Valentines, A Birthday, and a Love Story

Once upon a time there was a girl . . . . . . .

She had just graduated from High School in Las Vegas and was heading off to college.  It was the late 70's, and she was rockin' the Farah Fawcett big hair!  In those days, you graduated from High School, went to BYU and found a Husband.  Most girls were married by the time they were 19 or  20.  If you were 22 and still not married you were considered an "Old Maid", and most people would ever so kindly suggest that maybe you should go on a mission since you had such a "sweet spirit".   So, the girl went off to college with visions of Returned Missionaries dancing in her head.  But the first boy she met, was not an RM, and her Mom and Dad were not pleased, so lucky for her, that didn't work out.  She went back off to school the next year, hoping she would meet "the one",  she dated a few boys, but it didn't happen that year either.  And she went back a third time, and still had no luck getting her "MRS. Degree".  

While she was actively engaged in finding a mate, the boy was actively and faithfully serving a mission.  (can you guess where he went?)

After coming home the third time with no husband, and rapidly approaching "Old Maid" status, the girl was becoming discouraged. She would sit on the floor and put her head in her mother's lap and cry that she just wanted to be married, and have a family.  She was sad. 

Then the girl found out her younger cousin was getting married, and she was even more sad and discouraged.  She wondered what was wrong with her.  But, she made up her mind that she was going to go to her cousin's wedding and be happy for her.  As she hung out with family and cousins that weekend, she made a big decision in her life. (no, she did not decide to take her "sweet spirit" and go on a mission.)  She decided that she was going to stop wasting time worrying about whether or not she was going to get married.  She was going to live and enjoy being single, go on trips with friends and just have fun.  She even made the decision to move to Arizona and go to MCC with her cousins that fall.  And she was excited and happy about what the future would hold.  That night at her cousin's reception she caught the wedding bouquet . . . . . . . . . . . 

Two weeks later, on Memorial day Weekend, she and some friends decided to go to California to a Young Adult activity.  She spent the day at the Beach and met a boy.  That night she went to the Dance looking for the boy.  She thought she spotted him, but decided that probably wasn't him.  Then she decided to go up to that boy anyway just to see.  It wasn't the boy she met at the beach, but this boy was really good looking, and had long eyelashes, and she said yes when he asked her to dance.  They danced the whole rest of the night, and he took her out to eat when the dance was over.  As she left the dance that night, she saw a friend and whispered to that friend that she was going to marry this boy.  When she got back home to Las Vegas she told her parents she had met the boy she was going to marry.  They tried to comfort her, and they said "now don't get your hopes up, this might not work out.  We don't want to see you get hurt again".  But the girl was not worried, she was happy.  She knew he was the one. It took the boy a whole week before he figured that out.

So they dated long distance, and only saw each other on the weekends.  She would fly to California or he would drive to Vegas. He asked her to go with his family and some of their friends to Lake Powell for a week during the 4th of July.  On the way home, the boy asked her to marry him.  She said YES!  And they started making plans for a fall wedding.  On her birthday a few days later, they became officially engaged. . . . . . . . . . . . . 

and the boy and the girl had their first major "discussion".  The girl wanted to get married in the St. George Temple because that was her Temple.  It was the place she had dreamed of getting married. The boy thought it made more sense to get married in the Los Angeles Temple since every one would be coming out of town for the reception there anyway.  He didn't think it made sense for everyone to drive to Vegas, then two hours to St. George for the wedding, then two hours back to Vegas for the reception.  So the girl learned about compromise.  The girl loved the boy and wanted to make him happy, so she agreed to get married in the Los Angeles Temple.  On September 25, 1982 the girl and the boy were married, and the girl was the happiest she had ever been.

The girl and the boy moved to Mesa, Arizona because of a job offer. The girl was excited because she had lots of family in Mesa, and the boy had a sister in Tempe.  They were happy to be around extended family, but it was good for them to be away from parents and friends and to rely upon each other and grow together.  The first year was hard.  There were lots of "discussions" and more compromising.  But the girl loved the boy and wanted to make him happy, and the boy and the girl had made a commitment  and even though things weren't always easy, they never gave up.  They were committed to make their marriage work and to learn from each other. 

Then the girl found out she was pregnant, and she was so excited! And the boy realized that he was going to be a father and have a family.  He decided he better figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up, so he started his own business and Lang Painting was born right before their first daughter was born.  

And then there were three. . . . . . . . 

and the boy grew a mustache.  Two years and 5 days later a little boy joined the family and then there were four  . . . . . . . .  

and the girl now rocked a mullet, because that was the style, and the girl always wanted to be in style.  Three years and one month later another little boy joined the family, and now there were five . . . . .

the boy shaved his mustache off, and the girl went for the Pat Benatar hair and stone washed jeans, cause you know, it was the style.  Five years later one more little boy joined the family, and now there were six . . . . . . . . . 

and they totally rocked the denim look, and this time the baby had a mullet (and red hair)!   There were three boys and only one girl, and the girl really wanted to have another baby, she was hoping for one more girl.  The boy thought that four was plenty to take care of, and wasn't so sure.  But the girl begged and pleaded, and begged some more, and the boy gave in because the boy loved the girl, and the boy wanted to make the girl happy.  So then there were 6 1/2 . . . . . . .  

Then the girl found out that the baby she wanted so badly would not be joining their family.  And the girl was MAD and the girl was ANGRY, and the girl would cry in the shower so that nobody knew how sad she was.  And the boy didn't know how to help the girl, and he didn't understand what she was going through.  So the boy just loved the girl.  And sometimes he wondered what happened to the girl he married and if she would ever come back.  But he continued to love the girl, and she loved him because he loved her,  and she pretended to be happy most of the time . . . . . . . . . .

and the girl's hair grew really long, and the boy's hair . . . . . . . . . . didn't.  And the little kids got a little bigger. . . . . . . 

and the girl chopped off her hair, and the boy's hair, well . . . . . . . . it got shorter too,  kind of.  Some of the kids became teenagers, and the girl turned 40 . . . . . . . . . 

and the girl bleached her hair blonde, and the boy LOVED the girl because now he was married to a blonde!  And even though the boy loved the girl and she loved him, she was still sad sometimes because she really wanted another baby.  She always thought that somehow some miracle would happen and they would have that baby that she was missing so much.  And the boy just continued to love the girl even though he sometimes wondered if the girl would ever be happy. But time went on, and the kids got older, and the oldest girl met a boy, and fell in love . . . . . . 

and they got married and then there were seven.  The oldest boy left on a mission, and then there were only four at home.  And one day the oldest girl came to visit on Mother's Day and she announced that she was going to have a baby.  And the girl cried.  She wasn't sure how she felt about being a grandma, and she finally had to admit that there was never going to be another baby for her,  she was too old, and she was going to be a grandma.  So she got used to the idea. And the boy loved the girl, and the girl loved the boy because he loved her, and the boy started to feel like the girl he married was coming back.  The oldest boy came home from his mission, and then there were eight . . . . . . . . 

and the girl's hair was long again, and the boy's?  Well, it kept getting shorter, kind of.  And the girl was a grandma now, and grandma's go through "changes", and once again the poor boy wondered what happened to the girl he married.  He was never quite sure who he was going to come home to.  But the boy loved the girl, and the girl loved the boy because he loved her, no matter who she was. 

Then the second boy fell in love and got married, and the oldest girl had another baby, and then there were ten . . . . . . . 

and the girl cut her hair again, and the boy??  Well, you get the idea. He was so handsome! And the boy still loved the girl, and the girl loved the boy because he loved the girl.  And the oldest boy met a girl, and he baptized her into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and they fell in love and got married.  And then there were eleven. . . . . . . 

and two more babies were on the their way to join the family.  Two more little girls.  And then there were thirteen . . . . . . . . . 

And the next year another little girl joined the family, and there were fourteen . . . . . .

and the girl's hair was short again.  And the boy still loved the girl, and the girl loved the boy because he loved the girl.   And the girl was still a little sad that she had never had just one more baby girl, but the Lord had made up for it by blessing her with five darling little granddaughters. 

And the next year there was one more darling granddaughter who joined the family, and then there were fifteen . . . . . . . 

and the girl loved having SIX darling little grandbabies!

But sometimes she wondered how it had all happened so fast, and how her four little babies were now adults with babies of their own. Well, three out of four had babies, one was still her baby even though he was almost six feet tall. . . . . . . . . 

but that little baby boy turned 19, and left to serve a mission.  And then there were only the boy and the girl at home again. . . . . . . . . . 

but that wasn't so bad, and the boy loved the girl and the girl loved the boy, and the girl was happy that she had gone to that dance over 30 years before and met the boy.  And the girl knew she would never be exactly the same girl that the boy had married, but she was happy that the boy still loved her anyway.   Mostly the girl felt extremely blessed to be loved by such an amazing boy.  And the girl and the boy felt blessed that their children and their grandchildren were all walking in the right direction . . . . . . . . . . 

and the girl and the boy are happy that they will be with their family for Eternity, and that is definitely a

Happily Ever After!!

Happy Valentines Day and Happy Birthday 

to the Boy 

the Girl loves 

with all her heart!