. I won't go into it too much right now, but I have always wanted to emulate Chris and Jennifer's marriage. They are wonderful companions and truly loving and supportive of one another. Here are some fun/interesting/serious things about mine and Devin's marriage so far:
04 Most Important Things That Have Happened in the Past Two Years of Marriage:
4) I graduated from BYU and started my dream job at LDS Family Services
3) We moved to a new "home" that we love (for the most part)
2) We have strengthened our marriage as we have attended the temple regularly
1) We welcomed our daughter, Hallie, on November 4th, 2008 and life has never been the same
26 Things you may or may not know about our dating/engagement/marriage:
26) Devin and I met in Idaho Falls at Jamba Juice while he was working with my best friend Kylee.
25) Devin was so shy he hardly spoke to me for three months before he couldn't take it anymore and got the "hot dog story" off his chest.
24) We loved going to drive in movies in Idaho Falls. We went once and Devin paid for every girl in the car. I knew he was a gentleman then.
23) Our first official date (as I would call it) was to a demolition derby. Classy.
22) Devin got his mission call that summer to Porto, Portugal. Both he and I tried to "distance" ourselves and not get too close because we knew that his mission was the most important thing at the time.
21) Devin moved home right before his mission and by this time I had moved down to start my freshman year at BYU. He found any and every excuse he could to drive to Provo to "get prepared for his mission" , which really meant to come see me.
20) We said goodbye three times.
19) We never kissed prior to his mission.
18) He kissed me within one week of being home from his mission (atta boy!)
17) We were married 6 months after he got home, despite the fact that his mission president had told him not to make ANY serious committments until he had been home for at least 6 months- hey when it's right, it's right!
16) We were married on a Thursday right after we both got done with finals.
15) Although the whole wedding day was wonderful, the most important thing that happened that day was that we were sealed for time and all ETERNITY in the House of the Lord. Those covenants are of utmost importance to us.
14) I lost my shoes in the temple on our wedding day, so came out wearing some red high heels that someone scrounged up for me.
13) Our car got seriously vandalized (okay, not vandalized, but our best men and bridesmaids got us good!)
12) We went on a cruise for our honeymoon. We were not impressed with Ensenada, Mexico.
11) Our "plan" was not to have children for about two years after we got married. Sometimes, the Lord has other plans for us though and we couldn't have been happier with the birth of Hallie. She is our life and our joy.
10) We try to attend the temple twice monthly as our stake and ward have challenged us to do. With a child, it is quite the challenge, but we make that a priority and feel that we are blessed for it.
9) We have been on numerous vacations, including to New York, Chicago, Colorado, California, and of course to Idaho too many times to count.
8) We enjoy playing games together at night and often play chess, matching games, Ticket to Ride online, Family Feud, Mancala, etc. together until I have had enough (I NEVER win).
7) Devin is now a sleep "crutch" for me. I was reading about sleep crutches when Hallie was little that babies sometimes have and realized that I have come to use Devin as a crutch in such a way that it is nearly impossible for me to fall asleep without him next to me. Uh oh.
6) We like to go to plays for date nights either at the Hale Center Theater or at the Desert Star Theater (Devin is manly enough to admit that he likes plays).
5) Devin has been scared silly by my family (the craziness of my mom's side, the sheer volume of people on my dad's) but has come to grips with it and fits in quite well now.
4) Devin's family has been so supportive and welcoming to me. They are awesome and I feel like I have been in the family for far more than two years.
3) Having a child has helped us realize the importance of living the way that we should and being an example for her as much as we can. Parenting is overwhelming, but such a blessing.
2) We never fight. Sometimes I wish Devin would fight back when I get agitated, but that is just not his nature. He is a peacemaker and soft hearted and would never do or say anything to hurt me. I have learned a lot from his example. Things quickly dissipate when things come up because of his calm nature.
1) We love each other!
07 Things I have learned from marriage:
7) Marriage is give and take. Even when I want things to go a certain way, I have to realize that I need to take into account what Devin wants too. Although he would be willing to let me have what I want always, that is not how it should be.
6) I have to allow msyelf to be served as well as serve. Sometimes being served is difficult when we can do things for ourselves, but the Lord intended us to be partners and that means working together.
5) Equal doesn't necessarily mean split right down the middle. We are equal partners, but that doesn't mean that Devin always does half the dishes and I always do half. That means we work together and do what needs to be done as each of us as the time and energy to do it.
4) Communication is essential.
3) Learning each other's "love language"-in other words, how the other person likes to have love shown to them- helps a ton. For example, while I don't mind physical touch, I feel most loved if Devin surprises me and cleans the house or something of that nature.
2) Listening to the counsel and warnings of our church leaders is of utmost importance.
1) Taking time to be together, even if it is just to sit and watch a movie, is so important in the fast paced lives that we lead. Too often, I will realize that after we haven't seen each other all day, Devin is doing his thing and I am doing mine instead of sitting together and doing something together.
I love you babe! I am so thankful to have you in my life and look forward to spending eternity with you by my side.
In case you haven't heard, my wonderful brother-in-law, Chris, passed away on Saturday after a year and a half battle with a brain tumor. To read a tribute about him, you can go here. You can also read his obituary, if you are interested, at http://www.woodfuneralhome.com/. We are so sad to not have such an amazing person in our lives, but are comforted knowing that he doesn't have to suffer anymore and that he is doing amazing work on the other side. Thanks to everyone for your support, thoughts, and prayers, especially for my sister at this difficult time.
Wash all windows, window seals, and blinds: 
Wash all walls, ceilings, and baseboards: check
Clean under, in, and around all furniture: check
Clean out, wipe down, and vacuum behind fridge: check
Reorganize living room: check
Devin's "who in the heck knows what this is supposed to mean" look. Ha ha! He is funny. He was a really good sport. We are speed shoppers, in and out, get what you need and done. We got some great deals, so we were happy. The one I am most proud of is that I got a pea coat (I have needed one forever...) that was originally $200 but we got it for $35. Yay for Easter sales.
We had to be home by two because even though Devin had asked for the day off, he got scheduled to work. Gotta love Smith's. Anyway, it worked out fine since my friend Kylee was in town and I wanted to see her. While Devin was working, Camille, Kylee, and I dyed Easter eggs while Kylee's fiancee Seth watched Harry Potter in the living room. Apparently, he can't handle us all together. Not many people can.
Who knows why, but Ky and Camille felt the urge to take pictures with their feet and the finished products. Don't worry, we disinfected the table. 
Kylee's egg is covering Hallie's head. How rude. I really enjoyed the short time we got to spend together, though I wish it were more. 
That night, we drove up to Salt Lake to meet my sister and Chris for a play at the Desert Star Theater. Devin and I had been there one other time and loved it, so we thought it would be fun to go. This time, Camille came and stayed in the condo Jen and Chris were staying at in downtown SLC to watch Hallie and Sadie. I am sure you are starting to think that my child is never with us since so many people babysat her in the last week. Well, it really seems like that to me too. I have missed her a ton. Anyway, we saw the play "American Fork Idol" (this place does parodies only) and oh my it was HILARIOUS. I highly recommend it. Super funny. Jen and Chris also had a good time. We ate while we watched the play, so it was quite a fun little date night with them. Oh by the way, that fulfils number 96 on my list. No, I haven't forgotten about it. I am working on it steadily. If you want to see how I am doing, you can go 
Here is Uncle Devin holding Sadie once we got back to the condo. Isn't she cute? Devin was loving holding her because she cuddles, something Hallie DOES NOT do. 
Of course today was Easter. We had a good time at church. We had to have pictures with Hallie in her cute dress from Grandma. She looked cute, but she sure wasn't acting cute when she decided to scream through the first half of Relief Society. Oh well...It happens eh. I ended up pacing the hall with her until she fell asleep.
