A Special FHE

Last night, for FHE, John & I read to each other our patriarchal blessings. It was John's idea, and I'm really glad we did it. It was uplifting, and reminded us of things we need to work on. I felt closer to John. :)

I've struggled with enjoying being married. It's not something that I've just fell into enjoying. It's very different. I'm realizing just how wonderful of a husband John is, and I'm more happy each day. We have our disagreements here and there, but We've gotten through them, and I grow to love him more each day, and I know how much he truly loves me.

I'm glad we can have these FHE's together.

The Honeymooners

Day 1 - Setting Sail
After staying in a hotel in Ocala, John and I set out for Tampa early in the morning of March 6th, 2011.

We arrived 2 hours early. haha Which turned out to be good, because we were able to board an hour early. Beat the lines! Yeah! Well, there were still lines, but probably not as bad as they'd be later. It looks as though everyone in line has a passport except me. John has one, but they're super expensive, AND Carnival said they weren't required, but my birth certificate was acceptable. We decided that I wasn't going to get a passport until John had to renew his.

After we go through security and bag check, we receive our room key-cards. Before each couple/party/person gets on, they get your photo in front of a backdrop of the cruise ship. The also get an individual head-shot of you, so that every time you port, they scan your card they see your face and know you are the right person.

We got on board the ship around 11:30. Our rooms would be available around 1:15, and lunch was already waiting for us. We were starved, but would soon find out..it wasn't possible to starve to death, or even feel hunger on this ship. There were SO many things to eat. There were different stations in the dining hall. There was Asian, Caribbean, and John & I chose Italian. So delicious!

We explored the ship after lunch. After we got our rooms...and I don't if we left the room for a while after that. Can't exactly remember what we did with that time. ;) There was safety training around 3ish, so we decided to get there early, even though it was pointless, because they lined 4 more lines in front of us. We were set to Muster station D. Our room was pretty much right next to the rafts. What I mean is...when we step out on the balcony, there is a raft right there. haha We still had an amazing view of the ocean of course.

That night we had dinner at the more upscale 5 restaurant. We ate with a nice couple who were on there first cruise in 30 years. We had a nice chat with them. We went to a trivia show before bed. It was on the bottom-front deck, and the waves were smashing into it. I got a pretty bad headache, and so we retired to our room. End of Day 1



Day 2 - Day At Sea
I remember this being the day, that we had the curtain to our balcony opened slightly. The sun poured in, and was quite blinding. We had breakfast for the first time at the fancy restaurant. It was really nice, but John wasn't quite full enough, and I was disappointed in the hash browns. so after that, we went to buffet hall. They had the kinda taters I was looking for. John got another full plate, and we ate with an ocean view. After breakfast, we got some icecream, almost got blown away on the top deck. We explored the ship further.

Later on that evening was the first formal night. John and I started getting ready for dinner. John was almost ready..until he realized he was missing something. A shirt and tie. Oops! I got a little upset, but I could tell how bad John felt about it. We ended up having an enjoyable evening. We went to the comedy show that we had planned on going to after dinner. We were unsure how good the comedians would be, but they turned out to be really great! We had a good time together.



Day 3 - Grand Cayman Island, Cayman Islands

I woke up early to the time they said we'd be arriving. I wanted to see us actually arriving to the island. I ran to the balcony while John was still sleeping. I was too excited to sleep any longer. The ship had slowed down to about 4 knots. I took lots of photos. If you ever plan on going on a cruise, get a balcony view at least once.





I've forgotten a lot, but here's the other places we went. :)

Day 4 - Cozumel, Mexico






Day 5 - Costa Maya, Mexico






Day 6 - Isla Roatan, Honduras




Day 7 - Day At Sea




Day 8 - Home!

Up!

This scene & the last scene are the best parts of this movie. I want me and John's life to be like this. Always together. Always in love for eternity. I had to call John, and tell him I loved him after watching this. Just so he knows. :)

The Happiest Day of Our Lives

March 5th 2011, The alarm rings at 5:00 a.m.

I pop up, dress, and eat breakfast.
5:15 - Denise, my sister in-law arrives to get my hair ready.

It's our wedding day..The day I've been imagining and looking forward to ever since John asked me the most important question in our lives. I try to never say "my" wedding. Ever since I saw a few episodes of Bridezillas.

While Denise is styling my hair, I turn on the TV. I'm flipping through the channels, when I find "The Nanny" is on. It is the wedding episode! Could it be more perfect! From that moment, I new the whole day would go according to plan. My hair looks amazing!

Denise and Linda(John's Mom) finish decorating the beautiful cake. It turned out exactly how I imagined it. Around 8:30 a.m. John & I depart from Ocala, and set out to Orlando. I don't remember the drive very much. I just remember being very excited, especially when we get closer to the temple.

We arrive inside! LeGrand & Ian arrive at the same time.

On my way to the Celestial room to see John, I see Teri Voyles, my photographer. She embraces me, and both almost start crying. :)

As the Temple worker lead us to the sealing room, my heart is pounding. This is it. Take it all in slowly, I told myself. We enter, and my heart leaps, as I see my friends and family in there. Family I haven't been able to see in so long. When John & I knelt at the alter, it was the first time I'd looked into his eyes in a while, and I immediately burst. Hehe Thankfully, another temple worker had given me a few tissues to put into my pocket. Then I took a few breaths, and made it through it without any further tears. I may not remember every word that was spoken, but I'll never forget the complete peace, love, and happiness that I felt there.

As we left, I saw all my mother's brothers, and sisters..who I hadn't seen in years! We took photos, and after the photography was done John & I went to Chik-fil-A, and then went home.

The reception was wonderful, it looked like Neverland. It was so beautiful. My first dance was with John was awkward. I don't like being stared at by a huge group of people. haha The dance with my Dad was amazing. We both cried like babies.

It was perfect day, and I'm thankful all my family and friends who were involved in the process, and who traveled many miles to see us.

- Hayley Grant