Our Meeting:
Where do you being a story like this...? Really, our story began about ten years ago, when ward member, and now my sister-in-law, The Realtor, worked as a realtor for a builder. My long-time friends, and now also ward members, Daybreak Friends were building in Eastlake, with The Realtor’s help. The Realtor became our friend through helping them with their home.
I guess you could also start it back to 16 years ago when I met Mrs Daybreak. I was serving as Relief Society President of a singles’ ward. She moved into the ward at the same time as one of my counselors was getting married and moving out of the ward. I had been praying about a new counselor. I went into the Bishop’s office to present the name I’d prayed about, and instead, blurted out Mrs Daybreak. I hadn’t even met her in person. But that’s who the Lord wanted. And all these years later, I’m godmother to her three children, and our families will forever be connected.
I digress. Now, fast forward 9 years from when we first met The
Realtor. The house across the street from The Realtor, in our ward, was going
on the market, and so she reached out to Mr and Mrs Daybreak to see if they
wanted to purchase it. It was meant to be, and Mr and Mrs Daybreak moved their
family across the street from The Realtor.
It may be important to point out that The Realtor’s neighbors to the west are her parents. The Realtor’s neighbors to the south are her sister and her family. In fact, they have a compound. A shared backyard for the three homes with one fence around the property.
In 2015, Mr Dreamy’s marriage ended. With the divorce, he moved into his parents’ basement apartment (remember, his parents live next door to The Realtor and across the street from Daybreak Friends.) His parents were an incredible help with Mr Dreamy’s four children, as he has shares custody of his children with his ex-wife.
At the time of the divorce, The Realtor had mentioned to Mrs Daybreak that her brother and I needed to meet once his divorce was finalized. Mrs Daybreak mentioned it to me. But let’s be honest. I was forty and never married. Do you know how many times someone has wanted to introduce me to their brother...? I just added it to the list and was flattered she’d thought of me.
Later in 2015, I returned from my annual pilgrimage to my cabin, walked in the door of the home I shared with my aunt in Saratoga Springs and knew - I needed to move now. I got a blessing because of how strong the instant impression was and it was very much confirmed. Since I work in Riverton, I looked at apartments in the surrounding area. The apartments in Daybreak had openings, so I ended up signing a lease there. They called me back the day after signing to let me know another apartment was available, it was two instead of one bedroom, and was less rent. Um, a no brainer to me. So I ended up in that apartment, in a different building, which put me into the same ward as Daybreak Friends and The Realtor and all of The Realtor’s family, including Mr Dreamy.
I remembered looking to see who Mr Dreamy was, just out of curiosity. I remember, even though I’ve always gone to choir because I enjoy singing, when I went, I’d sit near Mr Dreamy – to see if he could sing well. Ha! (I later found out he tried to sit near me as well.) I remember a Sunday that Mr Dreamy gave a talk. The Bishopric counselor who asked Mr Dreamy to speak that day shared with my Laurels class (young women ages 16-18 in my congregation) that he remembers that impression to ask Mr Dreamy to speak. He didn’t know Mr Dreamy, he knew of his situation. He was hesitant to ask as the theme was getting through trials and difficulties. But he went ahead and asked, and Mr Dreamy gave the talk. One of the things that he said, that struck something in me, was when he mentioned how much he has always loved singing his little girl to sleep at night. I remembered that and brought it up on one of our first dates.
Right after moving in, I started dating someone (not Mr Dreamy – blog readers know him as the texter.) This was the time when the rest of The Realtor’s extended family started to get to know me. That fact didn’t make them happy. The Realtor and family were sure to share this fact with Mrs Daybreak. That they were trying to find a way to get me and Mr Dreamy together.
But that relationship coincidentally ended right at the time Mr Dreamy’s divorce was finalized. I had two great home teachers who came every month. A welcome thing these days. But in February 2016 (when my previous relationship ended and Mr Dreamy’s divorce was finalized,) my home teachers told me they’d been reassigned. Boo! Next thing I knew, Mr Dreamy’s dad, coincidentally the High Priest Group Leader, reached out to me to let me know he was my new home teacher. We set an appointment, and the doorbell rang at that appointed time. I walked to the door, assuming I’d see who are now my mother and father in law when I opened the door. Instead, I had to chuckle inside. I opened the door to find my father in law and Mr Dreamy. (My father in law has confessed, and Mr Dreamy confirmed, he did not tell Mr Dreamy where they were going that night. Only that he’d asked him to be his companion on a home teaching visit with a single sister in the ward.)
Mr Dreamy asked me out soon after that visit.
Our engagement:
I guess I share this part of the story to show all the more how the spirit was involved with our courtship. I’d never had a courtship where I’d say the spirit was leading me in the things we did, other than calming my nerves when going out with someone new, or when I knew it was time for a relationship to end. This relationship was just so different.
I have to give a little back story again. 18 years ago my cousin was getting married in the Los Angeles temple. He and I were close. I was attending BYU at the time. I was already to leave, my car already packed, when I knelt to say my pre-trip prayer. An overwhelming feeling came over me that I was not to drive to California, I would not be attending the wedding. I called my dad in tears. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t supposed to go to his wedding. My dad’s counsel: trust the spirit.
Back to present, well, to the story. We dated a couple months and then Mr Dreamy introduced me to his kids. Um, such great kids. Memorial Day was approaching, and Mr Dreamy invited me to go with all the family to their vacation home in St George for the holiday weekend. There was a problem.
I mentioned that I lived with my aunt in Saratoga Springs before moving. My aunt and I are really close. (Ok, I’m really close to a lot of my family, that’s just the person, and the family, really, we are.) When I moved out, though twice divorced and sworn to never remarry, she had reconnected with a friend from back in the day before she’d ever married. They dated. Thanks to many, many prayers on her behalf by family – they got engaged, and were getting married Memorial Day weekend. Only a small handful of us were invited. I being one. I have been looking forward to this day for over twenty years. I could not miss the wedding.
Mr Dreamy and I tried a couple different plans for how I could attend the sealing on Saturday and still get down to St George for the rest of the weekend. Plans of others involved kept changing though. Ultimately, we thought we had a plan. I knelt to pray that night and talked with Heavenly Father about what was going on, and once again, that overwhelming feeling came over me, and I knew I would not be attending my aunt’s wedding. It was crazy late, so with tears running down my face, I emailed my aunt to let her know about the experience with my cousin’s wedding (he’s her nephew), and how I again had that same feeling. The next day she responded that she understood. A week later, one day after I returned from St George, three days into her honeymoon, she emailed me and asked how the weekend went. My response: “I’m going to marry Mr Dreamy.” Two days later, not knowing of the email exchange with my aunt, Mr Dreamy proposed.
Not getting married until age 41 is really tough. But I’m a glass half full kind of person, so I stay positive. But frankly, I’d given up hope of getting married. Especially after the previous relationship ended. I’d had it. Luckily Mrs Daybreak told me I couldn’t give up. Luckily my father in law changed the home teaching route. Luckily Mr Dreamy asked me out. Luckily, as I look back at so many experiences I’ve had, I can see where so many of them prepared me for my life with Mr Dreamy. With the things his four children experience. Getting a busy calling like Young Women’s President three days after getting engaged and serving in that calling while planning a wedding and adjusting to life with a husband and four children is tough. It isn’t easy stepping into a family as I have done. But thankfully, I came in prepared thanks to the experiences Heavenly Father has given me.
September 22, 2016, my friend, Elder Craig Zwick, sealed Mr Dreamy and I together for time and all eternity in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. I cannot imagine my life going any differently, nor imagine myself married to a man more perfect for me that Mr Dreamy is.
It may be important to point out that The Realtor’s neighbors to the west are her parents. The Realtor’s neighbors to the south are her sister and her family. In fact, they have a compound. A shared backyard for the three homes with one fence around the property.
In 2015, Mr Dreamy’s marriage ended. With the divorce, he moved into his parents’ basement apartment (remember, his parents live next door to The Realtor and across the street from Daybreak Friends.) His parents were an incredible help with Mr Dreamy’s four children, as he has shares custody of his children with his ex-wife.
At the time of the divorce, The Realtor had mentioned to Mrs Daybreak that her brother and I needed to meet once his divorce was finalized. Mrs Daybreak mentioned it to me. But let’s be honest. I was forty and never married. Do you know how many times someone has wanted to introduce me to their brother...? I just added it to the list and was flattered she’d thought of me.
Later in 2015, I returned from my annual pilgrimage to my cabin, walked in the door of the home I shared with my aunt in Saratoga Springs and knew - I needed to move now. I got a blessing because of how strong the instant impression was and it was very much confirmed. Since I work in Riverton, I looked at apartments in the surrounding area. The apartments in Daybreak had openings, so I ended up signing a lease there. They called me back the day after signing to let me know another apartment was available, it was two instead of one bedroom, and was less rent. Um, a no brainer to me. So I ended up in that apartment, in a different building, which put me into the same ward as Daybreak Friends and The Realtor and all of The Realtor’s family, including Mr Dreamy.
I remembered looking to see who Mr Dreamy was, just out of curiosity. I remember, even though I’ve always gone to choir because I enjoy singing, when I went, I’d sit near Mr Dreamy – to see if he could sing well. Ha! (I later found out he tried to sit near me as well.) I remember a Sunday that Mr Dreamy gave a talk. The Bishopric counselor who asked Mr Dreamy to speak that day shared with my Laurels class (young women ages 16-18 in my congregation) that he remembers that impression to ask Mr Dreamy to speak. He didn’t know Mr Dreamy, he knew of his situation. He was hesitant to ask as the theme was getting through trials and difficulties. But he went ahead and asked, and Mr Dreamy gave the talk. One of the things that he said, that struck something in me, was when he mentioned how much he has always loved singing his little girl to sleep at night. I remembered that and brought it up on one of our first dates.
Right after moving in, I started dating someone (not Mr Dreamy – blog readers know him as the texter.) This was the time when the rest of The Realtor’s extended family started to get to know me. That fact didn’t make them happy. The Realtor and family were sure to share this fact with Mrs Daybreak. That they were trying to find a way to get me and Mr Dreamy together.
But that relationship coincidentally ended right at the time Mr Dreamy’s divorce was finalized. I had two great home teachers who came every month. A welcome thing these days. But in February 2016 (when my previous relationship ended and Mr Dreamy’s divorce was finalized,) my home teachers told me they’d been reassigned. Boo! Next thing I knew, Mr Dreamy’s dad, coincidentally the High Priest Group Leader, reached out to me to let me know he was my new home teacher. We set an appointment, and the doorbell rang at that appointed time. I walked to the door, assuming I’d see who are now my mother and father in law when I opened the door. Instead, I had to chuckle inside. I opened the door to find my father in law and Mr Dreamy. (My father in law has confessed, and Mr Dreamy confirmed, he did not tell Mr Dreamy where they were going that night. Only that he’d asked him to be his companion on a home teaching visit with a single sister in the ward.)
Mr Dreamy asked me out soon after that visit.
Our engagement:
I guess I share this part of the story to show all the more how the spirit was involved with our courtship. I’d never had a courtship where I’d say the spirit was leading me in the things we did, other than calming my nerves when going out with someone new, or when I knew it was time for a relationship to end. This relationship was just so different.
I have to give a little back story again. 18 years ago my cousin was getting married in the Los Angeles temple. He and I were close. I was attending BYU at the time. I was already to leave, my car already packed, when I knelt to say my pre-trip prayer. An overwhelming feeling came over me that I was not to drive to California, I would not be attending the wedding. I called my dad in tears. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t supposed to go to his wedding. My dad’s counsel: trust the spirit.
Back to present, well, to the story. We dated a couple months and then Mr Dreamy introduced me to his kids. Um, such great kids. Memorial Day was approaching, and Mr Dreamy invited me to go with all the family to their vacation home in St George for the holiday weekend. There was a problem.
I mentioned that I lived with my aunt in Saratoga Springs before moving. My aunt and I are really close. (Ok, I’m really close to a lot of my family, that’s just the person, and the family, really, we are.) When I moved out, though twice divorced and sworn to never remarry, she had reconnected with a friend from back in the day before she’d ever married. They dated. Thanks to many, many prayers on her behalf by family – they got engaged, and were getting married Memorial Day weekend. Only a small handful of us were invited. I being one. I have been looking forward to this day for over twenty years. I could not miss the wedding.
Mr Dreamy and I tried a couple different plans for how I could attend the sealing on Saturday and still get down to St George for the rest of the weekend. Plans of others involved kept changing though. Ultimately, we thought we had a plan. I knelt to pray that night and talked with Heavenly Father about what was going on, and once again, that overwhelming feeling came over me, and I knew I would not be attending my aunt’s wedding. It was crazy late, so with tears running down my face, I emailed my aunt to let her know about the experience with my cousin’s wedding (he’s her nephew), and how I again had that same feeling. The next day she responded that she understood. A week later, one day after I returned from St George, three days into her honeymoon, she emailed me and asked how the weekend went. My response: “I’m going to marry Mr Dreamy.” Two days later, not knowing of the email exchange with my aunt, Mr Dreamy proposed.
Not getting married until age 41 is really tough. But I’m a glass half full kind of person, so I stay positive. But frankly, I’d given up hope of getting married. Especially after the previous relationship ended. I’d had it. Luckily Mrs Daybreak told me I couldn’t give up. Luckily my father in law changed the home teaching route. Luckily Mr Dreamy asked me out. Luckily, as I look back at so many experiences I’ve had, I can see where so many of them prepared me for my life with Mr Dreamy. With the things his four children experience. Getting a busy calling like Young Women’s President three days after getting engaged and serving in that calling while planning a wedding and adjusting to life with a husband and four children is tough. It isn’t easy stepping into a family as I have done. But thankfully, I came in prepared thanks to the experiences Heavenly Father has given me.
September 22, 2016, my friend, Elder Craig Zwick, sealed Mr Dreamy and I together for time and all eternity in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. I cannot imagine my life going any differently, nor imagine myself married to a man more perfect for me that Mr Dreamy is.
2 comments:
So happy things are going well for the Dreamy family! We think of your family often and pray for your well-being, knowing from our own experience just a bit about both the blessings and mountains to climb that may be yours.
what a beautiful love story. We, as your parents, are happy to welcome the Dreamy family. in one "I do" our grandchildren doubled. But most importantly, our daughter is over the moon happy.
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