Twenty-five

 

Twenty-five years ago this exact day, Jacob Allen got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I couldn't answer yes fast enough.

And minutes later, as we drove back down the mountain, our song came on (lucky thing my brand new fiancé had been playing the mixed tape I made for him not long before). Jacob pulled to the side of the dirt road, got out, held out his hand and asked me to dance.

And we did. Right there in the dark, in the middle of that dusty road, with no one around for miles. I truly believed it wasn't possible for a person to be more in love with another human than I was with Jacob Allen in that moment. I'm grateful I was wrong.

But I will never, in all of ever, forget that moment. Not in this life or the next. Because it was the beginning of the undeserved honor of having Jacob and our children for all of eternity. And nothing matters to me more. Nothing.

Twenty-five years. Yikes we are old. And yikes we are happy. So very happy. Not every moment for sure. Like so many others, we have had some incredibly high highs and horrifically low lows. And so many meh mehs in between. But I wouldn't want to do this life alongside anyone else. And I wouldn't want to have eternity ahead of me without Jacob Allen as my husband.

I guess I just wanted to say I'm really grateful. For a God who loves me so much that exactly twenty-five years ago this very day, He told the man I loved that it was His intention to have him ask me to be his wife. And then let us add to that already beautiful memory with a mountain road dance in the dark.

What a day to remember. What a life to love.

A morning in the temple, an evening on the trail

Today's primary program

This little darling had a primary program today and gave the most beautiful talk during it. Having my dad
there to support Grace meant so much. She is the sweetest, he is the best. It was a good Sabbath.

Fall piano lessons

These two handsome boys are pretty happy to be back at piano lessons again and equally
excited that I pestered them for a photo before they got out of the car for their first fall
lesson. Okay, maybe not the second part. They are so good to put up with their mom.

But that second little love was sure a whole lot excited for her very first lesson with
darling Emily and really, can you blame her? Emily's the absolute best. No contest.

 

Last, just a gorgeous sun shot that I took on the way to lessons (worry not,
Jacob was driving). It's a favorite view of mine every Monday night.

God's kindness

Yesterday morning was one of the great privileges of mortality, as our Benjamin received his
patriarchal blessing. There are moments in life when time stands still and it feels like heaven couldn't
be any closer--and that is most definitely one of them. It is sacred and beautiful and makes all that
doesn't matter in life fall away really quickly. I'm so thankful for a God that is far better to us than we
ever deserve and a son who is good and faithful to the core of his being. I'm just so ridiculously blessed.

Celebrating this amazing guy

Twenty-four years ago this very day, this tremendous, handsome, hilarious, genuine, athletic, brilliant,
people-loving boy made me a mom. And I've never been the same. Everything about my life, and our family,
is more wonderful, happy, bright and entertaining because Campbell is in it. He had an amazing year
the past 365 days--some of my most treasured memories in mortality come from that time. But even
with that, I can feel there are even greater days ahead. Especially for someone who loves the Lord,
life, his beautiful wife, his family and others as much as this guy does. He's just plain amazing.

Happy Birthday my incredible Campbell! You are so deeply loved.

Five years

The hardest and holiest of days. The longest and fastest five years imaginable.
And the most sacred of mornings acting as proxy so that daughters who have gone on
to heaven could be sealed to their mothers (and fathers) for eternity. I'm so thankful
heaven is real. And close. Both are bringing me a whole lot of comfort today.

My sacred privilege

I took this photo the other night as I was leaving the temple and I really love it.
But not nearly as much as I love the temple itself.

Yesterday I had an interview with a leader in our stake to renew my temple recommend. And I always
get emotional during those interviews because I'm just so overwhelmed with gratitude that the Lord
allows us to be in His house. To learn what we learn, to serve how we serve and to feel what we feel.
It just seems unimaginable to me and yet, every week, there I am. Being made happier, lighter,
kinder, better, closer to those who have passed on, with every second spent inside its walls.

I'm so honored to worship a God that could ever be so good to us.
He means everything to me. As does the temple.

Far more than these meager words could ever convey.

Yesterday

Celebrating this darling girl

Ten years ago this very day, I kept a promise that I made to our Gracie girl, long before
either of us came to earth. And we are forever the luckiest because this darling little love
is in our family. She is so deeply kind, so crazy brilliant, hilarious beyond words and
makes everything about life brighter and happier. She is a beautiful dancer, an amazing
artist, a constant creator and the most loving little sis you can imagine. She's just all that
is wonderful and good in the world and I'm so incredibly thankful God gave her to us.

Happy Birthday sweetest Grace! We love you so ridiculously much.

A night my heart needed

Time in the temple tonight, for a sweet and significant reason, with these five humans
that I absolutely adore. And then three additional hours at dinner afterwards because we
couldn't stop visiting and laughing. It was the best. And boy did my heart need it.

Grateful for us

Jacob and I are thankful to be in the temple often--with him going in before
work and me during the day when the kids are in school. So we don't make it as
regularly together as we'd like. But last night we did and I'm so grateful.

My favorite place with my favorite person.

Another evening on the boat

Jacob had a chance to take Ben and some friends on the boat Friday night.
Several that were planning on coming couldn't make it at the last minute, but these
three still had a blast. I'm so thankful for the friends Ben has--truly some of the most
kind, good, hilarious, outstanding teenagers I have ever known. I'm a really big fan.

Too much beauty

And then there was the sky showing off to a degree I have seldom witnessed with my very own eyes.

Yup, God sure loves me.

Glowy light and silhouettes

It was a glowy light and silhouette pics kind of night on the lake two evenings ago. I loved it so much.

The most gorgeous night

We took a last minute trip to the lake last night and never have I ever witnessed a sky like
I saw this evening. Boy do I have some photos to make sure end up here for our family
history. But in the meantime, here is a quick shot I took that makes me feel warm
and melty and oh so grateful for my incredible life. I'm just so blessed.

Always dancing

Speaking of dance and beautiful girls and another Grace post because this girl
hasn't been featured on my blog for a while, I snapped this shot the other day when
Grace was dancing in the backyard. She just makes me so ridiculously happy.

New and darling

The first day of a new dance year, a new shirt repping our most favorite dance company and
the cutest new glasses for this darling little love. Grace is most definitely living her best life.

The sweetest birthday gift imaginable

A couple of weeks ago, Grace was given the sweetest, early birthday gift by her granddad.
One she had wanted for a very long time, but he didn't even know it. He just saw how much
she adored his two birds when she visited and his darling self wanted to give her something
she loved. Which is how four baby finches joined our household this month.

My dad has had his pair of finches for quite a few years. And every once in a while, he puts
a nest in their cage and the mama lays and hatches eggs. Which is what happened several
weeks ago. And resulted in Grace receiving two little boy and two little girl birds, all her own.

She loves them like crazy, has taken care of them incredibly well and is just so happy to have them
belong to her. My dad is the sweetest. And has made her upcoming tenth birthday beyond special already.

A bittersweet day

Today, that handsome man on the right was released from both of his stake callings. And it was such a bittersweet day.

When our good stake president called us in last week to let Jacob know he would soon be released, I cried. For several reasons, but mostly, because the man I married is just goodness and love and humility and light to the core of his being. And what he has given the last four and a half years to be an outstanding stake young men's president and a high councilor makes me emotional. He just loves God and others so deeply, that he made a tremendous difference to nearly everyone he served. It's been such a sweet experience to have a front row seat to it all. I'm just so in love with Jacob Allen and so thankful for the life we have together.

And this picture I took as we left the stake center last week will forever do something to my heart. There are so many that had a profound impact on Jacob as he served the last many years. But these two men. I just can't put it into words what they mean to Jacob and how they have become some of our closest friends (alongside their incredible wives that I absolutely adore). I call them the three amigos because they have the best hearts, the greatest desires, want more than anything to love and serve God's children. And because they are hilarious and full of trouble (only the most righteous kind) and the stories I've been told of their mischief will make me laugh forever.

Oh I'm grateful for a God that allows us beautiful callings, a chance to serve and the opportunity to love Him better in the process. He's just the greatest and the most mighty--He means everything to me. And He's given me the greatest gift I could ever imagine...being Jacob Allen's wife. I'll never stop thanking Him for the privilege.

A really beautiful night

Ben, Grace and I drove down to Provo tonight to see the older kids and it was kind of
the best. Annie will soon be moving into an apartment that is darling and she is really excited
about. And Kelsey and Campbell have decorated and organized their place just so perfectly.
I loved it all. Ending the evening with dinner and a soccer game together (where I got this fun
rainbow shot), felt really happy. I'm so thankful to be a mom. Just so ridiculously thankful.

Yay, yay, yay!

He's home, he's home, he's home!
I'm so happy.

Another first day of school

First day of school for these three darlings. Oh I love them.

10th, 6th, 4th.

So much happy

Just the happiest of nights watching our Nate score a penalty, with about a minute
left of his soccer game, to win the game for his team. I loved it so much.

Just so much gratitude

The sweetest of nights with our three youngest receiving a priesthood blessing
from their incredible dad, before starting a new school year later this week.

I just cannot get over how much God loves His children. It takes my breath away at times.

Between our kids' earthly father and their Heavenly Father,
I don't know how we could be so very blessed.

But I'll never stop being thankful for it.

Some unexpected stitches

Just a picture of this sweet pup laying in front of Jacob's office door, trying to stay as close to him as possible. As usual.

(Rather than pictures of Jacob's hand with a good-size hole in it from the Instacare waiting room. Yup. You're welcome.)

The darling man I married had to have stitches this morning, thanks to a trail run that caused his hand to connect with a rock hard enough to bust it right open. It was pretty gnarly.

But he's all stitched up and back at his job and just amazing as always.

And while I wish it hadn't happened for sure, there were several wonderful blessings along the way, that made it not as stressful as it might have been otherwise. And I'm pretty sure if nothing else, Jacob will just be happy on any run in the future where he doesn't have to run a couple of miles down a mountain, using one hand and his shirt to put pressure on his other hand that is bleeding like a champ.

So there's that.

C&K · June 17, 2023

And finally. Some pictures that will have my heart forever and for always.
And that will likely always make me gasp when I see them.

Just so many people we love, all in one place. Actually, in my very favorite
of all favorite places. I will never forget it.

I wish I had the space to share about every person in these photos (including the handful who couldn't
stay for the group shot). But I do have to mention my dad. That picture of him with Campbell and
Kelsey will forever be one of my greatest treasures, no ending date. I'm so wildly thankful he was
able to perform their sealing. For so many reasons. But oh my word, to have and feel my parents
in the same room after so many years--it was just the sweetest blessing I could ever imagine.

And yet, even with all of the above.

Those. First. Five. Pictures.

I truly just can't. There aren't enough words available to convey how much they mean to me. Probably
because there aren't enough words available to express how much those eight humans have my heart.

Good grief, there never was a girl as blessed as I am.

I pray I never take it for granted.


Photo credit: The talented Mad Marie Photography.