57 years and eternity to go

THE PLAYERS:
Liz is my mom. Her parents are Nana and Papa and her grandmother is Nannie Jensen
Kirk is my dad. His parents are grandpa and grandma

THE STORY:
Mom and Dad were married on March 11, 1953--57 years ago. Mom turned 17 the month before so you can imagine the worry in Nana and Papa's hearts when Kirk and Liz expressed their desire to get married.

Finally Nana and Papa convinced mom to allow Nannie Jensen to have the final say--she was a very conservative pioneer and mom respected her opinions. Nana and Papa thought they had wisdom on their side. When they talked to Nannie about the situation she asked where they wanted to get married. In the Mesa Temple--at least a 6 hour drive away. Nannie said that she would take the bus and meet them there!!

Mom and dad rode with Grandma and Grandpa to Arizona from California. Dad was on leave after boot camp before being sent to his first posting. They expected to drive, visit the temple then drive back all in one day so mom did not pack any overnight things.

As you can imagine the day was a little longer than expected. They drove to Arizona then went and got the marriage license. Mom made her wedding gown but they still needed to purchase their other special wedding clothes. After the preparations they were ready to enter the temple. It was later than expected when they finished so Grandma and Grandpa rented two rooms and they spent the night. The next morning they drove back to California.

Mom and dad had just a few short days to spend together before dad had to leave and mom went back to high school. They spent those days in Nana and Papa's room while Nana and Papa shared mom's twin bed!!

Three months later mom graduated from high school, then got on a plane and flew to her sweetheart who was waiting for her.

Thank you mom and dad for a great example of a happy marriage. It doesn't mean sunshine and bliss every day, but a determination to be a team and do it together no matter how difficult the problem that arises. I am very blessed to have you for my parents.