The most romantic marriage proposal ever!

Well, for me anyway.
It all started with a late night craving for a Frosty from Wendy's.

We went to Rock Canyon Park and tried to eat there, but as soon as we drove in a cop car was following us and told us we were past curfew for the park and would need to leave. (Sheesh. It was only 11:30 P.M. Didn't he know Provo was full of college students? Hee hee!)

We drove down by the Provo temple. It sounds cheesey or cliche or something, but that's where we ended up.

We ate our Frosty's and talked and at some point I pulled out the little pocket calendar I had in my purse that I got with my check book. If you know me at all, you know that I remember dates. Birthdays and anniversaries, yes. But also random dates like when my friend got her braces on in 8th grade, when we got a family picture taken, etc. I'm weird that way.
On the calendar I'd circled dates that certain things had happened while Ross and I were dating:
The day we met (In California, NOT Provo. Hooray!)
Going to Onion Days in Payson
Fall Fling on BYU campus where he grabbed my hand to lead me through a crowd and didn't let go
Our first official one on one date without my cousin Michelle and his roommate Brian (whom we met through)
First kiss
First I love you from him
First I love you from me a whole month later (what a patient man)
Thanksgiving in Montana together where he freaked me out by asking my dad if he could marry me (This was BEFORE I'd said I love you. What a confident boy!)
Meeting his parents (at a funeral believe it or not) for the first time
Taking a trip to California to meet his high school buddies and more of his family who grilled us at the dinner table about our relationship (That was fun...) ;o)



And then Ross decided he just couldn't stand it one more minute without me being officially his.(ha ha)
He asked me if I wanted to add one more date to my calendar and then he proposed. Spontaneous and sweet. He's lamented over the years that he didn't work out something bigger and more spectacular, but I never wanted a public proposal and since I'm blogging about it on the 10th anniversary of it happening, I obviously think what he did was perfect.

This is the place

It took a looooong time. Much longer than I would have liked in fact. But at the beginning of December, we finally got OUT of Helena for the first time in almost a year and a half. We'd been on an overnight trip with the girls to Billings, MT in October 2008, but that was just for a doctor appointment for Samantha. We also went to Great Falls, MT in September 2009 for my nephew's baby blessing, but that was only a day trip. Seriously, every time I drove to Jefferson City to my parents' house 20 minutes away I wanted to just keep driving south!!! We just never had the reasons and resources to make any trips.

We knew that my nephew T. J. was getting baptized at the beginning of December and that Ross's parents were coming up to Utah from California for it.We spent a while wishing and scheming and dreaming. Then it just came to a point where we knew we wanted to go and we weighed out all the good and the bad of the trip until we finally knew it would be worth it! Our top priority was to see Grandma and Grandpa Wilkins again. We also needed to go to the temple again. We could see and show our children Temple Square all lit up for Christmastime. And oh so many other reasons seemed to trump the stupid money issue.

So we left Thursday morning, December 3rd and made the drive to Provo to stay with my oldest brother Jeff and his family. It's always interesting making those long trips with more and more members of our family all the time, but we made the 8 hour trip in about 9 hours. Better than it coulda been. Once we got into Utah we had fun counting the temples we could see from the freeway with the kids. :o)

We got up and went to the temple on Friday morning. Our cute, sweet niece Melinda is going to BYU and came over to Jeff's house to babysit. Ross's parents also drove up from Payson where they were staying and helped out so they could play with the kids.

Our temple experience was wonderful. It had been way too long, I hate to admit. It is so refreshing and uplifting to go. We went to the Provo temple and came away feeling the need to go again soon.

While we were there, I saw Elizabeth Smart coming out of the dressing room. I briefly tried to mouth to Ross who it was and then stopped myself knowing that she probably gets that all the time and doesn't need or want to be gawked at. It did make me think about what an amazing person she must be and that I am so happy for her making the decision to go on a mission (to FRANCE, lucky girl) and showing her strength to the world. My trials feel minimal and I am awed by her example of rising above.

We spent some time talking with Grandma and Grandpa and then headed up to Salt Lake City to see my sister Wendy. She lives in a cute little apartment downtown and can see the temple from her kitchen window. We went up to see if she could take our family picture again, but it was too cold and windy. She'd tried at Thanksgiving, but Luke was so extremely sleepy we could hardly keep him in the picture. If you got our Christmas card, that's why he looks the way he does. :o)

We went to Temple Square that night with Mike, pregnant Wendy, and cutie Cecily. We bundled up and walked down the hill. It was twinkly and breathtaking everywhere you looked. I read in the Friend magazine that the lights start going up August 1st and are finally all down by March 31st. Wow! That's a lot of hard work, but it makes for a beautiful, spiritual sight. I started crying as we watched the life size nativity display presentation with the powerful music and script and the testimony of President Thomas S. Monson. It was a magical evening.

Our family next to the Conference Center on the way down the hill.

Samantha and Logan

Ross and Logan

Uncle Mike, Cecily, Wendy and her tummy ;o)

Two reasons I'm putting up this random picture: One is because it shows Samantha RUNNING from picture to picture of Jesus. She was so excited to read the plaques on the pedestals in front of each scene of Christ's life. (Makes a momma feel good.) The second reason is this shows me wearing Mike's shoes! I was stupid and only brought my high heeled boots to Wendy's. Her feet are tiny compared to mine (I've decided not to hate her for that) and so Mike pulled out one of his smaller pairs of sneakers for me. Thanks Mike!

Lukey and Becky all bundled up

Samantha and Janet

Another family shot

On Saturday we met Grandma and Grandpa Wilkins at the Provo Towne Center Mall and just hung out for a while eating lunch and looking around. Then we all went up to Taylorsville for T.J.'s baptism. It was so adorable to see how excited he was. Everyone was commenting on how he couldn't stand still and then when he finally had to stand still his little toes were still wiggling. It was so wonderful to participate in that special day with Uncle Stephen's family.

T.J. chose IHOP for his post-baptism dinner celebration.

T.J. was confirmed a member of the Church the next day in sacrament meeting and we went over to Stephen's house for enchilada casserole afterward. Here's Logan, Michael, Rebecca, Samantha, T. J., Hunter, and Baby Zaden.

Amy and Zaden. Look at those big blue eyes!

We had so much fun staying with Jeff's family. Celina made lemon cake one night and the kids enjoyed it!

Esther and Samantha
It was fun to be at a house where the Christmas tree was already up. The most fun, though, was that we were also there for Dutch Christmas! Jeff worked at Novell in Holland for two years and so they continue to celebrate. Esther was excited to tell her cousins how it worked. The kids put their shoes out by the door for a few nights while we were there and in the morning little gifts were left inside, I think, by the helper Black Pete. The final night Sinterklaas came and left even more candy and presents. It was a lot of fun! We even got online and watched some videos of the Dutch News tracking Sinterklass and listened to Celina and Esther sing carols in Dutch as well.


Here's darling little Stevie Denny with a popcorn bowl on his head. Looks like a top hat! "Start spreadin' the news..."

"At the Wilky, Wilkinson Center! R.M.'s and Freshman are making connections at the Wilky! Will they find love?"

On Monday we went to the BYU campus just for fun. Why was it fun? I'm not sure, but Ross and I enjoyed remembering things and showing the kids this BYU place we're always talking about. (Sidenote: We've got a "My First BYU Boardbook" that we do at storytime. The fight song is in the back and we sing it with the kiddoes. Can we call it a lullaby?) Luke was cute because he saw the "Y" up on the mountain and started yelling, "BYU, MOM! BYU!" Training 'em young, I tell ya!

We had a lunch at the Cougareat. Wow. I'm only 32. I stood there in line with my purse on my shoulder feeling out of place. I didn't have on a backpack and coat. I wasn't talking about classes or finals or that cute boy in my ward. Did I look old to those kids I only have 10-13 years on? Was there a matronly air about me? Not sure, but it was a strange feeling.

We walked around the bookstore for a while and then went back downstairs to the bowling alley and game room Logan had seen on the way in and kept talking about the entire time we'd been upstairs. It was great to kill a little time there too.

Ross was happy to get a little time at a pinball machine.

Mommy helping Luke play skee ball (Camera phone at work here.)

We had Family Home Evening with the Lay family that night. Celina suggested we go to the Monte L. Bean museum on campus. We used to park there all the time for football games, but I'd never actually been inside. It was a great little place. I was floored by the amount of animals we saw in there. There were so many I'd never even heard of! (Do you know what a Water Deer is? It has a hung fang!) Obviously I need to educate myself more.

Samtha smiling in front of a diorama

Here's one cute Rebecca standing in front of the Baby Jesus surrounded by a whole lot of animals I wasn't aware were in Bethlehem. ;o) Seriously, isn't that a funny, but neat display?

Logan in the Africa room

This huge bear scared the kids. It was around a corner and all of a sudden loomed up in front of you!

An example of an animal I'd never heard of. Look how it's just about as big as the hippo it's next to!

Ross and Becky by the North American animals I did recognize.

So, the next time you're really excited and you say, "WAHOO!" you can think of this fish. :o)

Luke giving me that cute look in the insect room

Okay, so I liked this display and had to get a closer shot of it. I'm weird that way.

Aunt Celina, Samantha, and Logan hanging out with the giant clam.

Not sure what we're looking at here, but I'm usually on camera duty, so here I am in a picture Celina took. It was a fun place and we're glad we went.

We left Tuesday morning and drove again by the new In-N-Out Burger in Orem. Every time we went by the line was extremely long and the inside was packed too. It would have been nice to go, but I don't think our four little kids would appreciate that yummy place as much as we do and be willing to wait that long to boot.

It was a quick, but memorable little vacation that we are very happy we took. Sometimes the money factor has to just fly out the window!

The Power of Music

It was one of those days for me. I'm not completely sure why, but I really felt the Adversary working on me today. A few stupid things happened and I felt frustrated and inadequate and that made me whiny and upset. Not a pretty thing to be around.

My fabulous sister-in-law, Celina, who has been the big sister I never had since she married my brother nearly 15 years ago, let me vent to her. Vent is putting it mildly. But she listened.

Later, I called my mom. She has always listened to me when I needed it for as long as I've been her daughter. She was extremely patient with me because I know (and even said to her) that I was being a baby and that I already knew what I needed to do to solve my problems. She was sweet and kind and offered good advice and insight as always.

Eventually, I called my little sister. We've become so much closer as we've gotten older and I'm really grateful for that. She let me burst out with the same issues I'd already complained about to others. I knew that she got exactly where I was coming from and understood how I was feeling even if how I was feeling was a little ridiculous.

And finally, my wonderful husband dealt with me throughout the day. First I chatted with him online about what was going on and then we talked on the phone with him ever taking care of me and asking what he could do to help me feel better. He got home and got the kids dinner and then played video games with them and was even wonderful enough to still go work on our basement we're still trying to finish.

You'd think that after all this love and support I'd be doing great. It felt good to get it out, obviously, since I did it multiple times. But as I said, I know this was a day that Satan knew I needed to do good things and rise above the difficult parts of life, so he was working on me extra hard to keep me from that. As Ross got home and started bustling around doing things, my mood was still poor and pathetic. Silly, silly me.

A couple of Mother's Days ago, Ross bought me an iPod Shuffle. It took me a while to ever work up a playlist to put on it and use it. I felt bad when he'd ask me if I had liked it because there I was ignoring this gift. I finally loaded it and it has become a stress reliever for me. I usually use it when I'm cleaning house because I forget I'm cleaning (to some degree) if I'm listening to the music. (Just ask my brothers who'd get mad at me for dancing to the radio they had on while I was supposed to be helping them with the dishes.) Usually I like the upbeat songs then because they spur me on to do the work.

This evening I finally realized I needed to get in and clean the kitchen. My iPod didn't have much of a charge, but I put it on anyway. So here's the point to this post: I could hardly believe the songs that came on when I pressed play. They were exactly what I needed.

The first song is called "J'attendais" which means "I Was Waiting" and is sung by Celine Dion. I've always loved it because it talks about going through life not realizing that you were waiting for that certain someone until you meet them and their love brings more meaning to your life. Tonight, however, brought a slightly different thought to my mind because today was a day of impatience for me. I kept telling my mother how I HATE WAITING. I'm tired of things taking so long and feeling so tedious. As I heard the song tonight it made me think first of my sweet husband and that in that regard, I'm not waiting anymore. I have him and he's wonderful and he does bring so much meaning to my life. And I also thought about waiting and that it really is part of the Lord's plan. He knows what is best for us and we will learn and grow as we have to wait sometimes.

Then the song "Every Season" by Kenneth Cope came on. I love the message in it because it talks about the fact that we will have our happy, bright summers of life, but that the change of fall will come, because it always does, and brings the wintery cold of trial and hard times with it. The blessing though, and the thing to remember, is that the blossoms of life, the renewal that spring brings lies in wait and oh! how wonderful it feels and how much we appreciate it when it comes! God's presence is there in all the seasons and in all the seasons of our life. Each part is beautiful and teaches us something.

After that, a song called "If You Want Me To" came on. My sister Wendy found it and gave it to me a few years back. The girl who sings it, Ginny Owens, we later found out is blind and the song took on greater meaning. She sings about knowing that even though you can feel unsure about life, knowing that the Lord loves you gives you a desire to go through the trials anyway. There are so many lines in it like, "I'm clinging to the promise that you're not through with me yet." and "I'll remember the suffering your love put you through, and I'll go through the valley if you want me too." I guess remembering that we're never alone helps.

About that time my kids were being kids. Hungry, wanting attention, and demanding in various other ways. My patience was still short as Rebecca stood at my feet screaming and crying for no apparent reason. I couldn't console her no matter what I did. Then the song "Old Eyes" by Kenneth Cope came on. He wrote it for two of his little daughters and it speaks about the miracle of little children and how close they are to heaven having only recently left. They are "fresh from forever". They can teach us so much and help us put things in the right perspective with their innocence and faith. So I stopped trying to do other things, picked up my baby girl, and rocked her on a chair at my dining table. I think she and I both started feeling better.

A Jim Brickman song called "The Gift" sung by Collin Raye and Susan Ashton started next and I was reminded of the gifts in my life, in particular my husband. I prayed to marry the right man more than I've ever prayed about anything. I was truly blessed to have him come into my life. I love the line that says, "You saved my heart from being broken apart." He is a true gift in my life.

The next song was "Angel Standing By" by Jewel. There's not much to it. Jewel's pretty high voice and a very short, tender lyric about watching over your loved ones. It made me smile because I feel that from those who love me and also because it's on the soundtrack to the movie "Return to Me" which is an all-time favorite of ours. Warm fuzzy.

Then I heard the song "Smaointe" by Enya. I have no idea what she's singing about or even what language it is. (Gaelic, I think?) That didn't matter. Enya's music is soul soothing and I've known it to be that for a long time. My mother used to play Enya for the kids in her daycare to help them go to sleep at nap time. She has used it often in hospital stays she's had to go through. It made me think more about how music influences us like few other things do.

Another Celine Dion song came on called "Then You Look At Me". Okay, so I'm a sucker for big, over-the-top, mushy love ballads. Not everyone's preference, but as for me, I love them. Again, I thought of Ross and how he can make me feel better about everything, sometimes by just being there. Even when he's doing the "man" thing and trying to fix the problem when I'm not looking for that yet, I still know he cares and wants me to be happy as I want him to be. Having him as a partner through life to make decisions with, raise children with, and to enjoy all that we can is amazing.

Finally, the last song that spoke to me was "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone. It's a love song, I guess, but for me it's always been my song with my mom. It came out around the time I was born and my mother connected it to me. I distinctly remember a time when it came on the radio and my mom called me into her bedroom and stood there behind me with her arms around my shoulders, rocking and crying as she talked to me about it and told me how much she loved me. It has a special place in my heart and can make me emotional. I hope my mom knows how much I love her too and hope I can ever be even the tiniest bit as wonderful as she is.

So all these songs were on the slower, mellower side and it was the music, not only the lyric, that slowly brought me out of my funk and made me think about things I hadn't been. Knowing that the Lord's plan is perfect, I'm so grateful to know that music is a part of that. I know that we need to seek out good music and not just any song that is cranked out these days.

Yes, I'm kinda sappy. I realize that as I read over what I've just written. It may also be kind of weird for me to say I think that I needed to hear these songs. Is it possible that the Lord guided those specific songs to play tonight? That sounds a little strange, but I'm not ruling anything out. What do you think?




J'attendais
Every Season
If You Want Me To
Old Eyes
The Gift
Angel Standing By
Smaointe
Then You Look At Me
You Light Up My Life