Magnificent: The Last 10 Days of Life

It’s been quite a ride during the past 10 days, to say the least.  I got engaged to the most beautiful girl in the whole world and she is the joy and love of my life.  We have been working on wedding plans but our work schedules seem to be giving us a challenge on spending time together.  We did get registered at two different stores already and we realized how much we really don’t know about things when it comes to making a home together.  We are just a simple couple and just want to be happy.

I spent most of the day on Thursday getting in touch with many friends so that I may have addresses to send wedding reception invites to.  I realize many of my friends and family may not be able to attend, I was just happy to do a little catching up with them.  I still find it amazing how so many people have touched and changed my life over the course of my life.  Some acquaintances I have met on the journey still bring tears to my eyes even though we may only keep in touch on rare occasion.  I love each and every person that I have ever made friends with and I want them to know that.  You all mean so very much to me.

Sara has been stressing over many details of the wedding and the days leading up to it.  We still have a little over 100 days before our big day and I feel inadequate at times to comfort her when she is feeling down.  I find it a little ironic and humorous that she and I have completely switched personalities in the past couple months.  She has always been the cheerful, strong spirit that has lifted me up many times during our long relationship.  Lately she has been a little overwhelmed with fear and doubt and I have been the one with the positive outlook on the future. 

Those of you that have read some of my previous blogs know that I have struggled throughout the past with despair in my own life.  I have come to a deeper understanding of God and myself in the past couple of months.  I have grown stronger in faith and hope even though it is really being put to the test lately.  Now I have to be the strength in the relationship between Sara and me.  As I have recently discussed with her, life and marriage are something that we can learn and grow from together.  This is no longer just an individual journey but an eternal companionship.  I love her dearly and I will do my best to support her when she feels she can’t go on.

Finishing off these crazy few days I was blown away the other day when I found out that I could preview the new U2 album: No Line on the Horizon, on the internet before its March 3 release date.  I listened to it and was instantly amazed by the beauty of every song.  Every song is truly “magnificent,” which ironically is the title of my favorite song, so far, on the new album.  Definitely, in my opinion, this album is U2’s greatest work yet.  I can’t wait to drag Sara along to a concert on their upcoming tour and have her experience the energy and best live performance that can ever be found on stage.  The music of U2 has influenced my life in more ways than one and has spanned my entire life.  Their music is dear to my heart.

 I have faith that everything in the future will be alright as long as we humble ourselves and put our trust in the Lord.  We live during a very difficult timeline and we must continue to have hope and suppress the feelings of despair that continues to bombard us daily.  Love life because life is wonderful and magnificent!

My Fiancée’s Diamond Engagement Ring

Engagement Day

Wow!  I’m officially engaged to the love of my life and my sweetheart, Sara Roxanne Lowery.  It’s been in the works since November of 2006 and finally the day came to put a ring on her finger.

Yesterday started out quite early when the alarm went off at around 6:00 A.M. but I didn’t roll out of bed until around 30 minutes later.  I had to get up and ready for the day as it was going to be a big day for me.  I took an inventory of everything that I needed to bring for the big day and left the house around 8:45 A.M.  I was headed over to Sara’s apartment to pick her up for our big adventurous day.

Sara looked gorgeous when she opened the door to let me in.  She had sent me a text earlier that morning asking me if I could help her with doing her hair.  I thought, “no big problem, she just wants me to brush it.”  Nope, she wanted me to help her braid it.  As you know, I’m a guy and didn’t grow up with any sisters, so you can imagine that braiding hair is not in my bag of knowledge.  Just because I’m an Eagle Scout and had to learn how to tie knots doesn’t mean I can braid hair.  After the failed hair-braiding attempt Sara decided just to leave it the way it was after we brushed it again.

We left Sara’s apartment and headed up towards Draper for the Draper LDS Temple open house.  We had tickets for 11:00 A.M. and halfway there realized we were going to be about and hour early so we decided to see which parking lot we were meeting at to get on the shuttle bus and then were going to go get Sara something to snack on.  As we were driving towards the parking lot we noticed a police vehicle with its lights flashing in front of a car wash.  As we drove past we witnessed a Toyota truck that had somehow managed to smash its front end into the change machine and through the brick wall.  Crazy!

We found the chapel parking lot and drove to a nearby convenience store and got Sara a blueberry muffin.  She made quite the mess in the front seat of my truck but I didn’t mind because I love her and proceeded to tease her about it.  We drove back to the parking lot where a parking attendant directed us where to park probably noticing the mess of crumbs on Sara’s dress as he was talking to us.

Tickets were scheduled in 20 minute increments and we were able to sneak in at the 10:20 A.M. timeslot as there were not many people at that particular time.  After watching a 12 minute video about temples, introduced to us by 3 Sister Missionaries, we then boarded a bus that would take us on the short 6 minute drive up the hillside to where the temple was located.  Sara likes to sit at the back of the bus and I don’t know why but that’s okay because I love her and I would have wanted to sit back there for a long trip anyway.

We got to the temple and took the short tour and it was amazing and very beautiful.  The last room we visited was one of the sealing rooms where we and the group were able to sit down and listen to a missionary couple talk to us.  I started to tear up because I knew that in a few months I would be kneeling across an alter, just like the one in front of us, and being sealed to Sara for time and eternity only if she would say “yes” of course.

After we left the Draper Temple we drove to Logan to spend the rest of the day together.  At that time I think that Sara knew that something was going on and she was getting a little restless.  She even admitted to me later that she thought that I was going to propose to her at the Draper Temple.  I had some other plans, though, that would be more meaningful.

We arrived in Logan just before 2:00 P.M. and we went directly to the Logan LDS Temple.  We walked around the temple grounds for a little while as I was trying to get the strength up to ask the big question.  I kept fumbling with the ring in my pocket until finally, on the east side of the temple, near the water fountains, it all happened.  After freezing ourselves outside for about 30 minutes I finally got down on one knee, looking into her eyes, and asked the question: “Sara Roxanne Lowery, will you marry me in this temple, for time and all eternity?”  Before I could even finish the question or get the single solitaire diamond ring on her finger she said, YES!

I got back up and gave her a kiss as I held her in my arms.  We stood there for a few minutes in the embrace of each others arms as tears were filling both of our eyes.  At that moment we were the happiest couple in the universe and I was the luckiest man on the face of the planet having the most beautiful fiancé I could ever imagine.

We stopped a younger couple coming out of the temple and politely asked them to take our picture as we were just recently engaged.  They asked us when we got engaged and we told them that it was only moments ago.  That’s when they told us that they were engaged in almost the same location just shy of a year ago.  Both couples thought that it was kind of funny.

The rest of the day consisted of calling family members and showing off the ring to family and friends in the Cache Valley area.  We also went to the jewelers and decided on a men’s band as well.  It was a glorious day and we are extremely happy to be engaged.  I am very happy to be a part of Sara’s life and I love her family very much.

Living Life and Loving It

Life has gotten crazy busy since the beginning of the year and I haven’t had, or made, enough time for reading.  I just finished reading “Streets of Laredo” this evening and thought for sure that I would have been on my fourth book for the year not finishing up the second.  The last week I have traveled back in not so distant time to reminisce and catch up with so many people I love and have made acquaintances with over the span of my life and it has been joyful and refreshing.  Family, friends, and books are the joy of my life at this given moment in time and I don’t know what I would do without them.  I am so grateful for all of the blessings that have been given to me.

Valentine Facebook Confession

It’s confession time.  I have recently discovered a new addiction and that addiction is Facebook.  It has been wonderful the last few days to reconnect with so many friends from the past few years and see how everyone is doing.  I cherish the relationships that have been established during my life and love each and every one.  Being busy at work and Facebook are the reason I haven’t posted a blog in the past 13 days.  I guess it’s time to get something done today, on my day off.  There’s plenty to do and I have a date with the most beautiful girl in the universe tonight.  Happy Valentine’s Day!  I love you Sara!

Short Stack of Books

I thought I should add the short list of books that I currently have stacked next to my desk waiting to be read in the near future.  When time allows these are the books that are currently in queue:

1. “The Bielski Brothers” – Peter Duffy
2. “Defiance” – Nechama Tec
3. “All the Pretty Horses” – Cormac McCarthy
4. “The Journals of Lewis and Clark” – John Bakeless
5. “Atonement” – Ian McEwan

These alone should keep me quite occupied over the next two months or so.

Finding the Time to Read

Finding the time to read has not been easy for the past few weeks.  I had hoped with the beginning of the year I would average about two books per month.  So far I have failed with this quest and the book I am currently reading I have only managed to read halfway.  Like I have stated before, I have this unquenchable desire to read and learn at an impossible speed that I know it is not possible unless I were to only read during every waking hour.  How would it be?  Someday I wish to read and write as my profession and hope to support my family even if it turns out to be a hobby or part-time job.  A man has to dream doesn’t he?

Habitual Cries for Liberation

Habitual cries for liberation is the root cause of an unrelenting insomnia.  The anxiety eats away the sanity and the heart, mind and spirit deteriorate.  What peace is there left to salvage when despair runs rampant through the atmosphere of every thought?  Fortitude has escaped a hope once held with concrete conviction.  The impossible is asked of you as you stretch beyond your capacity until the inevitable snap occurs.  You are no longer pliable and the whole world seems to be falling down all around you.  Give me freedom or give me death!

Asking Her Father

Today was the day I’ve feared for a while but I survived the moment that now seems like it was surreal.  Larry and Sherry Lowery are entering the LDS Missionary Training Center tomorrow and will be there for ten days before they travel to Silver City, New Mexico to serve an 18 month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  They are the parents of my one true love and sweetheart Sara Lowery.  She is the baby girl and second youngest of a family of six other siblings.  Today I asked her father if I could marry her in the temple for time and all eternity.

It’s like a weight has been lifted from me now that I have her father’s blessing.  Although the road has been a rocky one up to this point I know that it will still have its ups and downs but I love Sara and her family.  A path has been placed before her and I and we plan on traveling it together.  Soon, in the very near future, we will be engaged and then our lives will be a little hectic leading up to our special day in the temple.  There is much to be done still in order to prepare for such a day.  I’m excited and happy for our new adventure in life to begin.  More to come . . .

2009: A New Year of Reading

At the beginning of 2008 I chose to read three different series of books by three different authors and from three different fictional genres.  First, I started reading the science fiction series of “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card.  Following that I began to read the western series of “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry.  Finally, I concluded with the series of Jason Bourne novels by Robert Ludlum.  I had planned on finishing all 11 of these books by year’s end but came up a little short because I chose to read a few other books in between.

As I sit here this evening, I have just finished the series by Orson Scott Card.  I have been contemplating if I should read the concluding book to the “Lonesome Dove” series so that I can complete my goal or read another book before hand.  This is what reading has done to me.  I can’t decide which books to read and when because I have become addicted to reading.  What a sad state I am in right now.  I guess I will decide within the next couple of hours and post my decision on my booklist.

Now that a new year is here I have a new stack of books I would like to read.  Since I have been reading numerous works of fiction I have decided that I need a little more balance and will be reading some books regarding actual historical accounts during World War II and the expansion and exploration of America.  Many books have I read regarding different perspectives and actual memoirs of World War II.  I have two previous roommates to thank for getting me hooked on events during World War II.  The funny, coincidental thing is that both roommates were majoring in history, both were named Jason, and both lived in the same room at different times during my tenure at that apartment.

What can I say?  I am truly a student of learning, creativity, and imagination.  I will not die happy until I am satisfied that I have read all the books that I wish to read and learned all that I could possibly learn.  Carpe diem.