20 years ago. . .

Twenty years ago this week, Steve and I flew from Utah to Albany, NY so that Steve could meet my parents. At Christmas time, a few months earlier - I had submitted my mission papers -- so my parents were quite concerned when I called the stake president and asked him to hold the papers. Steve was the reason. So they wanted to meet him. Little did they know that he had a ring in his pocket and wanted to propose to me while we were home.

The first night we were there - I fell asleep on the sofa and my parents asked Steve if they could talk to him. ( He claims that he asked to speak to them . . . ) So the three of them gathered in my parents bedroom to have a conversation. He wanted their help in the proposal and they wanted to talk him out of it. They talked about all the education he could complete while I was on a mission. They were concerned about his major in English and stated desire to be a poet. (I don't think he was ever really serious about that career track.) He talked about how much he loved me and his plan to ask me to marry him while we were in the Sacred Grove the next day. They tried - but they couldn't talk him out of it.

And I am so thankful. The next day we drove to Palmyra, NY and toured the sites there. After a visit to the Grandin building and a hike up Hill Cummorah, we went to the Sacred Grove. Snow was falling. We walked out into the trees and Steve pulled out a ring and asked me to marry him. He was afraid that the ring would fall into the snow -- I was nervous about breaking the news to may parents. I had no idea that they knew what was happening. . .

So we were married 6 months later in the Salt Lake City Temple. And life has been good. So good. And my parents love Steve. And I love him more than I did 20 years ago. So much more.