What to write

Some days I feel as if I should write something on my blog. I love to read other people's blogs and to learn what is going on in the lives of those people I care about. So, I feel pressure to write something on my own blog to keep in touch. When these thoughts and urges arrive I often sit and wonder what I could write about. I could tell you that Sandy has dug up every single tulip that I had so carefully planted. Not only did she dig them up, but she bit them in half as well, just to make sure there was no hope of them growing. I could tell you that Charlie has learned that the friendly Chihuahuas next door don't like it when he jumps the fence into their yard. He has now decided that he will let either Ammon or me retrieve the ball when it crosses that fence. I could tell you that Ammon is working very hard. He has 2 jobs starting soon that he is managing and so he is under extra stress at work to get everything done on time. But he loves his job and is excited about the new projects. I could tell you that we have been enjoying the beautiful weather and celebrating by taking rides on Ammon's bike (the one with the motor). I could also tell you of the troubles of remodeling your own home. It seems to never be finished. We would like to put our house on the market and move on to new things, but we can't until we finish this house, and it may never be done at the rate we are moving. I could tell you how busy I am working on the various projects I have going on here at home. I am not very good at managing my time effectively so it seems that only one thing gets done each day, but I guess that is still progress. But I think what I will tell you instead is that Ammon and I are expecting our first baby. That is the biggest news that we have. We are somewhere between 7 and 11 weeks (not very specific, I know) and hope to have more details soon. We are thrilled and couldn't be more excited. We had sort of given up and thought we would need some more sophisticated (and expensive) infertility treatments, but I guess the Lord had other plans for us. At least we finally know why I have been sick for the last 6 weeks.

Four Years of Bliss

Four years ago today I sat in the celestial room with my husband-to-be. What should have been a very spiritual and wonderful moment was instead infected by my asking my fiance if he was sure about this, because it wasn't too late. 

Since we had met our relationship had been a roller coaster. I was a very insecure person and was not blind to Ammon's merits. In my mind there could be no coincidence between his world and mine. When we were not together (which was often since we didn't live in the same town until we got married) I would think of him. I would remember the one dimple that he gets when he smiles big. He has the most hilarious laugh if you can get him to that point. Not only that but he is brilliant. I have always felt like I was a fairly intelligent person, but in comparison to Ammon I am pretty dull. He is handsome, modest, humble, athletic, kind, sweet, genuine, oh and I could go on for pages, but I think you get the point. In my mind there was nothing wrong with Ammon, but there were sure some problems with me. I couldn't understand why he would want to be with a girl as petty and dramatic as myself.

So, for years I did everything in my power to make Ammon leave. I knew he was going to eventually, so why not help it along. He put up with so much. And he kept coming back for more. I denied that I loved him, I pretended that I could take him or leave him, and I told him flat out that I wasn't interested in marriage and would be leaving on a mission right when he got home from his, so he might as well move on. I didn't want to get hurt. I didn't want to admit how much he had actually gotten to me. But even when I tried to give him back his wedding ring, twice, he held on. 
Four years later I look back on that time and am mostly just embarrassed. What a nerd I was. But Ammon has seen me at my best, at my worst, at my ugliest, at my happiest, at my saddest, and in a rage and has loved me through all of them. I guess that through our dating I learned a lot about the man I married. 

I told my sister once that I had had a dream that Ammon cheated on me. I think we were at the hairdresser and she started asking if I was worried about that. I laughed and told her no, but that all through our dating years I thought he was going to leave me. At this point my sister piped up and said that I was the most ridiculous person on the Earth because Ammon is more loyal and devoted to me than any man has ever been to any woman. I'm glad that others can see it too. 
Our wedding day was wonderful. I had wanted snow, but since that didn't happen I was happy with the fog (other than the headache it gave to those trying to fly in). It was a perfect day. I always thought that something had to go wrong on a wedding day. I fully expected to wake up looking like a pizza face on the day of my wedding. I guess the fact that I had stripes down my back, bum, and legs from a tanning booth mishap was enough. Or maybe the close call we had with the cake that my parents carefully transported all the way from California. Either way, our wedding day was beautiful and perfect. Our reception was equally so.
After four years I am still amazed every time I look at my husband. What a man. I couldn't have done better for myself; there is no better. I got it all; handsome, tall, dark, sweet, righteous, loving, faithful, helpful, supportive, hilarious, and affectionate. He makes me want to be a better person. Ammon inspires me. I still think he could have done better, but I am so glad to have him. I don't try to chase him off anymore, although I'm sure there are days he thinks I am.
Our four years together have been blessed with supportive family and friends. We are thankful for families and can't wait to have one of our own someday. I think that this guy below is ready to be a grandpa, even if he claims otherwise.
Thank you, Ammon, for the wonderful life you have given me. For the kindness, love, and support. Thank you for making me laugh on the worst days. Thank you for helping me through all the rough times. Thank you for never being one of those "rough times." Thank you for adoring me.
So here we are. Four years went by quickly. But thankfully we have eternity, that might, just might, be long enough.
I can't wait for the coming years. I can't wait for the laughter. I can't wait for the hard days. I am so excited that I will get to live through all my years with Ammon. And I love knowing that even when I'm old and wrinkled that my husband will still think I'm beautiful. What a man.
I love you, Ammon. Happy Anniversary!

Come and Gone

Well, Christmas has come and gone. It sure came fast, and it sure left fast. I know how cliche this is, but I can't believe how fast this year has gone. It was a very busy and full year. I just wanted to write a little post telling everyone about our Christmas.
I was extremely spoiled with new pots and pans, new shirts, new books, and a beautiful diamond necklace. Ammon was spoiled with tools. He got a new level and some saw blades. His big present was a nice big jigsaw.
The best part of Christmas has been the opportunity that we have had to spend time with Ammon's family. I miss my family dearly and wish I were with them, but it is always wonderful to spend time with the Dahls.
Ammon is officially graduated now and so we are super excited to have some time off school in front of us. We probably won't be off school for too long, but until Ammon goes back for his MBA we are happy to be done. Congratulations to Ammon. He made it through school and now we are going to enter a new stage in our life together. Hooray!

Christmas Card

I think there are very few things more exciting than getting mail. This time of year is especially great as we are able to read all about our friends and family and the years that they had. Since our first year of marriage, Ammon and I have noted how badly we need to send out a card for Christmas. Since that year we have managed to fail every year for four years. So, I'm going to blog our card (copying my dear Hannah's idea) and hope for better success next year.

Dearest Family and Friends,

2005: Ammon and Melanee were married in January. It was probably the fastest year of our lives. We were busy going to school and working. We enjoyed our little two car garage that had been converted into an apartment. It was a cozy little home.

Ammon had to have surgery on his arm this summer. Apparently, breaking an arm 3 years prior, never treating it, and then spending the summer using hammers (Ammon framed houses this summer) is not a good combination. After a 3 hour surgery (it was supposed to be an hour), the doctor came out to tell Melanee that Ammon's wrist was much worse than he could have imagined. All of the bones that are supposed to be tight in the wrist were loose and had to be pinned back in place. The ligament had to be tightened. And there was some bone in there that was just loose that had to be removed. But, after several months in a cast and several months of rehab, he seems to be doing well. What an adventure for our first year of marriage.

2006: Our biggest news from 2006 is that we moved in September! With the help of Ammon's brother, Enoch, we were able to purchase a little home in Provo. It is adorable and we are excited to have a little space to move around in.

Ammon managed to have a new health problem this year. Poor guy had hives for a large portion of the year. We didn't have a tub in our little garage so Melanee  bought him a kiddie pool that we would fill using a hose hooked to the sink. It was the only way he could take oatmeal baths. Draining the "tub" was also an adventure. Luckily he has been hive free for a while and has no food allergies to speak of.

The year has been filled with more school and more work. Ammon found a wonderful internship with a company called CECO Concrete Construction and was then hired to be a part time employee. Melanee is reading lots of books and enjoying classes.

2007: Our years of marriage have managed to look a lot alike in some regards. This year is no different. More work and more school. We did have a few exciting events.

Ammon was a member of the BYU Track team. He jumped his all time high this year at 6'11 2/3". It was exciting to see him soaring so high through the air. He competed at the Regional meet this year up in Oregon. Ammon's parents were kind enough to take Melanee up to the meet with them so that we could all watch as Ammon placed 5th in the big meet. It was very exciting. He was one miss away from making Nationals. We are super excited that he did so well. Congratulations Ammon!

In other exciting news. CECO wanted Ammon to become a full time employee. He is now a project manager for the company working full time and finishing up school part time. We are pretty excited to see him succeed.

Melanee has finally picked a direction with school and entered the editing program at BYU. She  is extremely excited about all the things she is learning and about the possibilities.

2008:Whew! Caught up to this year. As many of you know, this has been a challenging year in many ways. At the beginning of the year, Melanee was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and has struggled with declining health. We are hopeful that this year we will be able to find an effective treatment. With that in the background of our lives, this year has taken on a different tone from many of the past years. Melanee did finish school (barely) and is happy to be an official BYU Graduate (the first grandchild on both sides of her family to have a Bachelor's degree!). In years to come she hopes to go on and get a Masters, but there is time for that later.

Melanee has started up a little business called Stories You Share. This little business gives her the opportunity to help people record their life stories, memories, and pictures. She's excited about the possibilities. She also had the chance to design posters and other things for the Association of Personal Historians. If you're interested you can look us up on the web. Melanee was also able to become a certified Yoga instructor and hopes to start teaching a few regular classes at the beginning of 2009.

Ammon is still working away at his degree. This is his last semester of his Bachelor's degree and we couldn't be more excited. He will take his finals the week before Christmas and then we will be officially done with school. At least until Ammon goes back for his MBA. Ammon was able to manage a few big projects this year. If you have noticed the beautiful new parking structure on BYU campus next to the Tanner building then you have seen Ammon's work first hand. He was able to manage the big structure being put in place. He is currently managing a little project in Pleasant Grove that is going up fast. He loves his job. As you probably know, Ammon gets animated about very few things; namely, his job and his motorcycle. Speaking of which, we got a new motorcycle this year and have had tons of fun with it (always with helmets firmly in place).

We have added 2 furry friends to our family this year. Sandy joined us back in September and Charlie joined us just last month. While we never in this life, or the next, thought we would be dog owners (especially of 2 big dogs) we are very in love with our little friends and so happy to have them in our family. They definitely add a bit of spice to our quiet life.

Now, if you are still reading at this point then you deserve to know our "big news." Ammon and Melanee are going to be foster parents! We will begin the classes that the state requires in January. We will be getting our house inspected and passed off in the first week or so of February. And if all goes well we could have a child or two in our home by the middle of February. We are extremely excited about this new turn of events in our life and can't wait to actually have a few kids to pepper things up.

At this time of year we are especially grateful for wonderful friends and family who support us and keep us going year after year. The last four years have been wonderful, challenging, and amazing. Neither Ammon nor I would trade them or the lessons that we have learned. We love you all and wish you a very merry Christmas. We hope that you will feel the love of your Savior in your life as we have felt his love and direction in ours.

Love,

Ammon, Melanee, Sandy, and Charlie

Kick in the Pants

This last year has been very challenging for me. I have had so many lessons to learn. At the beginning of year I was able to deal with new challenges. I was able to shoulder the challenges of school, work, health, etc. As this year has progressed my capacity to deal with all of these things has declined. I have struggled as my body has continued to be more and more fatigued. I have had to deal with constant pain, rather than just the occasional hurt; the pain seems to always get worse, just when I think it could never hurt more. I managed to make it through school, but have been struggling to support Ammon in his last few semesters. Work is always a new challenge. This past November has been one of the blackest that I can remember in a long time. I have constantly felt completely alone and overwhelmed.

I think that December 1st has marked a change in my bleakness. I had so many birthday wishes roll in from so many people. It was wonderful to hear from people I haven't heard from or seen in years. I got calls, emails, and comments on my blog from so many friends and family. I never knew I was so loved. It is amazing how a kind word at the right time can change someone's outlook on life. I feel so blessed, loved, and supported at this time. I want to send out a big thank you to all of you! I love you all and am so thankful that you love me as well. Just when I thought I could not take it anymore and was looking out for the right ditch to roll up in I find that I am  not alone and have a network to fall back on when life gets like this. Ammon and I are so blessed. Thank you all! We love you!

Doggy Number Two

We are nearly "officially" one of "those" families. For my birthday (which happens to be 2 weeks from now) Ammon agreed to get me...another dog! I felt like Sandy was probably lonely from all of her time alone and wanted a companion for her. Plus, I really like the feeling of rescuing a dog from the shelter. I know, I know, it's time to have kids.

Meet Charlie! He is our newest addition. He is great. He's house trained (but doesn't come inside, that's why we are only "nearly" one of those families), he love, love, loves to play fetch, and he can jump our fence without any thought at all, and has taught Sandy how to do the same. The joys.

Charlie

They look a lot alike. They are both a pretty good mix of things, but they both have Australian Shepherd and Border Collie in them. We are pretty sure that Charlie has some German Shorthair as well.

Sandy and Charlie. Charlie struggles with staying sat down.

Charlie (he has a lot more white on him than Sandy)

Charlie and Sandy.

Sister and brother.

Sandy, up close and personal.

A rare moment for Charlie, he's sitting!

Charlie, waiting for me to throw the ball. He loves to fetch.

Hello Charlie and welcome to the family.

I guess we are officially insane. Two dogs! But, there are very few people in our neighborhood with fewer than four dogs, so I guess we felt we had to fit in. True, one of our dogs is the size of 8 of theirs, but what can I say? We like big dogs that can actually play and have fun with us. We are excited to have two overly excited little friends to join our family. We went from no pets to two dogs, two frogs, and sixteen fish. Whew!

Better Than Yours

I realize that in this world not just one type of person is right for everyone. But I am amazed at just how perfect my husband's type is for me. I still sit in awe at the fact that we made it through our awkward high school days, his 2 year mission, and all the drama I put us through. But here we are. Happy to have one another.

Yesterday morning was the type of day that is just too much. I'm sure the ladies reading have had these days. It was a day when every little thing added up and was weighing on me. All of my personal short comings, the fact that I need a haircut, the uncleanliness of my kitchen floor, all of that was getting me down. Plus, my body hurt (not out of the ordinary, but still not fun). Then I went to pull out the rolls I had prepared for our staff meeting. Unfortunately, I had let them rise too much and had a sheet of nasty looking rolls. No big deal. I'll just pick some up on my way to work. I turned the burner on to heat up the soup and then planned to jump in the shower. The next thing I know, I can smell burnt soup. I had carefully prepared Chicken and Wild Rice soup the night before. It was perfect...the night before. I was so upset. Then, to send me over the edge, I looked out my front window where the scouts had placed a flag for Veteran's day. Sandy had shredded it! Not just a little either, the entire flag was a wreck. So, I called Ammon crying. He assured me that it would be okay to go pick up lunch and that we would worry about the flag when he got home. I skipped my shower, wrestled the flag away from Sandy, and made it to work with random food I had bought a half hour late.

Halfway through the day I got a call from Ammon, just checking in on me. I was still upset, but at least not crying. I went to my massage after work (which helped my physical stress) and then came home. I walked in to see the messy soup all cleaned up, the dishes done, and the floor swept. And then to top off the night, Ammon took me out to dinner so we wouldn't have to bother with cooking again. What a sweet heart. He knows exactly what I need when I need it. We spent the rest of the night watching funny movies on YouTube together, laughing and talking. I'm not saying that mine is better than yours. I'm just saying that mine sure knows how to treat me. When I'm having a bad day, there are only two people in this world that can fix it, Mom and Ammon. Thank you Ammon for all that you do for me. I'd be a wreck without you.

Say Hello to Sandy

I will be the first to admit that these aren't the best pictures ever taken. But, I did want to introduce everyone to the newest member of our little family. This is Sandy.She is an aussie/ border collie mix. She is such a sweet little girl. She's five months old. We are extremely excited to have her. Even Ammon likes her.
She doesn't bark much and loves to play. If you want to come by and visit feel free. She loves people and is a wonderful companion for me.
Welcome to the family, Sandy.

One more to go

Ammon started his first day of his last semester today! I love the beginning of the school year and found myself a little sad at the fact that I would not have some amazing literature classes to keep me occupied this semester. I am excited for my new found freedom, however. I think I will celebrate by reading as many books as I please. In the meantime, good luck to Ammon, and all of you who are starting up a new semester. I hope it will fly by!

Graduation

Here are some pictures of our graduation. I think that I look like a little boy in most of them with the hat on and my new haircut. But I married a very handsome man. Thank you to my dear mother-in-law for getting us these pictures. Now I just need to get some of my family, but since they don't read my blog maybe they won't mind their lack of representation too much.

By this point in the processional we were very hot and miserable. They had us line up on the pavement outside, in the sun, in 100 degree weather wearing dark gowns. It was awful. I actually burned the bottom of my feet. But it was fun to march in. I noticed my parents right off, they were the first people I saw; Ammon's parents were also easy to spot.

It was really windy out (not when we were lining up though), that's why our tassels are everywhere. This is us with Grandma Jaynes. We were so happy she could come.

This is Ammon right after getting his "diploma." He walked with me at my college, so he was only one of three that were getting a BS instead of a BA. They announced me first, then said, "And her husband, Ammon Dahl..." it was kind of funny.

Aren't we cute? I know Ammon is.

And another. My parents are so wonderful. They bought me the most beautiful roses. They were orange, my favorite. I love roses. Thanks Mum and Pa.

Ammon and I with his parents. They were so wonderful to come. We enjoyed having them around. On Saturay after graduation we traveled with my parents, Ammon's parents, and my aunt Harriet down to St. George. We went to the splendid outdoor theatre down there to see Les Miserables. It was fantastic. It was hot, but it was fantastic. Mark and Coralee bought us the most wonderful dinner right before as well. Thank you!

I don't know if you can read this or not, but across the middle of where the "diploma" is, it says "sample." We thought that was pretty amusing.

Once again, we want to say thank you to everyone for coming such a long way to support us and for all of your wonderful gifts. We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

Our History

I think this is an appropriate place to record a brief history about Ammon and me. Let's see, back when we were both 15 years old there was a youth conference out in Ruby Valley, Nevada (close to where we both lived, though we lived in different towns). As luck would have it Ammon actually came to this on (in an effort to get out of his summer job for a week). After we all arrived at the church we divided up into "families" where Ammon and I were slotted to be brother and sister. He nearly switched families but ended up staying (coincidence? I think not).

The conference was out in the middle of nowhere; they had us camping out there. We had to hike in the dark out to the camp ground. Ammon and I managed to get ahead of the rest of the group so it was just the two of us. We walked and talked over the long walk. Well, I talked and Ammon listened. I was under the impression that I was annoying him, but he was so cute that I thought I'd risk annoying him longer. That whole week I tried to get Ammon to speak to me. I finally succeeded one night when we all sat around quoting The Princess Bride. Ammon was the only one who could keep up with me and I was very impressed. Before the rest of us headed out Ammon was whisked away and I was left with only his name, phone number, and mailing address.

Ammon claims that before the next dance he tried to call me but never got through. He also claims that he told his brother, Tabor, about me. I'm not so sure. We did write a few letters back and forth. Meanwhile, Ammon turned 16. At the next stake activity, a youth dance, Ammon actually showed up, another surprise. We danced and snacked and spent the entire evening together, much to the consternation of one of the girls that had been in our group and had a crush on Ammon.

And so it went until December when I finally turned 16. For my birthday Ammon gave me a copy of The Princess Bride to read, which I was thrilled about, and he took me out for our first date (both of our first dates ever). He claims that he was smitten with me from the day we met. I must admit that I was smitten with him as well. I wasn't allowed to single date until I turned 18, so for our first date we went to the birthday party of one of my friends. We ate at Pizza Barn, had ice cream and Baskin Robbins, and hung out at Walmart, woo.

Our dates were basically a repeat of the first. We usually had just one other friend with us and we would go hang out. We often went to one of my friends house to watch a movie. In fact, it was at my friend Lauri's house during such an activity that Ammon got up his courage to hold my hand the first time. Prom came and I was able to go as Ammon's date (he held my hand on this occasion and gave me a peck on the cheek at the end of the night, he was so shy).

Ammon and I talked on the phone all the time. Actually, I talked at him on the phone. He said very little, which drove me crazy. That, and being so far away, it was an hour drive just to see each other. So, at the next youth conference I broke up with him. We wrote one or two more letters, wrote a couple of times, and then didn't speak again for a few years.

Right before my senior year (right after Ammon had graduated from high school) my family decided to move to California. For some odd reason I thought I should write Ammon a letter. It was so strange because I was convinced he hated me (and for good reason, I hadn't been very nice when we broke up) and thought the last thing on earth he would want was to hear from me. I had continued to think about him over the years. I compared every guy I dated to him, but no one added up. Anyway, I finally wrote the letter right before we left. A few weeks after getting to California I got a letter from Ammon. He wanted to email back and forth, but every time we opened up an email program our computer would crash, so I told him that. He thought I was making excuses, but we wrote back and forth for a while until our computer was under control, then we would email.

We emailed the entire year. It was pretty casual at first. Towards the end of the school year it got more serious though, and more frequent. In fact, Ammon started calling me some. I had a boyfriend at this time (which Ammon didn't know). I was planning to break up with my boyfriend, but I didn't want to do it until after graduation. When graduation rolled around I headed out to Nevada to see my friends graduate. Ammon and I were able to hang out and he even took me out that night. He held my hand! I about died, we had decided to just be friends. Then he moved in to kiss me, but I flinched (I did have a boyfriend after all) and he backed off. When I got home from this trip the first thing I did was to email Ammon to find out what that was all about. It was discovered that we both wanted to be more than friends and thus it began anew.

Ammon told me he loved me that summer. I was smitten, but I was scared and it took me a while to warm up. He came down to California for a weekend and we finally had our first real kiss, it was heavenly, but I was mad at him for kissing me in the theater, it was too cliche. That weekend flew by way too fast. Ammon had his mission call long before this and I wasn't looking forward to the ensuing 2 years.

I went down to spend the weekend with Ammon right before he left on his mission. I'm sure his family was confused at why I was there. I know Ammon didn't tell them how serious we were. Ammon asked me to wait for him. I said no. I was 18 and about to go off to college for the first time. But I did promise to write and that in 2 years we would pick it up where we left off. I cried for 3 days after he left. There were days while he was gone when I would just lie in bed and read over the last few letters that I had gotten from him, it was the longest, hardest 2 years of my life.

I went away to school and dated around some. I was proposed to twice (but obviously didn't go that direction). The problem was that I wrote Ammon and told him all about it. It took 1 month to get a letter back and forth, so that was a hard time for both of us. I missed him and wanted him to still want me, but was terrified he would wake up one day and realize he was too good for me. It was hard on him because he was helpless. I finally ended up going to Russia (which made the letter exchange even slower) and lived there for 9 months and then traveled around with some friends. I wrote to Ammon the entire time and told him everything. I was completely in love with him, but was terrified of having my heart broken.

Right before Ammon came home from his mission I wrote to him and said I didn't want to see him for a good month. He would be returning to school in Provo and I was up in Rexburg, so I figured it would be easy to avoid him. Ammon didn't like this plan. The day after Ammon got home from his mission he called me. We stayed on the phone for about 3 hours even though we didn't have anything to say to each other. The next day when he called I asked him to come and see me that weekend. It was labor day weekend, so after church on Sunday Ammon drove up to Rexburg to spend the next day with me. What an awkward and wonderful reunion. I was so worried that he would take one look at me and head in the other direction. He assured me that when he saw me I was in no danger of having him leave. He held my hand and kissed me that night.

We saw each other a couple more times, talked on the phone everyday, and wrote emails back and forth constantly. I finally decided that I either needed to let go of my fear of being with him, or lose him (not that he would have given up so quickly). After I came to this realization it only took us a short time to get engaged. In fact, we were engaged a month and 9 days after Ammon got home from his mission.

Our engagement was rocky since I was still scared of him leaving me. On top of that we lived 4 hours away. But we made the plans and were finally married in the Salt Lake Temple. That was one of the most wonderful and beautiful days of my life. What a man. We adore each other and the last 3 and a half years have been nothing but wonderful.

How is that for a mushy story?