The Cliffs Notes Version of Summer

Although our summer was incredibly busy with both Will and I working full time, we managed to go on a couple summer adventures. On our first expedition, we set out to bike the course that the participants take for the pioneer trek. What started off as a four-mile ride turned into twenty-four miles of varied terrain, four of which were fraught with snow.

After the grueling climb up the hill we were encouraged by the lush greenery, so we kept going despite some warnings from some ATV enthusiasts.

And we trudged through the snow for two hours, just thinking that it would dissipate around the next bend. Overall, it was an amazing feat and we had sore bottoms and wet shoes to show for it.

Our next major snow adventure occurred over the fourth of July. Will and I decided to embark on his first backpacking trip. We chose a route in the Tetons that would take us by Green Lake. We never made it to the lake because snow disguised the trail.

Well, this whole time we were living in Tetonia, Idaho at the base of the Tetons. We had our own little cabin and were always surrounded by nature and we loved out time at Badger Creek!

It's Better in Boulder

Our first night as a married couple was spent at Yardley Inn, a cute little bed and breakfast right near the Manti temple. Will chose well. The Inn was decorated with antiques and was filled with pioneer heritage. A little, old man greeted us at the door and carried our luggage upstairs. He was very accomodating and it was fun to have a scrumptious breakfast of eggs, pecan waffles, and orange juice served at the great table.

After the reception, we spent the night at Castle Creek Inn, in the Romeo and Juliet Suite, very romantic, but not quite as homey as Yardley Inn. The next day, we took off for an exotic get-away in Southern Utah. Going to my cabin was the perfect honeymoon. We made delicious food, slept in, and went exploring near Boulder. I introduced Will to Capitol Reef National Park, Upper Calf Creek Falls, Chris Lake, and attempted an ascent to Blind Lake. We made the pilgrimmage down to Happy Valley, to look at the old homestead. Much to our dismay, my great-grandmother's home was surrounded by multi-million dollar cabins, but it was still standing. Will and I also learned about the Anasazi Indians when we went to the museum, and we tried out the local cuisine at Hell's Grill, a very organic, expensive restaurant in Boulder.

Capitol Reef

The Old Homestead

Hiking to Blind Lake

The Reception at Le Jardin

Well, although this was probably the most expensive party of our lives, we both thoroughly enjoyed our reception. We had it at this greenhouse in Sandy, Utah called Le Jardin. The best part about the place is that almost all the decorations are already incorporated into the surroundings. Tif's step-mom Jenifer did a bang-up job with the other decorations and the food as well.

And, if you thought that the greenhouse was beautiful, you mustn't have stuck around long enough to see the bride, because compared to her, everything else seemed to dim in comparison. No, honestly, look at that picture. I am one lucky man.

Anyway, we both enjoyed our time there greeting friends and family, many of whom we hadn't seen for ages. Thanks to all of you who were able to make it out to celebrate with us. Hopefully you had as much fun as we did enjoying the superb food and exquisite cake.

The Cake--carrot, italian and chocolate, and oh... they were incredibly delicious

It was a happy, fun-filled night. We were glad we could have so many loved ones with us, especially our families who helped pull everything together to make it possible. Hopefully, I'm not overwhelming this post with pictures, but it's just so hard to choose which ones to put on that I just end up choosing a ton of different ones. So here's a just a last few of our favorites.

Will's Family

Tif's Family

The Maid of Honor, Alyssa, and the Best Man, Andrew

Grandma Lehmitz

That's my adorable little cousin, Heidi. Isn't she just a doll.

And then last, of course, they somehow managed to get a copy of my keys in order to trash the car. They even rigged up the electric system so that every time I hit the brakes, a little siren would go off. Luckily they were merciful and called me after a few minutes to let me know how to turn it off.

Having Their Hearts Knit Together in Unity

After four years of striving to maintain a long-distance relationship, April 29, 2008 came none too soon. Tiffani and I had started dating in the summer of 2004. I lived in Provo and she lived at home in South Jordan. Our relationship was built on instant messaging, phone cards, and weekly visits. Then, I left on my mission in May of 2005. While I was gone in Paraguay for two years, Tiffani was busy preparing her mind and furthering her education at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg. It was funny to watch the pattern of letters. We wrote each other faithfully each week for about a year, then the letters started coming every two weeks, once a month, and so on. When I got home I wanted to pick up where we left off, but Tiffani was hard to find with her new job working in the "wilderness" of western Utah with troubled youth. By the time she figured out that she was still interested in pursuing a relationship, we had to go our separate ways once more, Tiffani went back to Rexburg and I returned to Provo. By this time however, cell phones were the hot mode of communication that enabled to have daily contact. We would see each other every few weeks, but that made for long trips and lots of gas money. But, we were determined to be together, and on December 22, 2008, we became engaged. And finally, after four very long months (as those of you who have been engaged know) and lots of planning and preparation, we were sealed together as husband and wife for all eternity in the Manti Utah Temple.

I've never experienced something so fulfilling as the day we were married. And, after being apart for so long it felt so good to finally be together. Being in the temple was wonderful , and being able to share that occasion with our loved ones made it even more special.

Y para todos mis amigos que no entienden el ingles, quiero incluir un parte para ustedes. El día de nuestro sellamiento en el templo fue una experiencia inolvidable. Nunca he estado tan feliz como fui en el momento en que yo y Tiffani fuimos sellados para siempre. Espero que todos puedan experimentar este mismo gozo algun día. Desde el principo, cuando empezamos a salir, nunca estabamos juntos. Asistíamos diferentes universidades, yo fui a la misión, etc., pero ya no nos pueden separar. Me encanta estar con mi esposa cada día. Les quiero mucho.

To Craft an Eternity

The cat’s cradle, now entangled
Once carefully embossed
Lay quiet in the shadows,
Fortuitously lost.

For once upon a yesteryear
The threads were tightly strung
Through the fingers of a youthful heart,
A heart that had been won.

T’was a vict’ry of patience.
Wisdom gathered in the mind.
Hands freed to weave a pattern,
Leaving all mistakes behind.

All arrogance was vanquished
And selfishness suppressed,
Tamed and tempered to appeasement
By the gentlest caress.

Yet, the game now lay abandoned,
For “t’was but child’s play.”
And as the years march onward
We put childish things away.
But as the string doth wind and weave
And weld two hands to one,
So the circles of our lives
Are not so eas’ly undone.

For what was lost, has now been found;
The dust brushed from its face.
The deft hands restring the cord
To its once familiar place.

The knots are tied with increased care
Gleaned from maturity.
Two hands apart, now interlace—
To craft an eternity.

The Beginning of Us

This blog is dedicated to my new life with my husband, Will. After four years of knowing one another, we were sealed in the Manti temple on April 29, 2008. For all those that don't know our story, it all began with bloomers, bonnets, and handcarts...

In June of 2004, Will and I became a family. A trek family, that is. We were destined to end up in the same group during our stake pioneer trek, "Remnants of the Past Build Faith in the Future." Both he and I were reluctant to go. Will had just graduated from high school and was a little too cool to be hanging out with the youth. I wanted to spend time up in Montana with my cousins. Fortunately, however, the Lord saw differently. I was called to the stake youth committee and ended up planning the trek. During one of the planning meetings, I jokingly told my friend, Ali, that I was probably going to meet some hot boy in my group and hook up with him.
When I saw that Will was about my age, I decided to strike up a conversation with him. My first impression was that he was stuck up because he gave terse replies. Later on, I just discovered he was extremely shy. After pulling the handcart for ten hours straight, we discovered we had a lot in common. We both went to the same schools growing up, had the same teachers, the same classes, and even some mutual friends. We shared many interests, but had just never really noticed each other or had the opportunity to associate with one another. Come to find out, we even lived in the same ward when we were little.

After pioneer trek, Will started to pursue me and eventually won out against all my other love interests. We dated for about a year before he left on his mission to Paraguay. Shortly thereafter, I went up to college at BYU-Idaho and had many great experiences that shaped my life. I was a dedicated pen-pal to Will, for the first year of his mission. The latter half, I was just too involved in my own life.

When Will got home last summer, I was too reluctant to date him, mostly because I was too scared of what might be. I told him that he needed to date other people and adjust back to a non-missionary lifestyle. At the end of the summer, I came to my senses. We had a long-distance relationship for eight months before we were able to get married.

It seems trite to condense the whole history of our relationship into a couple paragraphs, but it's probably only interesting to a select few anyways. For those few, I hope you enjoy looking at our adventures together.