The Beginning of our Forever Honeymoon

We just got back from our Honeymoon. It was a beautiful and wonderful trip! However, even though our trip is over, we plan to continue our "honeymoon" for the rest of our lives, and beyond! 

Some people claim that there is a honeymoon period, and then it is over. 

But why? 

Why does the honeymoon phase have to end? 

It doesn't! 

The "honeymoon phase" can be a continuous lifetime effort of living in love, and enjoying each day together... come what may.  

Sure there will be all sorts of crazy to come in our lives; but if we can cling to God and each other through it all, we will find so much joy along the way! Love has to be nourished to grow, and marriage is such a sacred and beautiful covenant, it deserves our finest attention, and our most diligent effort to help that love grow forever, and ever. 

Spencer W. Kimball wrote, "While marriage is difficult, and discordant and frustrated marriages are common, yet real, lasting happiness is possible, and marriage can be more an exultant ecstasy than the human mind can conceive." 

Marriage can be an exultant ecstasy? 

Wow! 

Doesn't that sound fantastic?! 

It does to me! 

This last week of honeymooning was such an important and special time for us. We got to spend uninterrupted time together, enjoying life and God's glorious creations. We were in each others space the whole time, so we were able to grow closer together in those spaces that can sometimes be an adjustment, you know, like having only one bathroom in a hotel room. 

It was such a valuable time of connection for us, and I am so grateful we could go. I am especially grateful to my parents who stayed with my children the whole time, which allowed us to have some real freedom and healthy much-needed fun. Thank you mom and dad! 

We stayed at the Capitol Reef Resort, in Southern Utah. From there we went out and enjoyed our days hiking, swimming, and relaxing in the hot tub. The hot tub was great until other people joined us, and then it just became awkward. I whispered to David, "Good feeling gone," and then we left. 

The most enjoyable part of the trip were the hikes we went on. The first day we walked through the red rock canyons, and then we shimmied up a more strenuous climb, which allowed us to see some very breathtaking vistas. We were out for many hours, just hiking around in the amazing formations. 

On the second day we traveled a little farther south, towards a place called Lower Calf Creek Falls. (Click HERE for more information.) My sister had recommended the hike to us, and we were not disappointed. It was a much more pleasant and diverse hike than our first one. We hiked next to a creek, and through freshly blossomed trees. 

After what seemed like a long hike (we stopped a lot to soak in the views), we arrived at the most beautiful tucked away waterfall location. The waterfall created a pool that I am sure would be so refreshing in the hot months. It was still quite brisk when we were there, but brave souls still entered into the enticing water. It is one of those places that I will return to in my memory, when I need to visualize a peaceful place. 

Enough of plain words... let's see the pictures! 

The Capitol Reef Resort was such a fun place. They had multiple fire pits to sit by at night. 

Waking up to this view was wonderful! 

 Just driving through the area was nice, but getting back into it on foot was other-worldy! 

 David was happy in nature.

I was trying not to stop every two seconds to take a picture, but everything was so unusual and interesting. 

 I love this guy! Being together out in nature with him was lovely.

 The view just kept changing with every step.

 Climbing the red rock was a fun adventure.

 We were able to get up pretty high to enjoy the view.

 We ended up off the main path for just a little while, but we found our way back.

 There were many flowers growing all over.

Having love in my life again is such a precious gift. I am grateful for the lessons each of us have learned from our first marriages, they come in handy as we work together to figure things out now. Some of the most important things we have learned is the importance of open communication, listening carefully to each other, and that love requires a lot of forgiveness. Having someone to talk to about everything, and having someone to share life with, is such a huge blessing, and I am so, very, grateful.

 What an amazing journey!

We went out to eat at some interesting places. Cafe Diablo was a yummy restaurant with really intense food.

 A little piece of heaven right here.

But what was even better than that fancy chocolate creation was the ice cream they had at the resort we stayed at. We went to their restaurant the first night, and ordered the ice cream for dessert. It was SO good that David had to have it again on the second night. So, he ran down to the restaurant right after closing time, and he managed to get some to bring back to the room before it closed. He was kind enough to share it with me. ;)

On the third night, I had to have the ice cream, so we went back and ate at the restaurant again. It sounded so good after our long hours of hiking. We had the same waitress as we did the first night, and she asked if we were there for a special occasion. We told her it was our honeymoon. She was excited, and then when it came time to pay for the food, she told us it had already been paid for! How awesome is that?!

Simple and sweet blessings.

Seriously though... that ice cream was something else! It had churro chips, chocolate and caramel, and it was ridiculously yummy!



We found a nice couple, and had them take our picture. Funny thing was the next day we ran into them again in a totally different, far away, location. We chatted for a bit, and enjoyed our quick new friends from Salt Lake City. They seemed like fun people.

We went out on a quick sunset hike, and it was beautifully windy. It was SO windy, but it made it kind of fun and exhilarating when the wind took our breath away.

 I love this cute face. :)

 What a fun place to stay and relax. You could see the stars really well at night, too.

We drove up into the mountains to get to the other side, for a new hike. 

We ate at this wonderfully yummy restaurant. The food was fresh and full of flavor. I ordered a side dish of pumpkin soup! It was like creamy orange heaven in a bowl.

We drove on a road that was in the middle of two deep canyons, it was a little scary! As we looked down into the canyon we could see trees lining the valley. I mentioned that I would love to hike in that area, and lucky for me, that was our destination!

 I tried to capture the crazy road, but there was no way to capture the intensity.

 We started on our journey towards the waterfall.

 The trail was far beyond my expectations.

 So glorious!

 We arrived at the waterfall, and it was like a little piece of paradise.

 David was brave and he got in the freezing cold water.

 He seemed refreshed. And cold.

 We both agreed this would be an amazing place to camp.

 Utah... who knew you were so magical?

 I tried to capture some of the glory, but it is something you have to experience.

We would walk just a few steps, and pause to take in the new perspective, as the landscape kept changing.

I think Spring was the perfect time to visit. The temperature was ideal, and it smelled like fresh blossoms.

 God is a masterful artist. I often wonder if Bob Ross helped Him paint in spaces like these.

 Happy little trees.

 I just keep falling more and more in love with this man.

Oh look! I was there too! Poor David, he was such a good sport helping me to fulfill my need for taking pictures of everything.

Our honeymoon was fantastic! We had some interesting learning moments, as we spent so much time together, but it was all for good. I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for bringing us together. I hope to create love and magical adventures together... forever!