Alicia and Cody

Alica's Story-

Cody and I met at the University of Maryland Institute of Religion during the summer of 1996. He was fresh off of a mission and I was working downtown (Washington D.C.) between semesters. We started talking while at a fourth of July activity--we went with the young single adults to go hear the symphony concert and watch the fireworks downtown. I guess you could say we started out with a "bang!"
During one of our conversations that night, we somehow got on the subject of my sister and I expressed how great of a mother she was and how I hoped to be like her. That really struck him because he had a great desire to be a good father and even chose a different career path than the one he originally wanted because it was more suited for family life.
We started dating seriously a couple months later, but it took him awhile to figure out I was "the one". We had both been praying to know if we should get married and while my answer was calm and reassuring, his came through an experience while picking me up at the airport after a trip out west over the holidays. My plane was experiencing technical problems before we were to land. Cody was waiting at the gate and because of his experience as an EMT and as a beginning pilot, he recognized that the emercency crews and vehicles on the tarmac were for MY plane and he stood alone watching through the window as the plane landed. At that moment it was confirmed to him that his future wife was on that plane. Everything was fine and it landed without any difficulties.
Cody spent some time training in Holland for a job that would ultimately take us to Arizona. While he was there, I visited him and he proposed to me in the picturesque chapel of a castle. Following our fairy tale-like engagement, there were six hard months apart as he trained and I served a four-month mission in Nauvoo as a Young Performing Missionary.
After we were married, It was anything but a fairy tale.We had both grown up in very different households. We both were still young and selfish in many ways. But, we had made sacrifices to get married and while times were tough,we knew that the Lord wanted us to be married and would help us make it work. Even though there were difficult times, there were also some awesome times, as well! We both felt that our courtship should not end even after marriage and we made it a point to do kind things for each other and make memories. Each year, our marriage has gotten stronger and stronger as has our relationship with the Lord and our own desire to serve each other and serve our children. We are now to the point (after 14 years) that I can't remember the last time we argued. He is my best friend and I can't think of a better person to spend the rest of my life and eternity with!
It is so much fun and it is such a comfort to be married. We have five beautiful children and most of the time life is crazy, but I can't imagine what it would be like to be old or ready to die and not be able to look back at the memories, the love and the relationships formed with eternal bonds. How lonely it would feel! I'm so grateful to know that those relationships will continue for me as I live my life in a worthy way!