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!