Thanksgiving in Arizona

November 25, 2005

"I flew to Phoenix for Thanksgiving and quickly realized how wonderfully WARM the weather was. Can it really be November? John and I met up with the Speirs at his old high school to watch the Hamilton Huskies play football. It was fun. The next day he had some homework to do, so I brought my scriptures and caught up on my reading challenge from President Hinckley so I can finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. When it was lunch time I made us some Macaroni and Cheese (the first meal I ever cooked for John... and it's Mac and Cheese... very impressive). Then we went and watched Ashleigh play soccer before we headed off to a barbecue at his Singles Ward." 

 "We talked to a few of his friends from work, and John told them that he just got promoted to Manager! He starts a new team on Monday. I know he'll do an awesome job. I'm really excited for him."

"On Sunday we went to church with the Speirs Family and then hung out at their house. Jenn and Jason came over for dinner and I got to hear some funny stories about Birdie shopping with John at CostCo... climbing in freezers and throwing bags of sugar down the aisles. :)"

"I kept myself busy with laundry and studying on Monday while John was at work until 7:00. He told me all about his first day as a manager, and it sounds like things went really well. I'm really proud of him. John's old Young Men's President, Brother Ethington, came over and played games with us that night and asked me all sorts of questions. He's a funny guy!"

"On Tuesday night after work John took me to a Phoenix Suns basketball game and we had a blast! It was the first NBA game I've ever been to. I loved it, and The Suns won! The Speirs Family left for St. George on Wednesday, so I went to John's institute class with him that night before heading over to stay with Jana's family for the rest of the week. We had a good talk on the way to her house about what we learned in his marriage prep class at the institute. One thing we realized about our communication is that we haven't learned to read each other's facial expressions... something you don't really get to practice when you do most of your talking on the PHONE!"

"I got an early start on Thursday morning because John took me out to Maricopa to see OUR house! As soon as we pulled up, I didn't know what to think..."

"Ha ha. Okay, okay, It was just an old abandoned home that John tried to trick me with."

"I want to see our REAL house!"

"There it is! They had the frames and plumbing done, so we walked through and took pictures and had fun planning where all the furniture would go. I'm excited to see what it will look like when it's finished!"

"My fiance is such a STUD."

"We had Thanksgiving dinner at Jana's house and the food was really good. We watched the "Polar Express" and fell asleep for a little while. It was a pretty lazy day. On Friday morning we went to John's house and listened to a few discs of 'First Comes Love' so we could talk about them together. We talked a lot about communication and what our habits were and things we expected in our marriage. John is really good at communicating, and I know I could probably learn a lot from him. When we agreed that I would be in charge of keeping a record of our finances, I was a bit surprised because my mom usually lets my dad take care of all the money. We also talked about goals we wanted to set as parents and what we'd do in certain situations, like disciplining our children in a way that they'd understand what they did wrong and why, instead of just yelling at them and sending them to their rooms. I'm sure there will be times when we'll take on the habits of our own parents, but we both want to set goals and do things differently than what we grew up with. I love having conversations like that with John, because I get a small glimpse of what he'll be like as a husband and a father."

"Later that night we went to see his mom sing in the Arizona Mormon Choir at the Mesa Temple and got to walk around and look at all the lights they had set up for Christmas. John was being so cute and funny during the choir performance I couldn't help but laugh. How did I ever get so lucky?"

"We watched a movie at Jana's that night, and I sat there wishing I didn't have to leave the next day. I've had such a great time this week. Even though we didn't get to spend as much time together as we would have liked, the time we did have together was absolutely wonderful."

Christmas in Boise

December 31, 2005

"John is here for Christmas! Yay! His plane flew in on Thursday night, and we've just been hanging out with my family and finishing up some of his homework for school. We went to 'On The Border' for lunch before we went and saw 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' at the movie theater. We stayed pretty late at Mom and Dad's on Christmas Eve, so I didn't drop him off at Joe's apartment until 1:00 in the morning." 

"I was so tired that I knew I'd fall right to sleep when I got home. But when I opened the door to my apartment and turned on the Christmas tree lights, there was glass shattered all over the living room floor and a big rock in the center of the room. I looked over at the window and saw that it had been almost completely torn away. My computer, TV, and DVD player was still there, and so was my roommate's CD player. The first thing I thought was that someone could still be in the apartment, so I quickly shut the door and ran to my car. I drove back to Joe's apartment to get John, and I started to cry as soon as I saw him because I was so scared. John called the police for me, and then we drove back to the apartment so we could meet the officer there. We went back inside and showed him the damages, and still nothing was missing. John helped me patch up the window with cardboard and blankets, and I packed a bag to stay over at my parents house. After calling the landlord and letting her know what had happened, getting John back home, and crashing on the couch at my parent's house, I was out like a log by 3:30."

"I only managed to get about 2 hours of sleep before going to pick up John on Christmas morning. I got him a beanie hat, wool socks, thermal underwear, pajama pants, a Nerf basketball hoop, and a Jack Johnson CD. John got me a matching hat, scarf, and glove set that was really nice, and he got me a calendar with pictures of Arizona on every page. I loved it!"

"We hung out at Brian and Angie's house that night with Bill, Jeana, and Joe, and the next morning we drove to Eastern Idaho to meet my family in Sugar City. We listened to 'First Comes Love' while we were driving, and we wrote down some goals as we talked the whole way. We came up with a pretty good list, covering everything from Finances to Spirituality. It was such a good conversation and we really learned a lot about each other."

"We had lunch at Lisa's and all my family started popping up everywhere. It was awesome! John was so laid back and playful with everyone, just like he always is, and they loved him. :) Bryan and Jodi and Zane and Cheree came over with their kids, and the house was packed. It reminded me of how it used to be when we lived there, except now everyone is extremely TALL! We visited for a while and then went to see 'Fun With Dick and Jane' with all my cousins. John and I played the 'annoying theater laugh' game, and all my cousins were embarrassed... laughing hysterically... but totally embarrassed."

"John stayed at Grandma Ward's house that night while I stayed at Tara's. After breakfast I took John on a tour around Sugar City and showed him where I used to live and the schools I went to. Then we had lunch at Tara's before heading back to Boise. It was fun to see my family and for them to meet John. When we got back to Boise we showed Dad the SNL movie with Will Ferrell. He was laughing really loud through the whole movie, so after he left the room John started imitating his laugh and he sounded just like him. I almost died laughing!"

"We went out to lunch the other day with my friend Casandra and her fiance Paul. They told us how Paul had done 8 fake proposals before finally asking her for real. That would have driven me insane! After lunch we drove over to the Anniversary Inn to take a free tour of their themed hotel rooms, since we didn't have anything else to do, and it was actually really cool!"

"We hung out with Brian and Angie one night, then went to Boondocks and played laser tag with Bill and Jeana the next day. We even had time to teach my brothers how to play Settlers of Catan at Jason's house this week. On New Years Eve we went to the big institute party at the Student Union Building. John and I played a few arcade games and a couple of rounds of pool. We wanted to go sing karaoke like I did last year, but there were too many people signed up for it, so when a group of guys got up there to sing an N'SYNC song, John just jumped up there with them!"

"Five minutes before midnight we went into the dance hall and did the countdown with everyone. I finally got my first New Years Eve kiss! We've spent a lot of time together this week, talked a lot about the wedding and our future goals, and it brought us even closer. I didn't want this week to end. I can't believe we're getting married in five and a half months! I only have four and a half months left before I graduate from college! Then I'll be moving to Arizona! This year is going to be great!"

The Wedding Dress

January 8, 2006

"Mom and I went wedding dress shopping yesterday."

"It was fun trying them on, but deciding which one I liked the most was a bit more difficult."

"I found one that I really liked, so we had them put it on hold for a week."

"After we were done dress shopping, we went to the wedding show at the Boise Center on the Grove. They had all these catering businesses and wedding decorators with booths lined up around the room. We went around and got ideas, prices, and phone numbers. Looks like we have a LOT of planning to do!"

January in Arizona

January 29, 2006

"Dad took me to the airport so I could fly down to Phoenix this weekend. It's funny to me how he doesn't just drop me off at the curb, but insists on parking his truck, taking my bags up to the security gate, and waiting for me to give him a hug before I go. It's kinda cute."

"John picked me up and we got all the way to Jana's house before he showed me his surprise. He got his braces off! He has a very handsome smile (not that he didn't before). ;) We stayed up late playing Settlers of Catan and John won both times. The next morning Ashleigh and Emily talked me into playing Barbies and dress-up, so by the time John showed up he caught me playing 'Go Fish' in a princess crown."

"We spent most of the day working on homework, except when we took a break to shave off John's goatee."

"First he took the razor and shaved down the middle so it looked like a big handlebar mustache, then he pretended to be a rough biker dude for a few seconds, then shaved some more. It was pretty entertaining to watch."

"Then we drove down to Maricopa so we could check on our house! John said they're closing the deal on February 10th so he'll be moving in two weeks from now!"

"We grabbed dinner at Sonic and then went to the Mesa Temple Visitor's Center to watch the new movie about 'Joseph Smith the Prophet'. It was so good! John and I had a good conversation about the Joseph Smith story on the way back to Jana's house. The relationship that he had with his wife Emma and how supportive she was through all their trials is a great example to us of how we want our relationship to be."

"On Sunday we exchanged Valentines (he got me a box of chocolates and I got him a stuffed Garfield wearing a Valentine shirt and sunglasses) and went to church at John's Singles Ward. Elders Quorum and Relief Society were combined for 5th Sunday, so his bishop asked John to share his recent missionary experience about sharing the gospel with one of his students over the phone. He is so inspiring when he talks about the gospel, I can't help but be amazed every time I listen to him. It was a great feeling."

"We ate dinner at his mom's house and talked about plans for the wedding and when I was planning to move down to Arizona. Then it was off to the airport, and another goodbye until next month. These next five months are going to be more difficult that we imagined."

A Baptism in Tennessee

February 4, 2006

"A few months ago John had a student ask him some questions about the church, and he started teaching her the missionary discussions over the phone. Her name is Kathy and she is a very sweet lady. He called me from the office one day and told me he had someone on the phone that wanted to meet me. It was Kathy, and she wanted to share some exciting news. She has chosen to be baptized! She asked John if he would be willing to fly to Tennessee and baptize her, and he said yes!"

"He called me from Tennessee and told me how the baptism went, and how the Elders were so grateful because she was the first baptism they've had in that area for the past 2 years! I was so excited for him to have that experience. He has such a love for sharing the gospel, and it is so amazing to watch people's lives change because of it."

My 21st Birthday

February 26, 2006

"John called me as soon as he had gotten most of his stuff moved into our new house a few weeks ago and told me how exciting it was to finally have his own space. It still looks pretty empty because he doesn't have very much, but it will have to do until I move down there in 4 months!"

"I had a fun time hanging out with Michelle and Mallory at a Valentine's party at the church. It was a lot of fun being out with my girls, since I couldn't be with John that night."

"But he still knows how to sweep me off my feet from a thousand miles away. :) While I was at work, a lady walked through the door carrying a yellow rose and asked for me. I was completely shocked, and my eyes lit up because I knew who it was from."

"I don't know how he does it, but he never ceases to amaze me."
"When he flew into town for my birthday this weekend, he surprised me with a new cell phone! He got one just like it for himself so we could activate them together on the same plan. It is such a nice phone, and now I have an Arizona phone number! We found out that we could record anything we want for 15 seconds and then use that sound as our ring tone. I'm going to have John sing 'My Best Friend' by Tim McGraw so I can hear it every time he calls. :)"
"The next day we did some shopping and I bought a business suit to wear for my Nursing Program graduation photos. Then we hung out at Joe's apartment and I had John sing the song for my new ring tone. The lyrics were: 'I don't know where I'd be, without you here with me. Life with you makes perfect sense. You're my best friend.' It was so cute! Then I invited some friends to meet us at Boondocks so we could play laser tag for my birthday."
"My 21st birthday was on a Sunday, so we went to church at my student ward, then had dinner, cake, and ice cream at Mom and Dad's. We went to Brian and Angie's house after that and they fed us more dinner, AND surprised us with another cake and ice cream! I was so full of food I almost burst. It was sweet though, and they gave me a cute bag and some cards from the girls. They've already started calling me 'Aunt Dana'. :)"
"It was tough to say goodbye that night. I started thinking about last year's birthday and how we had finally met after 2 months and had our first kiss that weekend. Now look at us! We're getting married! As I drove home I listened to the song I had John sing for me on my phone. He really is my best friend."

Spring Break in AZ

April 3, 2006

"John picked me up from the airport and we went out to eat with his mom and her friend Jenny. We talked about wedding stuff and then went back to Jody's house to look through a box of John's childhood photos. He was such a cute little blonde haired, blue-eyed heart breaker! And every story behind every picture made me laugh. We're going to make a slide show and hopefully show it at the wedding reception. I can't wait to put it together."

"The next day John had to work, so I started scanning some of John's pictures so I could email them to myself and work on the slideshow at home. I ran a few errands with 'Momma' Speirs before John came home from work, and the first thing he did when he got there was run up the stairs to give me a kiss! :) Ha ha!"

"We ate dinner on the patio and then went for a drive. He took me to the Mesa Temple and we walked around and looked at all the pretty flowers."

"We sat on the same bench where he prayed for his confirmation after we got engaged, and we talked about how awesome it was to be together at this same spot again. We've accomplished a lot in the last seven months, and it's hard to believe that the wait is almost over."

"We went back to the Speirs' house and watched 'That Thing You Do'. It was a good movie, but I kept falling asleep because I was so comfortable wrapped up in John's arms. Last month I had an interview with the bishop and met an engaged couple sitting next to me. We started talking about our upcoming weddings, and they asked me how often I get to see John. When I told them only once a month they look shocked. 'How do you survive?' they asked. I guess it's moments like these when we're together that keep me going."

"In the morning John took me to our house in Maricopa so I could see what it looked like from the inside. He made us some Macaroni and Cheese for lunch, and then we went to the jewelry store to pick out a wedding band to go with my engagement ring. We went back to the Speirs' house and soaked our feet in the backyard pool for a while. It kinda felt like we were kids again. Maybe it was the rolled up pant legs and bare feet that reminded me of wading in the river. Plus, John kept making fun of my little stubby toes. It was such a nice night to be outside."

"On Saturday we went to Ashleigh's soccer game and then stopped at KFC to grab some lunch and had a picnic at the park with just the two of us. We got back to the Speirs' house in time to watch the afternoon session of General Conference, and then we got ready for Jenn to take our Engagement pictures. We drove out to the Ocotillo Golf Course, and there were ponds and waterfalls and palm trees all over the place. It looked so pretty!"

"We watched Conference on Sunday morning at Jana's house, and Scott said the girls were asking where I was the minute they woke up. 'You're already the favorite and you aren't even official yet!' It will be fun living close to them. We visited Brother Ethington after conference and then played 'Curses' at Jana's house until it was time to leave. When we started dishing out hugs to everyone I said, 'See you at the wedding!' WHAT?! 'See you at the wedding' sounded so different than 'next time' or 'in a few months'. The next time I see them with be at the wedding, and the next time I come down here to Arizona will be when I MOVE."

"Saying goodbye to John that night was heartbreaking. It will be six weeks until my graduation, so I won't get to see him until May. John said, 'Alright, it's gonna hurt like a band-aid, so let's just hurry up and rip it off!' Ha ha! So he walked me to the door and we finally said goodnight. He took me to the airport the next morning, and we decided that the separation was always harder on the 'home team' after the weekend is over, because when I leave him from the airport he gets more depressed, and when he leaves me from the airport I get more depressed. I guess it's because the memories of that weekend still linger for the next few days, but the other half isn't there anymore and life feels empty again. He gave me one last kiss goodbye and watched me walk into the terminal."

Boise State University Graduation

May 14, 2006

"My mom took me shopping on Wednesday to buy all my temple clothes in preparation for this weekend. My dress is so pretty, I can't wait for John to see it. We finally made it through these past six weeks! I picked him up at the airport and almost knocked him over when I went to give him a hug. :) Most of my extended family came from Eastern Idaho for my graduation, so they were all waiting for us at the house. We sat and visited for a while before I had to go get ready for my Nursing Program pinning ceremony."

"The ceremony was held at the Jordan Ballroom in the Student Union Building. They had all the students line up outside the doors and walk in holding little pen lights (pretending they were candles). When it was time for the pinning, they had each of us walk across the stage and they put a pin on our blouses and gave us a rose as we walked off. John gave me a big hug afterward and told me he was proud of me."

"The next morning I had commencement practice, and then the Boise State University graduation ceremony began. As we walked into the arena, I glanced around and found my family sitting in the stadium on my right. One of the speakers asked us to think of all the people that encouraged, supported, and helped us get to where we were that day. I thought about mom, how she always encouraged me to do my best in school, how she sacrificed her time and covered the office when I had projects to finish, papers to write, tests to study for, and how she willingly gave what money she had to help pay for text books and make ends meet. I thought about John, how he helped me to believe in myself when I was struggling last semester, how he made me think more about my future and why I wanted this degree, and all the support and encouragement he gave me."

"They gave us a moment to applaud the crowd for their support, and as they raised the lights I saw John stand up and point right at me, so I pointed back and looked at the rest of my family and felt so much gratitude for them. As I walked up to the stand and they called my name, I felt this amazing sense of accomplishment. I stuck with my goal and it was all worth it just to have that degree in my hand."

"That night after graduation I went to the temple to receive my own endowments. As I put on my dress and slippers, I took one last look at myself in the mirror. I couldn't help but think how grown up I felt. I wasn't a little girl anymore; I was becoming the woman I'd always hoped I would be. Mom was waiting for me in the bride's dressing room, and I had never seen her look more beautiful in her white temple dress with a beautiful smile on her face. We walked to the chapel together and the rest of my family was already there waiting for me. There was a seat saved for me in the front row next to John. As I looked around at the rest of my family, I felt that same feeling of gratitude for such a strong circle of support in my life."

"After I received my endowments, I walked into the celestial room and John was the first person I saw. He was standing there with a big smile on his face, waiting for his hug. Soon everyone started gathering around us and giving each other more hugs. It was such a happy moment."

"The next morning I got my first speeding ticket on the way to Mom & Dad's for church. Oops! John and I sang with a group of college kids for a special Mother's Day musical number in their ward. Then we had an interview with my Stake President and he gave us a special wedding gift. It was 'The Family Proclamation' printed on transparent paper and framed with our picture behind it. It was really nice!"
"It's been a wonderful weekend. I'm so glad this is the last time we have to say goodbye at the airport. The next time we see each other, we'll be getting married!"

Bridal Showers

May 30, 2006

"My Aunt Cheree and Aunt Lisa threw a bridal shower for me in Sugar City this weekend. All my grandmothers were there, my mom, several of my cousins, and my friend Cathy and her mom. We had a great time!"

"I made a little questionnaire about me and John that everyone had to fill out. Each question had a story behind it that everyone wanted to hear, so it took a while. Then we opened gifts and I had to name one reason why I loved John for every gift I opened. I got a lot of sunflower stuff for my kitchen!"

"Then my cousins decided to get a little silly with the leftover wrapping paper and made me a 'beautiful' wedding gown."

"Do you think John will like it?"

"The next weekend Angie threw me a bridal shower for all my friends in Boise. We played some games with love songs and candy bars, and then Angie turned on the TV and had a video of John prepared for a special quiz I had to take. The video was pretty funny, and for every question I got right that matched John's answer on the video I would get a prize (kitchen utensils). It was so fun!"

"My friends were told to bring a gift I could use for a certain time of day, so I got breath mints for 6:00 a.m., a breakfast tray for 8:00, a hymn book for 10:00, picnic basket for 12:00, bath set for 2:00 p.m., and some lingerie for the night time gifts. Angie and the rest of the Critchfield girls pitched in and bought me some luggage for our honeymoon cruise! It was such a blast!"

Our Wedding Day

June 17, 2006

"John's plane flew into Salt Lake at 9:30 Friday morning. Dad and Mom took me to the airport to pick him up, and I was practically bouncing up and down in the back seat waiting for him to call. He got in the car and we went straight to the courthouse to pick up our Utah marriage license. A few forms and $50 later, we were on our way!"

"We went back to Cindy's house and spent some time talking outside. We read a short book by Jeffrey R. Holland called 'Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments' and talked about the sanctity of marriage and what we would be committing to on our wedding day. It was a good conversation."

"That night we had an open house/birthday party with Grandma Bowen and all our relatives that had come into town for the wedding. Mallory brought the slideshow over to show us how it turned out, and it was awesome! Casandra came over and she and Mallory wanted to see me in my wedding dress, so we ran upstairs and put it on. Then we had to hurry to the airport to pick up John's mom and take both of them to Steve's house for the night. I said goodbye to John for the LAST time, and we both smiled at each other with anticipation."

"The wedding wasn't until 3:00 p.m., so I tried to sleep for as long as I could, but it's like trying to stay in bed on Christmas morning! My first thought was, "Oh my gosh, I'm getting married TODAY!" Cindy made us a big breakfast, and then I drove myself stir crazy until it was time to get ready. Then we grabbed the dress and all our luggage and gave one last round of hugs before driving to the temple. Dad took a while finding a parking space, and I was nervous about being late for my own wedding, so we were a little flustered by the time we got inside. John arrived with plenty of time to take a picture with his siblings before he met me in the lobby."

"I asked John how he was feeling, and he said he had butterflies in his stomach, but we both smiled because we knew it was going to be one of the happiest days of our lives. As we sat in the Celestial room of the Salt Lake Temple together, waiting for our family to meet us in the sealing room, John offered a prayer on our behalf. It calmed our nerves and brought us closer to the spirit. Then we were escorted to the sealing room, and received some words of counsel from the Sealer. When he was finished, he asked John to bring me to the altar and then kneel across from me on the other side. We held each other's hand and made a covenant with each other and the Lord, and our marriage was sealed for time and all eternity."

"We stood up and exchanged rings, and then received hugs from all of our friends and family who came to congratulate us. On the way back to the dressing room, all the temple matrons were calling me 'Sister Critchfield' and it made me smile. The rest of our family waited outside for us to make our grand appearance as husband and wife."

"John came around the corner of the hallway in his tuxedo and stopped to take a good look at me in my wedding dress. Then we grabbed each other's hand and walked through the temple doors together."

"Our families clapped and cheered!"

"We gave out hugs and then followed our photographer so we could take pictures."

"We had fun getting our entire family to mesh together for the first time."

"I love my new family!"

"When the pictures were finished, John and I stayed behind to take some more photos with just the two of us."

"When we were finished, we headed over to the Joseph Smith Building where our family was having dinner. We had a TV set up with our slideshow of pictures from childhood through dating, and everyone had a good laugh. Then we passed a microphone around the room, and everyone took a turn standing up and sharing a story about the bride or the groom. It was fun to reminisce about all the good times we'd shared with our families. When everyone had taken a turn, John stood up at the microphone and thanked everyone for being there and expressed his feelings about the day's events. Then he turned to me and expressed his love and gratitude for me, and it was a very sweet moment. I made a few remarks and expressed my love for John as well, and then we took that as our cue to say goodbye. After 18 months of being apart we were overjoyed just to know that we could finally be together for eternity. It truly was the best day of our lives!"