The Honeymoon

After the wedding Mark and I headed for Cozumel, Mexico for a week of much-needed rest and relaxation. Some of our activities included:

- Visiting the Mayan Ruins of Tulum. Our tour guide's name was Moroni, and he had a brother named Lehi. Mormon? Yes! We got to hear the LDS take on the ruins found in this beautiful place. The church is true!

- Snorkeling at Xel Ha. We saw a HUGE hermit crab and named him "Hermie".

- Seeing a sea turle on our snorkeling tour of Cozumel. I had really wanted to see a sea turtle, since they are my favorite sea animal. We dove in the water, and there he was! We named him "Sammy" (we're into naming things we think are cool).

- Renting a scooter and driving around the island. We stopped to see the sea turtle nests all along the beaches. We look so cool with our helmets and sunglasses!

- Swimming with the dolphins, Romulo and Luis (we didn't name these ones!). We even got a dolphin ride!

Ours was definitely the coolest of vacations. I love the beach!

How It All Began

Mark and I met on November 11, 2006. But our story really begins much farther back. My cousin, Cody married Mark's cousin, Ryan in August of 2001. They talked about introducing us to each other back then, but the timing was never right. After his mission, Mark spent his summers in California, Texas, and Seattle while going to school in Provo. I was going to school in Cedar City, went on my mission, moved to St. Thomas for a few months, and then back to Cedar City. With all of our moving around, there was never a chance for Cody and Ryan to get us together. Still, they planned and plotted.

Finally, in the fall of 2006, the timing was right. I had graduated and was living in Salt Lake. Mark was finishing up his Bachelor's degree at BYU, and was still in Provo. Cody and Ryan started making their plays. At the Herbst family gatherings, they would talk to Mark about me. At the Crowther family gatherings, they would talk to me about Mark.

One night, Mark needed a date, so he decided to call me up. He asked Ryan for my number and invited me to a hockey game. We were doubling with one of his roomates. Mark and I really hit it off. I was glad to find out that he was easy to talk to, and he felt the same. We continued to see each other often.

To make the story shorter, Mark asked me to marry him in April. I said yes (of course!). We were married in the Salt Lake Temple on July 26, 2007, and are living happily ever after!