Unsuspecting Victim!

Here we are taking a sweet picture in the car and then I turn the camera around and Bamm! This is what I see. We laughed until we cried after seeing this outcome. (I do realize that I look just as crazy in this picture.. the difference is that it was NOT intentional, I just look crazy.. naturally)

Here we are after our first dinner date in New York! well, our first dinner out EVER!! Once again, I turn the camera around to look at our darling picture and this is what I see. This one too, brought us to tears!!
I love this man.

I hope it NEVER gets easier!!

So I found myself hardly able to sleep last night. This was partly due to the two boys who were up and down all night either crying, burning up with a fever or throwing up. The rest of the time was about Cliff... who did not have a good day yesterday. This left me feeling so terrible. So .. helpless. I found that the only thing I wanted was for him to feel better. I hate when he is angry or upset. It literally makes my chest hurt when I think of all he has to do at times. I just want to take his burdens and lighten his load.. although I think a lot of his burden has to do with the boys and myself right now but I just want him to be happy.

I HOPE THAT THIS PART NEVER GETS ANY EASIER! I hope that I always feel this way when he is upset. I hope that all I ever want for him is happiness and love. I hope that his happiness is always first and foremost in my thoughts. This is what it is supposed to be like, RIGHT?!

Cliff, Honey, I love you. I hope that today is a GREAT day for you. I miss you and can't wait to see you Saturday!

Things that make us laugh until we cry!!

If you start to feel like THIS ....... Then maybe you should try.....
This. with a little bit of honey on the side. Let me tell you that more than one evening has been spent nearly on the kitchen floor laughing until I almost wet my pants!! Cliff and I were both in tears and it was quite the show when we visited our friend, Janet and partook of the amazing Apple Cider Vinegar there. It has been sooooo fun! I do not know if it ever helped Cliff's gas, this being the reason we tried it to begin with; but oh the funny, funny memories it has left us with.

(Okay.. you must read this one with a Chinese accent)
YOU MUST!!!
This, my friends is HIDDEN TURTLE. You must try it with your significant other..
It may make you laugh until you cry
You will not know unless you try.
You may also wet your pants.
It may make you want to dance.
Either Way, It is good.
:)
Ah, yes.... Even more hidden turtle.
Hidden Turtle is Very, Very
Good Fo You.!

:)

There is more, so much more... but I don't want to give away all of our secrets!

I miss You.

This morning as I turned from your embrace and walked into the airport, my eyes welled up with tears. I think of how much I am going to miss you from that very second until I am in your arms again for a short time.

I find solace in your eyes and in your touch. Your smile and your voice warms my heart.

I love you.

You know it's love when you can't stop thinking about him.

You know it's love when you'd rather be in a relationship-apart than not in a relationship at all.

You know it's love when your happiness is dependant on his.

The Perfect Day!

06.20.2009

A Letter to the Man I love.

My Dearest Mr. Lovely,

Honey.... You had a hard day yesterday, for that I am sorry. This morning is certainly off to a great start because you called me at 6:03 am. You don't know how happy it makes me to hear your voice in the morning. I love that I fall asleep to your voice and that I wake up to your voice.

You are such a treat to know and love. I am a very lucky woman. Our boys (I have never been able to say that to anyone) are so lucky to know and love you.

I love your sweet smile and your kisses. I love your hugs and I LOVE HOLDING HANDS with you. I never dreamed mine could fit so perfectly in someone else's.

Being with you is like a dream. It is a dream that I never want to wake up from. I want to frolic in the sun (in low humidity of course) and lay with my head on your chest as I listen to you breathing all day every day.

You make me happy so happy, My Dearest Mr. Lovely. I am so looking forward to the day that I become your MRS. LOVELY. Thank you for your love and your beautiful spirit. I love the laughter that erupts and the fun that ensues when you are around. :)

I love you my Sweet, Kind, Loving, Sexy, Phabulous, DID I mention SEXY...... Man

My heart is yours for the rest of life.... maybe longer.
XOXOXO
Stephanie

I long for the day...

Tonight as I was making dinner (at 8:30pm) after rushing in from church, I was keeping an eye on my cell phone, waiting for Cliff to call. I stopped and thought for a moment about what it will be like when I am just waiting for him to call and tell me that he is on his way home from work. I long for the day when I can have a (not too hot :) dinner ready and waiting for him every night of the week. (Hmmm, okay lets be realistic. I will at least promise to always have TACO FIXINGS available every night of the week :)
I long to see the boys rush him as he walks through the door, instead of wait in line to speak with him on the phone. I long for the day that I can fall asleep to more of him than just the sound of his voice. I sleep with a cell phone gripped in my hand most nights. When I wake up through the night, I just tap a button and his face lights up on my phone. I take what I can get for now!!
I long for the days to come.... When we are together!

Things I miss on Sunday Mornings

When Cliff is not here, I always think of things that he says or does and it warms my heart to think of such things but it also makes me miss him terribly. This morning was no exception. I think of how when we are all together getting ready for church... (I am usually frustrated at the pace of things and the boys are arguing with me every step of the way) aside from that is seeing my four favorite men in suits pressed and ready. The boys like arranging Cliff's tie after they work on their own I miss Cliff's arm around me in church and my nudging him as he falls asleep. But my favorite moment about Sunday mornings is when I walk over and button Cliff's left cuff of his shirt, I smile as he does right back and then I gently kiss his face.

I LOVE IT!! Simple pleasures I suppose. I know he HATES when I try and do things for him, but this one thing, I hope, he allows me to do forever because just the thought of that simple but sweet moment makes my heart soar!

The Important things....

My parents are in town this weekend for the funeral of a very close friend, Vickie Jo Studstill. Tonight, as I watched and listened to my parents visit with my children, my brother, Simon, and his wife, Mindi... My heart was so thankful for the short time that we had together this evening. It made me miss Cliff more than ever and it has left me with thoughts of the days to come.
I thought of how I rushed around this morning mopping floors and doing laundry when no one would have cared what the house looked like. I know that I should not stress over how clean (or dirty) the kitchen floor is, if my bed is made or if the laundry is all done... WHO AM I KIDDING, THE LAUNDRY IS NEVER ALL DONE!!

The important things are simply being with family. I want to spend every moment I can with those I love. I never realized how much time I spent with my parents until they moved away. Now, I miss them so much that when they are here, it breaks my heart to see them leave. I never realized how wonderful it would be to find someone that would love the boys and I as Cliff does. Now that I know what it is like to have someone special here on Christmas morning, I never want to lose that. I love that Cliff asks about the boys and that they would text him every minute of every day if they could. FAMILY IS IMPORTANT... LOVE IS IMPORTANT... THE TEACHINGS of THE CHURCH are SO IMPORTANT...

Don't get me wrong, I am happy that my floors are mopped and clean but I am more happy that my family is nearly whole. I am happy that Cliff is a righteous priesthood holder and that he is an excellent example to the boys. He is the most kind, respectful, loving person that I have ever known and the boys and I are blessed to know him and to have captured his heart.

I am thankful for the important things in my life tonight and hopefully I will be able to remember them when I am thinking that I would look better driving a TAHOE than a FOCUS or when I think that I should read TWILIGHT for the seventh time and not the Doctrine & Covenants :)

DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

OKAY... AND THE WEDDING DATE IS....... Ummmm..... Yeah, we have NO IDEA!!. Sorry everyone but after this last WONDERFUL weekend together, we have decided that the boys need to finish out the school year here in Florida. There are so many arrangements to make between the wedding and a move to New York, it just cant be done by April. We are definitely going to be married at some point in the summer. Please be patient with us as we will update you all OFTEN.. I promise.

Cliff, thank you for everything last weekend. Corey, Caleb and I had such a great time. It gets harder and harder to say good bye but Hello gets better and better. You are so wonderful and I am blessed because of it. I love you.

A few photos..

This was the very first picture we took together. Cliff came the first time for ONE NIGHT. He arrived at 7:30 or so and we stayed up until 3:30 am I think. We had to leave at 10:45 am to get him to the airport on time and we shot a picture quickly on the way out the door. This was the first of MANY!!

The one above it, we took at the temple the following weekend, he jokes that I look like I am staring at a pimple or something but I meant for it to be sweet, You be the judge! The picture on top, it was taken at WEGMAN'S.. What a great store. It was so fun to shop there. We stopped in the Entrance and snapped this on our way out. Cliff is so great about all my "ooo ooo lets take a picture moments" No matter where we are.

Where it all Began....

The words " Are you safe from the hurricanes?" will forever be close to my heart. This was the first message that I received from Cliff, on LDS MINGLE. I signed up for one month, two weeks into it, I received his message. For those of you who have never gone the Internet dating route, when someone emails you, the first thing you do is check out their profile. As soon as I saw his brilliant smile and was finished laughing at the things he wrote, I emailed him right back. Since Cliff was quite popular on THREE different sites, he was a bit slow to respond. He did respond and I enjoyed hearing from him so much that after a couple of times, I gave him my Yahoo email address and cancelled my paying privileges with Mingle. (I am pretty certain that he continued paying through November or so!!.. Silly man! :)

After a few emails in the real world, and after I gave him my number and he called. How do you not fall in love with that voice on the other end of the line. I was so excited and very grateful that he did not have a NEW YORK ACCENT! Some time passed and as conversations came and went, I wanted so very much to meet him. The time finally came and I thought I would die of anxiety before he got here. I was not able to eat all day, I was terrified that he would take one look at me and the expression on his face would be enough to know that he thought I was a hideous cow! Ughhhh, I was truly terrified. Then, I look up at the airport... and there he is. A few feet from me, smiling that perfect smile. We hugged and I knew in that instant that I loved Cliff Devries.

I know that Heavenly Father's love for us runs so deep. Despite this knowledge, I am still not certain some times that I am deserving of such a wonderful man. Every aspect of our relationship has been guided by Heavenly Father, of that I am sure. I have three boys, two of which have been without their father for 10 years now. What a blessing. I love Cliff with all my heart and I am so looking forward to being his wife. my dreams are filled of images at the temple and of our lives to come. The boys, although at times upset about leaving their friends, have fallen in love with Cliff as well and I never dreamed it would all fit together so neatly.

For those of you I have yet to meet, (Cliff's friends and family) I am very much looking forward to being a part of your lives. For those of you I already know and love: Thank you for your love, support and excitement. Thank you for welcoming Cliff with open arms and supporting us.

Cliff, honey, you are absolutely wonderful. You are my knight in shining armour. I love you more than I thought it possible to love another human being. My whole life now consists of making sure that you and the boys are happy. Thank you for being such an incredible man. I am so lucky to have caught your attention and I am truly looking forward to being your wife and keeping you happy for the rest of life.... maybe longer :) I love you!

How many days till Spring?

The big day is coming up soon and I can't wait. I am the luckiest man alive!!! This has been the best few months of my life! We have a lot to look forward to. Right now I am busy with full diving classes and the heart of our competition season for the college team. The weather has been particularly cold this year and December marked the most snow we have ever had since they started recording snowfall amounts. Rochester is truly living up to its reputation and as a chilly metropolis. The recent weeks in Florida with Stephanie and the warm weather have definitely spoiled me. Shortly after I returned beck from Florida I got quite sick... attributable only to Stephanie withdrawal. I have been trying to fight off the symptoms the best I can with vinegar and lots of rest... but I think I will be in rough shape until I get large doses of "My Honey".

I LOVE YOU!!

Cliff Devries:

I love you baby! I miss you like Crazy!!


-Stephanie

The First of Many...

Hellloooo Everyone!! So many of our family and friends are spread out all over the United States, so I decided to give you all a place to come and keep up on everything. There is so much that Cliff and I have on our "to do" lists and we would love to share with you as plans are made and stress levels rise and fall. All comments are accepted and I am sure that most of them will even be appreciated! :) I hope that you stop by ofTen, as I will post as much as I can. Cliff, will certainly be adding to this as well. :) Right honey??? I will try not to be too nauseating but I can't promise anything. I love Cliff so much and we have so much fun that nausea is sure to be a side affect of frequenting this site. Don't let it keep you away though. It's nothing that a little Pepto-Bismal won't cure! We love you and look forward to all that is to come. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Stephanie