One Month Down...An Eternity To Go!

One month ago today I married the most wonderful man in the whole world...my very best friend and now my eternal companion.



Yesterday was Stake Conference and the topic was temples. As I listened to speaker after speaker talk about and bear testimony of the wonderful blessings of temple worship and particularly of temple marriage, my mind kept drifting back a month ago to when Phil and I were in the temple kneeling across the alter from one another. There have been many spiritually significant moments in my life...baptism, confirmation, my endowment day, being with Phil for his endowment...all rank very high on my list of most special days and moments. But nothing, absolutely nothing could compare to the way I felt at that moment when Phil and I became sealed as husband and wife for time and all eternity. Looking in his eyes, seeing our forever together and knowing that nothing can take us away from each other so long as we live righteously was such an incredible moment and I will treasure it forever just as I'll always treasure my sweet husband.

Sitting in church yesterday I was overcome with joy and happiness knowing that I married the right man, in the right place, and by the right authority. It was a long and difficult journey to get there, but I am so grateful that we made it. I'm so grateful that I fell in love with a man who was worthy to take me to the temple. Our Stake President spoke about how he's attended some very fancy upscale and expensive weddings in NYC and how no matter how much money was spent or how grand it all was, none of them have ever even come close to being as special and wonderful as a temple sealing. I know this is absolutely true because no amount of money could have bought what I felt and what Phil and I received that day in blessings from our loving Heavenly Father. I feel like the luckiest girl in the whole world!



Phil, you are the love I never thought I'd find, you are my everything and I will love you for all eternity. Thank you for loving me, for marrying me in the temple and for being the most wonderful husband. I love you baby! Happy Anniversary! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Thanksgiving #1

Being an ignorant American, I never knew that Canada celebrates Thanksgiving or that the Thanksgiving they celebrate takes place in October rather than November! I was very surprised to learn this when I met Phil. He really wanted me to be there for Thanksgiving weekend, but as it was only a couple weeks after the wedding I knew my employers wouldn't be keen on me taking another travel weekend. However, we got a big and happy surprise when my employers had guests in from out of town and suggested that I take a trip up to Canada so the house wouldn't be too crowded...Don't need to ask me twice!!! So off I went to Canada for my first Canadian Thanksgiving with my new family! Phil picked me up at the bus station Saturday morning and it was off to get the girls and drive up to Grandma's trailer in Kingston where they have a Thanksgiving dinner. On our way there we past The Big Apple...everytime we drive past it I say to Phil "someday we need to stop there cause I want a picture with that giant apple!" So this time we decided it was picture day!





After the Big Apple pit stop it was back to the road and off to Kingston...with candy apples, of course!



But when we arrived we found out that the Thanksgiving dinner had been changed from Saturday to Sunday...bummer :( My bus had to leave Sunday night so we weren't able to stay for it. But we did stay the night and had fun camping and hanging out! The girls loved jumping in the leaves and I got to finally meet Phil's step-dad, Rob!



Leaf Jumping!


Kung Fu Alishea!


One of my favorite moments of the weekend was Sunday morning when Phil and I went down to the dock where we got engaged and sat together looking at the beautiful fall morning, sipping hot chocolate and had our morning prayer together. That spot already has so many wonderful memories for me and I know that there will probably be years more to come!



Sunday afternoon Phil and I made our way back home. We watched a movie and had Sunday dinner together before it was time to pack me up and head back to the bus station *sniff sniff* It was a super short visit, but I'm grateful for it all the same! I'll be heading back up for another visit next week and I can't wait!

Honeymoon Week!

Its been almost 2 weeks since Phil had to bring me back to CT after our wedding week together. Being apart from him is so hard. In a way, it feels like the wedding wasn't real because it feels exactly the same as before we were married with him in Canada and me here and nothing but Skype to keep us together...but we are really married. Obviously, our honeymoon week was filled with a lot of private memories but we also did a lot of fun things I'd love to share :) For the first few days we stayed at a beautiful hotel that my friend Kate found for us! I wanted our first few days to be very romantic but on a budget we were having a hard time finding something suitable in our price range...Kate the Great to the rescue! We ended up staying in a suite at Hampton Inn & Suites and it was perfect! Such a great way to start our married life together!



After the hotel stay, it was off to wash the truck! Hahaha



During the time I was in Canada, the creek by Phil's house was full of salmon swimming upstream. Phil wanted to take a nice long nature walk to see them and to practice some survival skills. We spent hours hiking around and it was a lot of fun to be out enjoying God's beautiful creations.





We spent a lot of time cleaning and organizing in the house as well. We got a lot of stuff done in the kitchen and got the girls old room ready for a new tenant to move in. Since I've been gone Phil has been working hard to get the basement organized and functioning for us...I'm so proud of him! Its really starting to come together and looking great! Can't wait to see it in person!

We also got to spend time with the girls which was awesome! Had a great time doing karaoke...thanks Alishea! Hope we can sing again soon! Also was so happy to have family home evening with Abrianna, Chloe and Phil...such a happy moment that I've waited so long for :) The last few days of our week together we spent up at Phil's mom's trailer. This was extra special because its where Phil proposed to me! It was fun being back there almost 7 weeks later in the same spot, now married!






We also took another nature walk where we found cattails (apparently the Walmart of plants according to an article we read online) and a cool looking cave area under a bridge...back at the trailer we also found a cool looking caterpillar haha





After a few days at the trailer it was time to start heading back to CT (BOO!) We made a quick stop for dinner at James and Martha's new house. That was so fun! I've always been sort of the 3rd wheel when I'm with them and it was so fun to finally have my own sweetie there with me! I'm so glad they have moved so close to us!

A long drive, a quick sleep and a very long and tearful goodbye....and then he drove away :(

The last 2 weeks without him have been so hard, I hate not being together. I hope and pray all this immigration stuff gets worked out quickly so I can be back in Canada with my husband where I belong. But I'm grateful for the time we had and for the visits we have coming up!

Today Was A Fairytale

September 18, 2010 - Truly, without a doubt, the very best day of my life!

Our wedding day!



Phil and I were married in the Toronto Ontario Temple at 11 am. I was crying before we even got into the sealing room! The sealing was wonderful...our sealer loved the fact that we met online haha

During the sealing Phil locked his eyes on mine and they never left...awesome, awesome moment!

The day was overcast but we didn't get any rain, and I'm told that the overcast lighting was actually great for photos, which seems to be the case so far (though we're still waiting on the professional photos).













So many of my family and friends made the journey to Canada for the wedding which meant so much to me. Thank you espcially to my mom and Jay for absolutely everything and for all the travel drama to be there with us that day. Thanks to Aubrey, Kate and Joe, Jeannie and Jim, James and Martha and all those cutie kiddos! Thank you all for traveling so far for us.






Thanks to Phil's family and ward members who also came and supported us! Thanks to Phil's dad who traveled so far. Thanks to Phil's mom for all her love and support and help with the kids during the temple ceremony.






Thanks to my new beautiful step daughters who I love very much. Thank you for welcoming me into your dad's life and yours.



Aubrey got to follow us around all afternoon as we took photos. That was a blast...wading in the fountain in red and black rainboots, stopping at Subway when we just had to eat, wrestling my dress into Phil's truck, listening to the guy with the guitar in the boat on Lake Ontario serenade us with Whitney Houstons "I will always love you"...Excellent times!!!




We arrived late for the Ring Exchange, but not for the reason everyone probably thought....Aubrey was there, she can account fully for our whereabouts! LOL It was just traffic...stupid traffic making us late!

The Ring Exchange was wonderful! Thank you to Aubrey and to the Willis family for singing for us. Thank you to Bishop Walcer for the wonderful words on Temple Marriage. But mostly, thanks to my amazing, loving husband for the beautiful words he spoke to me as he put my ring on my finger. I love you baby! XOXOXOX

Then it was food time! Yum! Thanks to mom and Tricia and Pat for all you did to make and set up the food for everyone!

Then it was reception time! It got a slow start but soon people arrived and we had a blast! Visiting, cutting cake, listening to toasts, our first dance (another of my most favorite moments of the day! I've been dreaming of my first dance with my husband to that song - Standing Right Next To Me - for literally years!), tossing the bouquet (yay Alishea!), tossing the garter (yay Phillip! LOL), and after more visiting, getting rushed out the door (before we were ready mind you!) and showered with rose petals.









My handsome groom escorted me to our delightfully decorated get away van and off we went for our short but wonderful honeymoon.



Phil, you are my everything, you are my soul mate, you are the love of my forever, my eternal companion, I love you with all my heart XOXOXOXOX Thank you for a dream come true wedding and for agreeing to share eternity with crazy, dorky, emotional me.