Marriage

Daniel's Version:  My negative feelings had not gone away even though I knew I was doing the right thing.  Mom was inspired (after the honeymoon) to print off a two-page article about culture shock.  I just needed to get used to being married.  That's not to say that Satan wasn't doing everything he could to get me to back out.  He was.  But Sam and I had come too far and we agreed to keep the wedding day short, simple, and intimate, with a few close friends and family members.  It was just that.  We finished the sealing in the temple and the luncheon afterward by mid-afternoon.  No drama.  Dad did a great job sealing us for time and all eternity, we enjoyed a simple luncheon for an hour or two, and then off to the honeymoon we went.  Less than a year has gone by and we now have a handsome little baby boy.  Marriage isn't easy, but I'm glad I have Sam to walk this road with me.

Sam's Version:  Daniel and I were married on Saturday, July 20, 2013 in the Bountiful Utah Temple.  We were privileged to have his father, Kelly, seal us in the temple.  That was really special.  

I was very calm and excited when the wedding day arrived.  I had slept at my apartment in Salt Lake City the night before and drove myself to the temple the next morning where I was greeted by my parents and siblings.  After waiting just a few minutes, Daniel arrived with his parents.  It was fun to see family and friends in the temple lobby while I was waiting for Daniel to arrive.

Honestly, I do not remember much about what was said during the sealing, except when Kelly paused at one point and said "Your twin!" Apparently when he saw Stacie, it caught him off guard a little.  The other funny part was when Kelly realized that he had forgotten to mention the part about "multiplying and replenishing the earth" during the ceremony.  He did not want to forget that part!  

What I remember most about the marriage was the feeling of peace that I felt.  I found it hard to look Daniel straight in the eyes at times, because I was afraid that I might cry, but I felt so peaceful and very happy.  Finally, I was married to the man I had come to love so much.

Mom / Marcia

Granny / Mona

Dustin Adams

Dad / Kelly

Uncle Don (Daniel's uncle)

Mom / Marcia

Seth (Sam's brother)

Garrity

Nate (Sam's brother)

Kate and Taylor (Sam's sisters)

With Dustin Adams

With Dustin Adams and Jarem Frye (Daniel's brother-in-law)

Aunt Danette (Daniel's aunt)

Jude (Daniel's nephew)

Karsten and Oskar (Daniel's nephews)

Gideon (Daniel's nephew)

Sara (Daniel's sister)

Caleb (Daniel's nephew)

Ari (Daniel's nephew)

Aunt Audrie (Daniel's aunt)

Annalee and Craig (Daniel's cousin and uncle)

Krista and Paul McLaughlin and their daughter. Paul is Daniel's cousin.

Aunt Denise and Granny

Dad / Kelly

Nate, McCall, Spencer, Stacie, Taylor, Seth, Kate, Sam, Daniel, Margaret, Doug, Wade, Rex, Lisa, Josh, Carlene, Kyle

Taylor, Kate, Sam, McCall, Stacie

Spencer, Sam, Seth, Nate

Doug and Margaret - Sam's parents

Back Row:  Michelle, Garth, Steve, Kelly, Richard (aka "Uncle Pedro"), Seth, Spencer, Kate, Stacie, Allyson, Linda, Garrity

Front Row:  Sydney, Tamara, McCall, Taylor, Nate, Sam, Daniel, Margaret, Doug, Lynette, David, Grandma (Mary) Lowry

Danette, Jarem, Audrie, Sara, Annalee, Craig, Soren, Amberlynn, Dan, Lizzie, Karsten, Oskar, Sam, Anders, Daniel, Ari, Marcia, Granny, Kelly, Caleb, Don, Judy, Dan Urbina, Denise, Paul, Hailey, Krista

Kim Sorenson, Ruth Ashurst, Sam, Daniel, Dan Urbina, Chris Green, Phil and Natalie Hepworth

Chris Green, Phil Hepworth, Sam, Daniel, Dan Urbina

With my parents

Caleb, Soren, Anders, Baby Oskar, Sam, Daniel, Gideon, Karsten, Jude, Ari - Don't they look so happy to be there?!

Arriving at the luncheon

How we met (from Sam): I invited my friend, Dustin Nguyen, to watch the 2012 April General Conference, Saturday morning session at my home. Dustin had to get a ride to my house in Arlington, Virginia, because I did not have a car and would not be able to borrow my roommate’s car that morning. Also, Dustin has cerebral palsy and is not able to drive, so he lined up a ride to my house at the last minute Friday night.

Saturday morning I put together some lunch that we could eat while we watched conference. Dustin sent me a text to let me know that he and his friend, Dan, were on their way. He also asked if it was ok if Dan watched conference at my place. That way he would not have to miss the first session. I told him that was no big deal and that Dan was more than welcome to join us.

Right around noon (conference starts at noon eastern time) the door bell rang. I opened the door and there standing on my doorstep was Daniel. He was dressed in his church clothes and my initial impression was that he was an easy-going, friendly guy. To enter the townhouse I lived in, you had to climb up about eight steps. Daniel turned Dustin’s wheelchair so that the back of the chair was facing the steps, and then reclined the chair back and lifted Dustin up the steps into my house. I remember feeling bad about that because it did not even cross my mind that it would be a hassle to get Dustin into my house. I was happy that Daniel was there to do the heavy lifting because I was sure that my roommate, Ruth Ashurst, and I would not have been able to do it.

We started watching conference and eating lunch and about halfway through the session, Dustin leaned over to me and told me he needed to use the bathroom and asked if I had a bathroom on the main level. I explained to him that there was no bathroom on the main level, only upstairs and downstairs. He acted a little surprised, and I asked him how bad he needed to go. I was starting to think of places we could go so that he could use the bathroom, like the Giant grocery store across the street. Daniel overheard us and explained that he would help carry Dustin upstairs so that he could use the bathroom. I felt very relieved and remember thinking that Daniel was a saint. So while it was probably very awkward for Daniel to have to carry Dustin up and down the stairs and help hold Dustin while he went to the bathroom, he helped me out of a tricky situation. I was very grateful.

After the morning session was over, Ruth and I were going to go to the National Mall to participate in the annual kite festival. I had invited Dustin to join us and Ruth was going to drop me and Dustin off at the metro so we could arrive at the Mall a little earlier while she went to Target to pick up a couple of kites. Daniel, upon hearing our plans, offered to drive me and Dustin to the Mall so that we didn’t have to ride the metro. Again, I was very appreciative that Daniel would go out of his way to make getting around with Dustin more convenient. He even showed me how to take apart and put together Dustin’s wheelchair, which came in handy because I would end up doing many more activities with Dustin and it was helpful to know how to assemble and disassemble his chair.

It would be a couple of months before I would see Daniel again, but I was initially very impressed with how helpful, courteous, and generous he was. Later, I would come to learn that he was all of those things and so much more.