Five Years Down, an Eternity to Go

August 16, 2003 was the big day.


Can it really have been just five years ago? I can't imagine living my life without Eric. Five years ago was the happiest time of my life. And it only got better. I love reading books about love stories with happily ever afters, because that's what I feel I already have. Even though life is tough, and there are daily challenges, I'm so happy I'm facing them all with Eric by my side.

I've shared part of our story before, but here it is in a more narrative style.

Eric and I had grown up in the same city, Orem, UT, and had gone to elementary school together, meeting in the same 2nd grade class. We went to different junior highs and then got to be good friends in high school when we sat next to each other in orchestra, Eric playing oboe, me playing flute. I was dating a boy in Eric's ward, so that was a little awkward, but I still totally crushed on Eric in high school. I had heard he wanted to take me to Prom senior year, but I was going with my boyfriend.... So, I asked him to the last dance of high school--MORP. We had a really fun time with some great friends.

We saw each other a few times that summer after graduation, went to a movie and got Zuka Juice, cruising town in Eric's little blue truck. Eric went to BYU that fall and I went to Ricks. We kept in touch via email, and he wrote me when he got his mission call to Moscow, Russia. I missed Eric's mission farewell because I was back up at school after Christmas, but he wrote me from the MTC and we corresponded a little for the next several months. I graduated from Ricks and transfered to BYU. After a semester, I decided to put my own mission papers in. Eric and I corresponded more often after that, and when I got my mission call to Donetsk, Ukraine and learned I would be speaking Russian, the first thing I blurted out was, "I'm going to marry Eric!"

Eric returned home from his mission a few weeks later, and we spent some quality time together before I left for the MTC. We went to the temple together, played at our friends' wedding reception together, had double-dates with friends, and talked about Russian and missions. Eric got a job at the MTC right after I went in, so I actually saw him on occasion while I was there. He also moved into the Foreign Language Housing across the street from the MTC, so I saw his truck, and then his new car, whenever I was out that way. He brought Krispy Kreme donuts to my district the morning we left for the airport and said good-bye.

He wrote me faithfully for my whole mission. It was nice when he wrote me in Russian so I could work on my language skills, and sometimes for language study, I would write him in Russian as well. He went on a study abroad to Vienna, Austria the summer I was finishing my mission. He wrote letters from Europe and sent packages, which came rather quickly since he was closer to Ukraine. I got home a week before he did. He called me that week since we could actually talk on the phone then. I asked his mom if I could go with her to the airport to pick him up. So, I was waiting for Eric, rather than him waiting for me. All the girls on Study Abroad knew about "Eric's missionary," so it was fun to be there to welcome each other home after being apart for a year and a half.

Things moved along really quickly, our first kiss, wanting to spend all our time together...and then school started. Eric has always been a very good student, so he wasn't as focused on our relationship as I was when we started school again. After some ups and downs that school year, we decided it was time to really make the commitment. Eric wanted to propose at my Junior recital--he was going to put the ring in my flute case for me to find after it was all over. I thought it was very romantic. But, my parents weren't so sure about our getting married, so Eric held off. But after conversing with his mom about how temple dates go fast in the summer, he decided to take matters into his own hands. We were at the library on BYU campus and spontaneously decided to use the courtesy phone and call up the temple. It's so funny to think that we did that now, but at the time we were very serious. We set the date, and didn't tell anyone. :)

Eric had to go on a big Geology fieldtrip for Spring term, so instead of staying behind and missing him, I took the opportunity to go on my own Study Abroad to Paris. I think I got the better end of the deal. :) We both enjoyed our time but were very happy to get back to each other. Eric picked me up from the airport and greeted me with a big kiss and a card and bag of chocolate on my seat in the car. The wedding plans went quickly after that. We had less than two months. My mom had long ago found out that we had set our wedding date when the white envelope from the temple arrived one day when I was at school, but we weren't officially engaged, with the ring, until a couple weeks after we both got home. I was wearing a little flea market ring I bought in Chartres, France when we were taking "practice" engagement photos with Eric's sister Sarah. He totally surprised me by saying he had to grab something really quick, and then he popped out the ring. He got down on one knee and asked if I would be his wife, forever.
It was another rough couple of weeks when I almost called off the wedding, but thank goodness Eric was stable and we stuck with it. I was nervous until the moment the ceremony was done in the temple, and then I felt nothing but joy.

On our honeymoon

August 16, 2004



July 2005


August 16, 2006


July 2007


August 2008 (taken by Mierae!)



To celebrate our 5th anniversary, my sister watched the girls overnight for us so we could have our own little get-away. We went to IKEA and had a great time drinking sparkling pomegranate-apple juice, dreaming about our first house and walking out the door with giant cinnamon rolls (and a few other things). We had dinner at Red Lobster. We watched the opening ceremonies for the Olympics, and parts of "The Bourne Supremacy." We saw the new Indiana Jones movie. And we relaxed and enjoyed being alone together, remembering all the fun of our dating and newlywed phases, before we were waking up all the time at night with our kids.

As I was pondering about the changes that have come into our lives these past five years, I immediately thought of the five big things that have happened.

1. We both graduated from BYU


2. We moved to Ohio

3. We had our first baby, Mierae


4. Eric received his Masters at OSU

5. Jolie joined our family


There are so many other changes, memories, and lessons we've learned these past five years. We definitely understand how to communicate better, take advantage of any time we can go on a date, we're quick to say, "I'm sorry," and quick to forgive, and we have consistently read scriptures and prayed together daily since the day we got married. I hope the next five years bring as much joy, as many memories, and more deeply learned lessons that the five just past.

Tebya lublyu, moi dorogoi, na vechnost.