To begin, I'd just like to state I have 5 wonderful children. They are each unique, and I could not love them more. I've written in the past about Jason's accidents, Traven's Graves disease, etc. This will be a very Alyssa-centric post.
Alyssa has always been a very self motivated, driven individual. I never worried about her grades. An A- one time about crushed her soul. She chose good friends, exceled at sports and always followed a path of righteousness. She is a rule follower, leader and just fills everyone around her with joy.
She never really had time for a boyfriend. Sure, she dated in high school, and there were a quite a few who tried to win her heart, but that wasn't her plan. She planned on a mission, so having a boyfriend before that would serve no purpose.
Well, she did serve a mission, which was a truly remarkable time. I have written about some of those experiences before. When she returned home, I joked with her about dating, and even bet her lunch that she would be married within two years. She laughed. That wasn't her plan. It was all about an education at this point. And work. Did I mention what a hard worker she is? She had scholarships lined up for her first two years of college, and saved up so she could pay for her own housing, car, etc.
During that first year back at USU, she met a boy. They dated, and soon he was her "boyfriend". But she didn't seem to be in love. I had told her some day she fall hard, but this was a slow burn. I heard them on the phone with each other one time, and thought they sounded like an old married couple, not like two kids in love. After 8 months of this, he decided he wanted to date other girls, and it was over. She was heartbroken. It was at this time I really noticed how fiercely loyal her friends are. I actually pity that first boy that broke her heart. He is lucky to be alive. You've heard of scorched earth policy? This guy was signed up for inappropriate dating apps, a daily phone call with cat trivia and more.
Right after the breakup, we had our family vacation to South Dakota. She just wasn't herself, and stated she would not date again. She had moved home, since the cost of USU was going to be so high. She had also decided to attend BYU-I starting in the fall, but that heartbreaker was going to be there, and there really wasn't much point in going there anymore. She would sell her housing contract she had there and stay at home. She could really just hide from the world at this point. But you know what? That girl listens to the spirit, and when we got back home, she announced she was not going to settle for feeling like she did. She downloaded a dating app and put herself back out there. She would date, have fun and enjoy life.
Someone like Alyssa being out there on an app was like throwing gasoline on a fire. Within hours, she had hundreds of would be suitors. She had to remove her account within days. There was just too much to even keep up with. During that narrow window, a boy named Dallin slipped in. He asked her to go hiking to a place called Alien Tower. We joked about that even being a real thing, but a quick Google search revealed it to be so. They hiked, then after talked for 3 hours. THREE HOURS. That was probably the first sign that there might be something there.
They both had some dates with other people lined up. Some took place, some were cancelled. They fell hard! This is what I had anticipated would happen some day. It went from a first date, to seeing each other almost every day. It went from talking about future plans, to discussing marriage. And that went from summer, to spring, to getting married in December.
We had short notice to get things booked. The Payson temple had one opening, December 18th at 2:30 pm. We looked at reception venues, and the one we wanted just happened to be available December 19th after 3 pm. I have to tell you, having the temple on one day, then the reception the next day, was an absolute blessing.
I asked at work if anyone knew a good photographer, and we found a gem in Elk Ridge. She truly has a talent, and her price was a lot better than any others we found. We also wanted a videographer, and I can't wait to see his work. He is the brother of one of Alyssa's best friends, and a pop star in Africa. No joke. We found a wedding cake designer in a girl that used to be in our ward. We borrowed picture frames for the reception from Lori's sister. The list goes on an on and on. Kaylee was the greatest maid of honor you can imagine. Lori and her Mom aced the maternal side of things.
We have good friends in the ward, the Rifes. Brother Rife was a mission president in Korea, and has been a temple sealer in 3 different temples. He currently is one in the Payson temple, so I thought it would be a personal touch to have him perform the ordinance. He was AMAZING. He took the couple and their parents to dinner a few nights before the sealing. We spent close to 3 hours, most of which was Brother Rife not only getting to know Dallin (he was Alyssa's Sunday School teacher for two years), but explaining to them how the day would go vs. how it would have gone pre-pandemic. He is a spiritual giant, one of the smartest people I know, and has a great sense of humor. I could listen to him for hours. It truly was a wonderful night.
The day of the sealing, we were greeted by the temple recorder. His name is Kelly Woodbrey, and he just happens to be a neighbor who was in our ward for years and was also in our stake presidency. I also coached one of his sons a few times, so it was again nice to see a familiar face to guide us through this experience.
This sealing was certainly different from the ones I've experienced pre-pandemic, but we were all so grateful the temple is open for these things! I just sat there, reflecting on the many tender mercies that had led to this point. We truly have a loving Heavenly Father.
Dallin's family provided a grooms dinner before the reception, which was just great. Honestly, his family is amazing. I'm so happy that Alyssa will have so much more love in her life. The reception was better attended than I would have guessed. I truly enjoyed our Daddy/Daughter dance, where we had just a few minutes to talk, joke and enjoy each other.
One other experience I had during this really brought me to my knees. Two days before the sealing, I helped Dallin move out of his apartment. When I came home, I took a shower. As I got ready, I just didn't feel right. I took my temp, and I was over 101. I was devastated. I had made it this close, just to get sick? I turned to prayer. Not to pray to feel better, but just to not be a distraction for the wedding. Dallin found me a place that could do a rapid Covid test, so I did that and found tested negative. By Thursday, I was feeling much better. What a time to get hit with a 24 hour bug. I was still worried my temp would spike, but at the temple I measured 89. Brother Woodbrey asked me if I had a pulse. I think it's more the fact that he is a bit short and probably took the temp of my shoulder, not my forehead!
Lori asked me several times if I was sad. I don't think that's the correct word. As a father, my desire is for my children to be happy. When I see how happy Dallin makes her, I feel safety and warmth. I know I won't always be around in this life. I feel old. I feel melancholy. Is that the right word? I miss the days when my children were small. It seems like just a short time ago. But I feel hope as well. I look forward to seeing how Dallin and Alyssa's family evolves over time. I look forward to our trip to Dallas for an open house in their honor. So I guess I feel warm, safe, old, nostalgic, melancholy and hopeful, with a gentle dusting of sadness tossed in there. I feel like a father, who has now watched two of his children find love and start their own families.
