OUR HONEYMOON - CHAPTER SIX

Our Honeymoon consisted of ten glorious days of traveling and sightseeing from rainy Utah to dry hot Nevada, to Sunny California. We spent out first night in a small motel in Grantsville, Utah. It was a rainy night so anything looked good to us; even this old fashioned place. Next we traveled to Reno, Nevada, Sacramento, Chico, Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco, California. We also visited many other places throughout Northern California.
Roger was able to show me many of the areas he served in. We stopped and visit some of his converts and friends. We stayed one night with Jean Freeman and her children in Saratoga, California. She was one of Roger's favorite people. He didn't teach her but became friends with her and her children. Her husband would not let her be baptized for a very long time. Finally she was given permission. Roger did participate in the baptisms of her children. Jean and I had written letters back and forth while Roger was on his mission. We became very dear friends and still are. She helped me a lot in the difficulty of waiting for a missionary. We also visited with Mom mom Engle. She and her children were converts of Roger's. Mom mom was a nickname and she became such a wonderful Mom mom to us through the years. We treasured our friendship.We also visited some converts that were in the John Birch Society which was an organization fighting for the constitution of the United States. One memorable visit was to a black Sister that Roger taught and baptized. She had asked to be taught the gospel. She lived in San Francisco and in that era the missionaries were not able to teach black people unless they asked for it. Roger was able to teach and baptize her. She had us for dinner in her small apartment. She was an older sister in her 70's. She fixed us a steak and salad and then she would not sit down with us to eat. She said that black people were not suppose to eat with white people. We insisted that we didn't make that rule and we wanted her to sit down with us. She finally did. It is so sad what they had to go through over the many years of slavery and etc. She was an awesome black convert; that we were privileged to have been her friend.
One of the most favorite places we stayed in was Carmel by the sea. It was so beautiful there. The ocean was so beautiful and the beaches were awesome.I remember most going out to dinner. We both dressed up in Sunday best. I had a yellow dress that I wore a paisley green jacket with. It would have been very much in style both in color and design. I felt so great in this dress. We had dinner and were placed close to a fireplace. It was so romantic. I myself had never been in a restaurant this nice before. It was such a treat.
We have some really sweet memories of these 10 days together. Our honeymoon was truly beautiful and we didn't want to come home and face the reality of school and jobs.
Apparently, we didn't take many pictures while we were on this wonderful adventure.

OUR WEDDING DAY - JUNE 13, 1967

Our Wedding Day was the beginning of our home. We have loved being together for 42 wonderful and fulfilling years and anticipate eternity together. We love all of our children and grandchildren, who have given us so much joy through the years. We love each and everyone of you and desire that we be an eternal family with No Empty Chairs. We are grateful to our Heavenly Father and Savior for all the blessings of this life. We love serving in the temples and feel so close to the spirit and receive peace every time we walk within the wall of those sacred buildings
We have a strong and true testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

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OUR WEDDING DAY - JUNE 13, 1967 - CHAPTER FIVE

After 42 years of marriage; I will try to capture our wedding preparations and our wedding day.
Of course, I had a wedding shower given me by my close friends. Most of these friends were from the I'll Be True Club and from nursing school. I remember how I had such a good time at my shower. We laughed and cried; it was a great evening. One of shower activities in those days was to make a wedding dress out of tissue paper. The dress was made on me. my friends had a great time doing that. The dress was very creative to say the least. Roger, the groom showed up later to see what I had been given for gifts and to say good bye to my friends.
It was also popular in those days to have various items for your trousseau. I had bought some china and also had pillow cases and dish towels that were embroidered with various scenes. 
 One of the highlights of preparation was when 4 of my great aunts came and quilted two quilts for me. One of the quilts was made out of extra dress material from the many dresses my mother had made for me. The other quilt was a beautiful pink quilt with a star made up of other pastel colors; it is still a treasure to me. The silk quilt I have never used. Of course, my father charmed my great aunts by dancing with them. All of these events were captured by photos. My precious mother made my wedding dress and veil. At that time I probably didn't appreciate all the love and work that went into making my dress. We had several fittings of course and took pictures of those moments too.
The day before our wedding day was filled with so much to do that by the early evening both Roger and I were exhausted; so we parted early in the evening to see if we could get some sleep. As I recall it was hard to fall asleep thinking about that tomorrow we would be married for time and all eternity.
Roger came to pick me up around 8 am to go to the temple. My sweet mother had also made me a white lace dress to wear to the temple and after the wedding. My mother of course took a picture of us before we left for the temple. Roger had a new suit; it was a light olive pin strip suit and he looked so handsome.
We were both really nervous about getting married; but also very excited. We arrived at the temple and were taken into the office to fill out the needed paper work. My Mother and Dad were suppose to be at the temple by around 8:30 am and they were late. I was so nervous because she had my wedding dress and of course we couldn't get married without them. They soon arrived and we both were taken to the areas to get ready to get married. When we were ready they took us up to the sealing room in the Salt Lake Temple where we ended up waiting for about an hour for Elder Ezra Taft Benson to come to marry us. We were suppose to have been married at 9:30 am; but we finally were married at around 10 am. While we were waiting for him to come I remember just sitting in that room with our families and feeling so grateful for them all. I was so much in love with the awesome man I was about to marry. I guess you could say I was marrying the love of my life and my best friend for time and all eternity. I knew beyond a doubt he felt the same way about me. As we knelt across the alter and looked at each other; how we loved each other so much and we could finally be together. I couldn't even begin to tell you what Elder Benson said as he sealed our marriage; but I did feel the spirit and love that was present in the room that day.
Elder Benson asked us to come to his office in a year and visit with him again. We were so blessed to have him be able to seal us. Roger's father was well acquainted with him so he was happy to do that for us. It was unusual in that day to have one of the 12 do a wedding sealing for anyone except family. We didn't get back in a year to see him; but we did go back in 2 years and had a wonderful discussion with him in his office. Later of course he became the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.
After the wedding we changed our clothes and dressed in the outfits we had come to the temple in. It was raining that day as we left and we were lucky we had an umbrella. As we went out on the street a woman came up to us and said; I hope you are as happy in 50 years as you are today. We have so much more love in our hearts for one another now than on that day. We have had such a good life thus far together and our love has grown and expanded until there is no way to really express it.
Roger's parents had a wedding breakfast at the Lamplighter Restaurant for us and all our families were there; except for my brother Mac.
The rest of the day was filled with various errands and activities. I went and had my hair and nails done and Roger ran other errands.
In the evening we had a reception at a reception center. It was well attended and we had a really good time. My wedding cake was beautiful. My colors for my wedding line were pink and my Maid of honor was Marilyn Brady, Roger's sister; my bridesmaids were Annette Longman, Danelle Jensen and Diana Dial. The first two were from our missionary club and Diana was a friend from nursing school. Roger's best man was his brother Bruce and the rest of his line were my brother John and his younger brothers. Our flower girl was our niece Kelly Jayne.
Roger's sister Gloria sat by our wedding book. Roger's father took all of the wedding pictures. I was rather upset later on because he took only black and white photo's because he said colored ones would fade in time; which some of them did. One of the best wedding photo's cut part of Roger's head off and a few years back I was able to get it fixed by a professional photographer who used new technology to fix it.
The only stressful moment of the evening was when we changed our clothes and prepared to leave for our Honeymoon. My brother and some of Roger's brothers took our Volkswagen and put it up on cinder blocks. I didn't think it was funny at all. After getting a little upset they finally took it down.
Roger and I had went out to Grantsville, Utah about a week before and made reservations for a motel room for our first night. As we left late for Grantsville it was raining really hard. One of the windshield wipers wouldn't work so Roger could hardly see while driving. We had to go very slow. When we finally arrived in Grantsville we went to the motel and the lights were out and we couldn't get anyone to help us. We realized that they had probably given our room a way. We drove around for a few moments and finally found a motel that had their lights on. It was not really a welcoming type of motel; but we were tired and grateful to have a room.One of the negative moments was when I was getting ready for bed there was a cockroach in the bathroom sink that really freaked me out.
The next day we left on our honeymoon to Northern California. We had 7 days; but we stretched it out to 10 days and toured much of Roger's mission area and met with some of his converts. We loved the ocean and the various areas we visited. It was a great honeymoon and that will be Chapter Six.
Just a side note; we have been married for 42 years and have had many life experiences together; some hard but mostly good moments. We have been so blessed to have the children, and grandchildren that we have. We love and treasure each one of them so much. We both have deep and abiding testimonies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We love our Heavenly Father and our Savior more than mere words can express. We love the temple and feel so blessed to be able to work there. We have been deeply blessed in so many ways. We are so grateful to have been married in the temple for time and all eternity. Our love for each other is priceless. We love our posterity and out greatest desire is that we can all be in the Celestial Kingdom together; we want no empty chairs. Our family brings us our greatest joys.

HOMECOMING & ENGAGEMENT- CHAPTER FOUR

Roger returned home from his mission from Northern California on Wednesday, March 22, 1967. I will of course never forget that day. We had communicated per letter that it might be best if I didn't come out to the airport to meet him. His parents were pretty strict and would not want him to give me a hug or kiss until he had been released from his mission. I received a post card from Roger on the day before he returned and he decided that maybe I should come out to the airport. I felt confused over this and finally felt it would be better if I didn't go out to the airport; this was a hard decision for me. His sister Gloria had also decided when her future husband John came home from his mission that she wouldn't go out. However, the two of us went out and hid and watched John being welcomed home. This was a big temptation for me to do the same.
On the day Roger came home; I went to my nursing classes that day; and I had a big knot in my stomach for the whole day. I was so nervous about seeing him again. I had prayed so hard that he would not have changed his feelings. Two years was a very long time and I had missed him so much that it hurt. I came home around 2 pm. As I entered the house a big plane flew over and I knew it was his plane. I went in and of course got ready to see him. I dressed up in a nice dress and made sure I was all put together. I wore a suit that had dark maroon back ground with flowers. It was an in style suit for that era.
I then began to wait. I was very stressed. My parents came home around 5:30 pm and Roger and not come yet. As the time went on I became worried that he wasn't going to come over at all.
Finally, around 7 pm I was sure he probably wouldn't come; so I changed my clothes and went for a walk. I walked for quite a while and I had memorized my favorite scripture in Proverbs 3: 5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart; lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways remember him and he will direct thy path". I think I said that scripture about a hundred times. I finally came home and changed into a house coat; which really ages me because no one wears those in today's world. My parents had bought a home while Roger was gone and one of the bedrooms had become a TV room. I went into that room and tried to watch TV. I was really having a hard time not crying. I felt for sure that he wasn't going to come. At around 8 pm; the door bell rang and it was him. Dad and Mom answered the door first and I could hear them welcoming him home. They really loved him a lot and I know they were nervous for me. I took a deep breath and walked out in the hallway; and there he was standing there and all the feelings of my love for him came out. I went to him and he took me into his arms and gave me a kiss. It was like heaven for sure. Dad and Mom quickly exited and went for a drive leaving us alone. We sat on the couch and recapped the days events. He had went home and got an appointment with the Stake President so he could be released from his mission before he came over. It was so good because then he would feel free to hold my hand, hug and kiss me. I knew that we both had the same emotions. He was finally home! We talked for quite a while and then he had borrowed his Brother's car; so we had to go downtown and pick him up.When he took me back home; I was so incredibly happy. He was Home!
Roger found a job with the church cleaning floors at the Bee Hive Bank building and I continued to go to school and work as a student nurse at LDS Hospital. We were with each other every second we could be.
One of my very dear friends from High School, Betty Gurciao was getting married in the temple and had a reception on Saturday, April 1st. Roger and I planned to attend. The night before Roger had told me he was going to visit some of his siblings to see how they felt about us. A few days after he came home; his mother had even suggested he date some other girls before we made a commitment. At the time I was very upset that she would suggest this; I had spent a lot of time with them during his mission. When he told me this I told him that if he dated I would date too. With these two incidents; I of course became very emotional and cried most of the night. My parents didn't know how to comfort me. As I looked back later on this; I did the typical woman thing of reading into his thoughts more than was there. At the time he had no idea I was upset.
In the morning I went to work as a student nurse and took a change of clothes and items needed to get ready for the reception. The hospital had a locker room where we could shower and change. I had a knot in my stomach and felt very confused, frustrated and maybe even a little anger through the day. In the late afternoon I changed and went outside of the hospital to wait for him to pick me up. His brother Michael came in a truck to pick me up to take me to their home where we could leave from there. I let this incident upset me even more. When we finally arrived and Roger and I got ready to leave for the reception I didn't sit by him. In those days the cars had straight seats without a console between seats. I sat next to the door.Roger told me that he had spoken with a couple of his siblings; I think it was a couple of his older siblings. He seemed happy and said that they were favorable towards our relationship. He finally convinced me to slide over by him and I warmed up.
We enjoyed the wedding reception. They had a dance and we always enjoyed dancing together. However, Roger had to leave to go to work at the Bee Hive Bank Building. He asked if I would come with him and wait in a waiting room while he did his work. Of course, I said yes. When we arrived at the building he went to work. When he finished he asked me if I knew any place we could go that would be private and nice to talk for a while. I really didn't have any place in mind and about that time it was around midnight. We got in our faithful 52 Chevy and headed up one of the canyons. As we drove, Roger spotted a little area in the middle of a field that had a bridge. We drove near to the bridge and got out and walked over on the bridge. It actually was a very romantic spot. The night was clear; and the sky full of stars and a bright moon was shinning. After a few minutes of looking out on this very serene landscape. Roger said, " If you could have anything that you want in this world what would it be?" I replied, and said, "You!" He brought out the small velvet box and opened it and said; " will this do?" It was a yes. With all my heart, yes!. The ring was so beautiful and I have loved it for years and will for eternity. He told me that he got the ring just a few days after he came home. It was around 2 am on April 1st, when we arrived at my home. We went in and I woke my parents up and showed them the ring. Knowing my dear parents they were greatly relieved; because they loved Roger so much and wanted us to get married. We didn't tell his parents for a few more days. I think he was a little nervous about it. However, I will always remember when we walked into his house his father was ironing a pair of pants. I went over and showed him my ring and he said, " Well, it's about time" and then gave me a big hug. His Mother was sweet about it too. I know that many of you know about Grandpa and Grandma's quick engagement and marriage. As I look back on it I can maybe see why she wanted Roger to date more. Funny thing is that we had dated 5 years, including his mission; that should be enough time to get to know someone.
Within the next few days we worked on when to get married. We decided we had waited long enough to be with each other; so we chose to get married on June 13, 1967. We tried to get a different date; but it was in the middle of the Viet Nam war, so many couples were getting married so there were not that many dates available at the Salt Lake Temple. Too me, the number 13 is one of the best numbers ever. We were so excited and began our plans. At that time, I think Roger's parents thought we should have a longer engagement; that would not have been wise.
On Sunday, April 2nd we attended the last session of April conference and sat up in the Balcony. Later, Jean Freeman a friend from Roger's mission field told us she saw us on TV in the balcony and knew we had gotten engaged because we looked so happy.
Just a side note to our engagement. A few years after we had been married; we drove up the canyon one night to see if our engagement spot was still there. It was at night and we found it and drove in our little VW down close by it. We got out and walked on the bridge. Meanwhile, our little VW decided to join us and came down and got stuck between the sides of the bridge. We were disturbed about this; but at the same time we laughed a lot about it.
Roger and I were so much in love and looked forward to the date of June 13th to come quickly so that we might be married and sealed forever in the Salt Lake Temple. Our love then is so much more and richer now.