I got a great man, and a ring on my finger... ;)

It's really hard for me to believe that I'm finally married (as of 11.06.10). I'm still floating on a dream cloud waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me up! But it's real! And I have the most wonderful husband who sealed the deal with a ring - a symbol of eternity.



It all started last August when Ezra got home from his mission. I didn't know who he was, though his face looked familiar (and I thought he was quite attractive - little did I know he thought the same of me). I was the YSA Ward Rep at the time, so I approached him after Sunday School (where I met him) and asked what he was doing tomorrow. He said "nothing." I said "great! You're coming to FHE then!" To my surprise, he showed up! We then started spending time together in an intimate group of friends, secretly flirting with each other and hoping that one of us would show interest in each other. We both liked each other, but both of us were too nervous to make the first move (I was scared he'd feel awkward that I was older, and he thought I'd feel awkward he was younger). Then after about a month and a half of hanging out in a group of friends, we started spending time one on one. Movies and hiking were our thing.


On October 22nd, we made our relationship official. It was a little unexpected for some that knew us because of how private we kept our liking of each other. After that point, we were pretty much inseparable. Of course we had our ups and downs, doubts and fears, but we grew together and our love for one another grew as well. We talked about getting married lightly early in our relationship, but that talk turned into something more serious. We knew we wanted to get married and couldn't picture our lives without one another. There was a lot more growing we both had to do, but we wanted to do it together.

We started looking at rings. I always wanted my rings to match my husband's ring, so I suggested a two tone ring. He agreed. But instead of choosing one out of a jewelry store showcase, we had our rings custom made.

July 4th weekend we we

nt down to Va Beach. My dad was still in Italy, but there was suspicion of him coming home. Ezra and I spent the weekend on the beach. :) It was pure bliss... just soaking in the sunshine and each other's company. My dad did surprise us by coming home. Ezra was going to ask his permission, but he felt it was a little inappropriate considering he just met my dad.... so we headed back to Maryland without a ring on my hand. He went down a few weeks later (with friends Jake and Robert as moral support) and nervously asked my parents' permission. He said that was the hardest thing he EVER had to do!

He took me out to see "Inception" on August 3rd. This was our usual date night. As we got back to his place, we just sat outside for a few minutes before heading in. He kissed me and then just sat and looked into my eyes for a moment. He took out the ring and asked, "Joycelyn Cespedes, would you be my wife?" I said yes!
So our engagement wasn't exactly Hollywood material (with tons of people around cheering us on), but it was intimate and still very sentimental.... just the way I wanted it. Mind you... we just watched "Inception," so I had to make sure I wasn't just dreaming!


It felt so surreal... just the way it's supposed to feel! We held each other for a few more moments taking in the events of what just happened!

Then commenced the wedding plans. There was a lot of heart aches and tears in getting these plans together. Some plans my parents agreed with, others they didn't. I compromised on a lot of things because my parents helped pay for the wedding. I'm grateful for their help... and I wouldn't have changed a thing!

It was a short engagement.... 3 months. There was so much to do and so little time, but I'm surprised how well I kept my cool throughout the whole thing. There were times I wanted to throw in the towel and not even get married anymore, but I endured through the fire and it was so worth it!

Though I didn't get married in the temple first, I'm glad we started off with a chapel marriage. There was a lot of pressure for us to get married in the temple (I even decided on a chapel marriage because of pressure). There were people asking our bishop what we were doing (since we were both endowed and wort

hy of a temple marriage) and others who tried to force their opinions on us through guilt. But in the end, we're grateful we made the decisions we made and wouldn't have had our marriage any other way. We're glad our family and friends all got to be a part of it, and there was such a wonderful spirit there.

I'm so grateful for the ordinance of marriage and sealing. I guess I'm still in dreamworld thinking that this is all going to vanish when I wake up because I never thought marriage would be a reality for me. But it is.... and it can be for anyone. I'm so grateful to have Ezra as my husband... who loves me unconditionally... and who is there to share my joys and my pain. I can't wait to get sealed in the temple, and for our future children (and I hope they have blue eyes like Ezra!). I'm so excited about our new life together, and to bond our two families together!

Affirming Faith In Christ

My, my, my. My last post was July 1st, 2009... and it is now.... April 27th, 2010? Talk about being M.I.A. Though my blog entries haven't been as regular as my journal entries, I still have other means of keeping you folks informed (facebook?).

Well.... lots has happened since last year and the beginning of this year.

I moved into yet a new place, I finally got a great guy for a boyfriend (Ezra, a RM who served in Uruguay), I got called as one of the Frederick Stake YSA Co-Chairs, I gave my first talk at sacrament meeting, and I have gained a stronger testimony of Christ and Heavenly Father. Who knew that my life would be turned around for the better in such a short time period!

To put it plainly, Heavenly Father is truly amazing! I've been sharing this a lot lately, since it happened just a couple weeks ago. I got to give my first talk in the Damascus Ward on April 18, 2010. The topic assigned to me, as well as President Beck (our 1st counselor in the Stake Presidency) was "Affirming Faith in Christ." It was quite a vague topic... I always get stuck with those types of topics to teach a lesson on and what not. But this was my first talk! And it wasn't even in my home ward. I guess that made it easier...

Anyway I'm rambling. So that week, as I was preparing for my talk, I had such strong and powerful affirmations from the Spirit on how I should approach this topic. Let's just say my Bishop (having requested a meeting with me to meet with him) as well as Institute, gave me just the inspiration I needed to prepare for this daunting task (Note: Joyce gets stage fright and nervous when public speaking). I had a really cool experience early Friday morning, April 16th, as I was just waking and trying to drag myself out of bed. I began speaking as though I was addressing the members of the Damascus Ward. However, I felt as though I was the one listening... I wasn't speaking at all. It was the Spirit witnessing to me the grace of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I then had the basis and core of my talk.

So where did all this inspiration come from? Let's rewind to my meeting with Bishop Duke earlier that Wednesday evening. I was a little worried I was in trouble when he requested the appointment. I wasn't in trouble at all. He sat me down and asked how I was doing... what was new in my life? And then he started to ask me a series of questions...some of which included: What do you know about Jesus Christ and His role as Savior and Redeemer? Do you know that He lives? And how do you know? I knew because I could feel the Holy Ghost surround me. But what happened to all that bad stuff? and how I felt when it happened? Bishop then expressed his testimony of the power of the Atonement. It does that... it takes away our heavy burdens and dissipates the weight so we no longer feel their strain on our backs and in our lives.

Bishop Duke then asked me a few more questions.... and then explained to me that they were some samples of the questions asked in a temple recommend interview. Now I haven't always been the greatest member of the church, nor the one with the strongest testimony, but I keep working my way on the path of righteousness with the help of those who love and support me... those who truly believe in me... and with the help of my Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. And because I have those who believe in me, and because I'm trusting in the Lord, I'm about 6 months (maybe a little more) away from potentially getting to go to the temple! I never thought I'd see the day...especially since I had been falling into satan's traps along the way. His traps were so enticing that it almost cost my membership in the church. I'm so grateful I have a wonderful Bishop, family, church family, and friends, who have stood beside me in my quest to one day enter the temple.

While I was preparing for my talk, I was reading President Monson's conference talk, "He Is Risen." He touched on a story about an 11 year old boy who was diagnosed with some illness and was constantly in and out of the hospital. As his dad was talking to him one night, thinking he was asleep, the father told his son to never lose his faith in Christ. Not knowing the little boy was listening, he answered his father, "NEVER." This boy was 11 years old. What a strong testimony he had at such a young age. It makes you stop to think, "Is my testimony of the Savior that strong?"

I know that as I continue to trust the Lord and follow His commandments, and pray and seek for spiritual guidance that my faith in Him will be strengthened in these perilous times. I know that as I seek the kingdom of God, I will soon be able to make and keep temple covenants, which looked so unreachable at one point. I'm so grateful to be here in this day and age to be able to stand as a witness of God and reach out to all those who are in need of rescuing. ...I know my life has been saved.