Our First Conversation...Ever. Humorous and Embarrassing.

It all started with Marisa...making us be friends on Facebook. Her persistance paid off ;)

Dalin: so we have a friend in common...

Olivia: haha we do / one friend / silly marisa  

Dalin: yep, so, i've never really just talked to someone on facebook that i've never met...do you know how this is supposed to go?

Olivia: haha is there a right way? / i don't know what was going on in marisa's head / but she spoke very highly of you...haha

Dalin: i dont think that there can be a right way but i'm sure it's been done before...she spoke pretty highly of you too

Umm...somehow our conversation turned from this to a discussion about how easy I would be to kidnap because of my size...only two hours later. Oh good, I made a comment about it at the time: 

Olivia: wow i like how you originally thought i like to murder people and now we're talking about you kidnapping me. we've come full circle. essentially. we probably are done talking forever

How weird are we (am I)? How did we even end up falling in love and getting married? I can't say I know based on this conversation, but I'm very glad that we did!!!!! I'm also glad that Dalin was able to see past my rude sarcasm and still like me somehow! 

The one good thing about our first time talking ever being on Facebook is that it is recorded forever. Unless Facebook goes obsolete, in which case I have this blog post. Unless blogger goes obsolete, in which case I wrote about the experience in one of my zillions of journals. So unless those get stolen or burned, and all technology fails, I'll have this forever. 

Do you have a weird story about the first time you met/spoke with your spouse? If so, I want to hear about it, so share below! 

Separation Anxiety: Missing My Husband

Call me weird, call me a baby, or call me whatever you want, but I hate being away from my husband. Especially at nighttime. Simply put, Dalin is my very best friend and I don't enjoy being away from him. At all. I hear lots of women say, "Someday you'll love having time away from your husband," or "It is nice to have some time to yourself," or "It brings us closer together because it makes me miss him more." Well, I'm sorry but that doesn't sound like me. I happen to like being in my husband's company. Sure, we argue about silly things, but we forgive quickly and forget.

When I married Dalin, I knew it was for eternity. There were no implied breaks in there and I don't want there to be any. I already hate being away from him while one or both of us is at work. For one thing, it's boring being away from him. And he makes me happier than anyone I know. We don't need to be apart to rekindle our love for each other. Pretty much every day after work is a reunion when we're finally together again. I just love him so much and feel in my heart that he truly makes life worth living. He's just too good to be away from... ;)

Since we've been married, (you can check out "Our Eternity" countdown at the bottom of the page if you'd like to know the exact timing) we have only been apart on two occasions--the first was at Thanksgiving when I had to fly back to Utah early from Mesa, Arizona because I worked at Dillard's and stupid Black Friday was the next day--the second is tonight because Dalin was asked to do the grave shift at the residential treatment center he works for. The first occasion we were apart did not go so well. I cried the entire stupid flight to Salt Lake and much of the next three days and nights. It was the worst being away from him for a lot of reasons, but particularly because we were fairly newly married and of course it was Thanksgiving. I wasn't so happy. I remember sleeping on the couch the night they were driving back to Utah from Mesa. Sometime very early in the morning, I heard the front door open and saw Dalin and his dad coming in. I jumped off the couch and gave Dalin a tremendous hug and several kisses. Then, because it was early in the morning still, we took a rest in our bed, holding each other, and I remember stroking Dalin's hair in his sleep and not wanting to be away from him ever again. 

It was hard for me to leave him again tonight. I struggled not crying as I drove home in the rain and darkness, worried I'd be unable to sleep without him by my side. I called and talked to him as I walked through our dark parking lot and entered the apartment, where we set up FaceTime and read scriptures together before saying goodnight shortly before midnight. Although I am still feeling lonely, I know he is thinking of me and that we will be together again in just a few short hours. 

He is my protector, my love, my sweetheart, my best friend, my eternal companion and I never wish to be away from him. 

Have you ever had a difficult time being separated from your husband for any period of time?

Do you like getting time to yourself? Why?

What helps keep the two of you close? 

Day 10: Temple Marriage & Eternity

The Lord's House, where inside, I have a better sense of my individual worth

 

I am so thankful for the gift of eternal marriage. When I think that my great grandmother, Nana Kane was away from her husband for 20+ years, I cannot imagine how she did it. And then I think of my grandmother, Grammy Hill, and how she has been apart from her beloved husband for 30+ years and I cannot fathom how she managed either.  Though I cannot even stand to think of being away from Dalin for so long, I am comforted by our belief in eternal families.

The reason I chose to be married to Dalin in a holy temple of the Lord was because I knew that only through the temple would there be the right authority to seal my husband to me--and me to him--for time and all eternity. No other authority can truly marry you beyond this life for all eternity.

I know that as a daughter of God, I am royalty. Dalin is a son of God, and therefore is also royalty. Sometimes, I do not feel like royalty. Sometimes I realize that I have not been trying my hardest and that I have the potential to do and be more. When this happens, I turn to the temple. In the temple, there is safety and peace. To me, it is like a castle and when I am inside, I feel like royalty.

There is NO place, I would rather be on this earth. I am grateful for temples and for the powerful spirit which is so strong within them. I hope someday that my children will be married here and have the opportunity to know of the most sincere and truest form of happiness that can be felt on this earth.

My eternal sweetheart ;) So handsome

Families are forever! If you do not believe this, find out for yourself!

Here is a good place to start...

gunnell family home evening

Well, Dalin and I have decided that we need to make FHE (family home evening) a priority in our little home.  And so we have started the tradition of finding an article to share with one another on Monday night.

Yesterday, I started off and shared a portion of a talk given by President Hinckley. It came from my Marriage and Family homework but I had just loved it so much I wanted to share it. The talk is entitled, "Cornerstones of a Happy Home."

Here is our happy household ;)

Here are some of my favorite parts of it:

Equality in Marriage

To men within the sound of my voice, wherever you may be, I say, if you are guilty of demeaning behavior toward your wife, if you are prone to dictate and exercise authority over her, if you are selfish and brutal in your actions in the home, then stop it! Repent! Repent now while you have the opportunity to do so.

~

To you wives who are constantly complaining and see only the dark side of life, and feel that you are unloved and unwanted, look into your own hearts and minds. If there is something wrong, turn about. Put a smile on your faces. Make yourselves attractive. Brighten your outlook. You deny yourselves happiness and court misery if you constantly complain and do nothing to rectify your own faults. Rise above the shrill clamor over rights and prerogatives, and walk in the quiet dignity of a daughter of God.

.....

The trick, my brethren and sisters is to enjoy the journey, traveling hand in hand, in sunshine and storm, as companions who love one another. Anyone can do it with a disciplined effort to live the gospel. Remember, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1).

Four Cornerstones

"...I have long felt that happiness in marriage is not so much a matter of romance as it is an anxious concern for the comfort and well-being of one’s companion. That involves a willingness to overlook weaknesses and mistakes."

~

1. Mutual Respect

The first of these I choose to call mutual respect. Each of us is an individual. Each of us is different. There must be respect for those differences, and while it is important and necessary that both the husband and the wife strive to ameliorate those differences, there must be some recognition that they exist and that they are not necessarily undesirable. There must be respect one for another, notwithstanding such differences. In fact, the differences may make the companionship more interesting.

.....

"Husbands must be considerate of their wives, who have the greater responsibility not only of bearing children but of caring for them through childhood, and should help them conserve their health and strength. Married couples should exercise self-control in all of their relationships. They should seek inspiration from the Lord in meeting their marital challenges and rearing their children according to the teachings of the gospel.”

~

Husbands, wives, respect one another. Live worthy of the respect of one another. Cultivate that kind of respect which expresses itself in kindness, forbearance, patience, forgiveness, true affection, without officiousness and without show of authority.

~

2. The Soft Answer

I pass now to the second cornerstone. For want of a better name I call it the soft answer.

The writer of Proverbs long ago declared, “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

.....

It seems to me that communication is essentially a matter of talking with one another. Let that talk be quiet for quiet talk is the language of love. It is the language of peace. It is the language of God. It is when we raise our voices that tiny mole hills of difference become mountains of conflict.

.....

There is need for much discipline in marriage, not of one’s companion but of one’s self. Husbands, wives, remember, “He [or she] that is slow to anger is better than the mighty” (Proverbs 16:32). Cultivate the art of the soft answer. It will bless your homes, it will bless your lives, it will bless your companionships, it will bless your children.

~

3. Financial Honesty

Cornerstone number three is financial honesty. I am satisfied that money is the root of more trouble in marriage than all other causes combined. 

.....

Those who live honestly with God are more likely to live honestly with one another and their associates. Further, as they budget for their tithes and offerings they will cultivate a discipline in the handling of their resources.

~

4. Family Prayer

The final cornerstone on which to build your home is family prayer. I know of no other practice that will have so salutary an effect upon your lives as will the practice of kneeling together in prayer. The very words, Our Father in Heaven, have a tremendous effect. You cannot speak them with sincerity and with recognition without having some feeling of accountability to God. The little storms that

seem to afflict every marriage become of small consequence while kneeling before the Lord and addressing him as a suppliant son and daughter.

~

Your daily conversations with him will bring peace into your hearts and a joy into your lives that can come from no other source. Your companionship will sweeten through the years. Your love will strengthen. Your appreciation one for another will grow.

Obviously I had a hard time cutting things out. 

After me, Dalin shared a talk he had chosen entitled, "Have I Ever Told You...?" by Mark E. Martinsen. 

It speaks of sharing stories with your children to instill in them a sense of heritage. I loved the portion that Dalin shared with me. I think this is a terrific tradition in the making. I know that I love hearing the stories that my family holds dear--particularly those that teach lessons and truth. 

If you want to read the article Dalin shared with me, you can find it here!

We read our chapter in the Book of Mormon afterward, and sang a song together. 

(I'll be the first to say that neither of us sing that well and so Dalin chose for us to sing "White Christmas" and we sang the entire thing). 

This is my favorite version of the song--I am in love with the classic Christmas songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJSUT8Inl14

Cute FHE job board--Dalin and I have one given to us from his mom--
this isn't it, but someday I will post a picture!

I loved the Spirit that brought to our home. It made me feel so happy. I thought, "We are doing this. We did it." We had our first Family Home Evening in a while and intend to make it a habit in our lives. 

I am grateful to have a supportive husband who can be so insightful. I love him lots! 

What do you do for FHE?  Do you have any fun ideas?

Busy, busy, as a bee

How am I supposed to do everything?

This week--and really this month--is just ridiculous.  I don't really care for November other than Thanksgiving and the increased Christmas music in our home.  When I think of November, I mostly think of the increased cold, the color ice blue, and wind.  Not altogether pleasant thoughts.  If it wasn't for Thanksgiving, this month would be hopeless.

As you may or may not know, I work for King Henry Apartments.  I am the office assistant manager and I mostly handle the cash, checks, and planning big monthly activities for the complex.  While planning and attending the activities can be fun, the setting up and preparation can be a challenge and a hassle.  Especially mixed with attending school full-time...

But somehow I manage (thank you, Michael Scott) and it always works itself out somehow.

Tomorrow King Henry and UVU are hosting a Halloween activity!  We have 648 residents here at King Henry (give or take since we have a few spots still open) but we are assuming (and well, hoping) that only about 200 come to carve and paint pumpkins, decorate cookies, and make caramel apples.  It is going to be sweet though (literally, ha ha), and I am excited to participate myself.

Then, the very next day on Halloween, we are hosting a Roller Skating Costume Party at the Classic Skating and Fun Center.  There will be many more people at this activity--there always are.  It will be fun to see everyone in their costumes and showing off their skating skills, but let me just announce now that I will definitely be sitting this one out.  For lots of reasons, but mostly because roller skating is dangerous...maybe not to everyone, but for me, with my terrible lack of balance, it is definitely not happening.  Also, dressing up is questionable, too as I've already dressed up twice this year.

For Trunk or Treat on Saturday, we wore Harry Potter costumes (always a favorite ;). I was a Ravenclaw student, and Dalin was Dumbledore. He wore a wig, a beard, his real glasses and his real bathrobe.  It was hilarious and so awesome.  I made our wands using an idea I got on Pinterest.  Success! Other than the fact that I seared my wrist with a hot-glue gun.  I am definitely going to have a scar. (Hey! Like Harry Potter!)

After the business of Halloween, rent will be due at King Henry which means tons of money and tons of annoying late payments.  Hopefully it will go smoothly...(it never does).

Let's just say, I am anxious for Thanksgiving, the end of this semester, my mom coming to visit, and Christmas.  Can't we just skip all this stuff in between?

Hope everyone is having a great week and that everyone (especially my family in friends in New Hampshire and the east) is safe and protected!  I've been saying lots of prayers for all of you!

<3

Our beautiful, stupendous Idaho family

Last weekend, we took a long-anticipated (and very much needed) trip up to Caldwell to visit with Dalin's family for the weekend. The drive is long, but I am starting to get used to the six-hour car-ride. Being from New Hampshire, where you can drive to any of the three surrounding states within an hour, this is kind of a big deal. That used to be a long drive for me. Now, it's nothing. 

I will say, though, that it is a much easier drive on the way up--heading home is another story because we usually dread returning to Provo and (essentially) "real life".

Anyway, it was a terrific short weekend trip. We left Friday, immediately following my Spanish class. We picked up Shaina's boyfriend Layton (Shaina had flown up to Boise earlier in the week, lucky duck) as a surprise for her, then the three of us got on our way. The traffic in Salt Lake was horrendous. Who knew there would be so many people leaving work at 4pm on a Friday night? (I did.) We made our traditional stop in Burley for gas and some treats--I always get treats--then we made our way up to Boise in the dark. I hate the signs that read: 230 miles to Boise. That just sounds like such a long ways...but it tends to go by alright. It was very dark in the valley as we continued up to Caldwell but I love being in town there and seeing all of the familiar landmarks (including the Boise temple which looks much, much better on the outside). 

After reuniting with all of our family members and giving lots of hugs, we went to bed fairly early (considering our past visits) because we knew we'd be getting up around 7 or 8am to begin preparing to leave for pictures at 9am. 

Well, fail on that front because I slept through my STUPID alarm (set for 7am) for an hour. I thought I was doomed. If you have ever experienced my hair in person, you know it is completely impossible to curl it all in an hour. But somehow--somehow--I got by and made it satisfactory for photos. I think it was because of Dalin. As I was panicking upon waking up at 8am, he cheered me on, saying, "You can do it, lovie." Let's just say, it's a miracle that I do not look exhausted or totally ruffled in these pictures. In fact, I was pleasantly shocked to find I liked almost all of them. 

Here are some of my favorites! Which do you like?

The cropping here was an accident but then I kind of liked it

LOVE the suitcases and LOVE the four men standing behind us four attractive women and baby.

The family: Jensen, Shaina, Olivia, Dalin, JeNeale (Mom), Brent (Dad), Shay, Cassie, and Maddox

Our additional family member, Layton ;)

Staring deeply into each other's eyes...trying not to laugh ;)

One of my most favorite pictures of us :) Plus I love that antique chair!

Hold me tight

How did I get so lucky?! :)

How attractive is my husband and his family??