Because Adam is Adorable

I found this the other day. Can't you still hear all those hearts breaking in unison as he announced to all his girl friends that he was officially taken! I love it!!! :)

Thursday, January 19, 2006
hey there all,
so sorry that i haven't kept y'all up to date on my doings as of late... i feel bad:( anyways, i wanted to let you all know my latest news, some of you already know, but i don't think everybody does. last semester i started working in police dispatch here on campus. while i was working there i met this girl... her name is melissa. anywho... after workin there a little while we started dating, and basically fell madly in love... well to get to the news last weds i asked her to marry me, and get this... SHE SAID YES!!!! that's right, adam cox is engaged we're getting married may 2 in manti... so that's your 50 second news flash from the life of adam anyways, i need to get to bed, so that i can get up in the morning and get to class on time... so l8r days all!


I just think this picture is hilarious! He's such a goof ball!

Choices, choices...

Well, since everything was official now, Adam and I thought it was time to make some wedding plans. We had secretly been discussing a May wedding but that was as far as we had gotten. We didn't even know what temple we wanted to get married in yet. Now that we really started thinking about it, Adam started coming up with alternate plans for the date. At one point he suggested we get married in February over President's Day weekend. (He thought it was a great way to celebrate his 23th birthday!) That was quickly vetoed. There was no way I was getting married mid-semester. Talk about stress!

One of his other ideas was to wait until midsummer when his brother Matt would be home from his mission. You see, Jon and Becca had gotten married while Adam was in France on his mission and he really hated having to miss the wedding. And he didn't want to do that his little brother. The main obstacle to this was Adam's hope of getting a job in Alaska over the summer. He really wanted to drive a huge tour bus around Alaska all summer. (Adam enjoys driving any over-sized and scary vehicle, actually. Ok, he dreamt about driving any such vehicle.) I was a little unsure of whether or not I wanted to move to Alaska immediately after getting married. And we never even considered the option of him going to Alaska all summer and then getting married when he came home. In case you hadn't noticed, Adam and I don't like to be separated from one another for any period of time.

Well, eventually we decided to go ahead and get married in May without Matt being able to be present. :( We also decided not to go to Alaska so we could be present for Matt's homecoming and have an open house in Massachusetts while we were there.

The next step was to sit down and pick a temple. After looking at all the options, we chose the most beautiful temple of all: Manti. I cannot even tell you how gorgeous that temple is! And the grounds! It looks like a castle. What better place for this princess to marry her Prince Charming?

We chose May 2nd as it was conveniently placed between graduation ceremonies for BYU and the U. My sister Becca was graduating from BYU and Adam's brother Jon was receiving his master's from the University of Utah, so all of our family members who would be attending the sealing would already be in town. It was perfect! When Adam called the temple to schedule the sealing, the woman on the phone told him we could have any room at any time. (Apparently, Tuesday is not a very popular day to get married.) So we set it for 1:45 pm in one of the tower rooms. Now we just had to deal with about 1,000 more decisions that come with getting ready to be married!

Honey, You Should Really Learn How to Drive

Now that we were engaged, Adam felt it was okay for him to start bossing me around.  I'm only kidding!  However, he did decide that it was imperative his future wife have a driver's license.  You see, I had never taken the time to get my license in high school and it became very difficult to deal with when I came to BYU.  I had no car and I didn't need one.  Plus, in Utah you have to take driver's ed.  So I had just not bothered with it.  But Adam was tired of having to always get a ride home when he would spend the evening at my house.  And Marmee wouldn't hear of him walking.  And he always stayed past the last bus.  So, he decided that meant I had to have a license.  (I guess he didn't have any problems making me drive him home at night).  Really though, it was time I got one.  

Lucky for me, my fiancee just happened to be minoring in driver's ed!  It was already past the deadline to sign up for the BYU class, but Adam pulled some strings and managed to get me in.  It was actually a great class.  I think I was the only native born U.S. citizen there as a student.  In fact, when I told one of my classmates I was from Georgia, she thought I meant the country! I think she was Russian.  We met twice a week in class and then we had driving practice with one of the student teachers.  I was really pathetic to start.  I had trouble with simple parking!  And I can't even describe to you how nervous I was to go out on the roads in traffic for the first time.  (I had driven before with my learner's permit, but it had been years since I had really practiced.)  And then my teacher made me drive on the interstate!!!  I almost got into an accident the first time I drove on I-15!

There were two students paired up with one teacher, so I had to spent half the time being driven around by someone else who didn't know what they were doing.  We actually had a really good time and it was a great experience and wonderful preparation for my driver's test. I'm so thankful to Adam for insisting that I take that class.  

I'm the Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.

Winter semester started that next Monday.  Adam had gotten a spot in the university orchestra and I was trying to get one myself, but to no avail.  I was really bummed about that.  How cool would it have been for us to be in orchestra together?  Maybe someday.  :)  Anyways, Wednesday was our two month anniversary of our first date and Adam was planning to make a big deal of it.  I had no idea how big, actually.

After our classes were done for the day, Adam and I met up on campus.  We decided to go to the creamery and get some ice cream, just like we did on our first date.  Afterwards, we stopped at Adam's apartment and he again loaned me his green scout jacket since it was a little chilly out.  Then we wandered across campus, reminiscing.  Somehow we ended up at that same tree we had climbed into that first night.  Unfortunately, there was a little stream between the tree and the sidewalk and today it was actually full of water.  (On our first date, the stream had been dry, though quite muddy, we discovered when Adam jumped into it. :)  So we just sat down upon the brick sidewalk and enjoyed the scenery. 

 The next thing I knew, Adam was on one knee presenting me with the most gorgeous sapphire and diamond ring!!!  Ok, I could tell he was going there by his conversation, but I still wasn't expecting it at four o'clock in the afternoon.  And I was wearing his green scout jacket, for pete's  sake!  It was actually the most perfect moment I could have imagined.  

After a while we had to head home so I could babysit my niece and nephews while Julie went to class.  But first we had to share the news with Marmee.  And then Julie and the kids.  And later Becca.  And eventually everybody.  And then Adam had to leave to go to orchestra.  Already I was wishing he weren't in orchestra!  He had tried to get out of it that night.  He even told the director he would be getting engaged that night, but they wouldn't let him miss class.  But that was okay, as it gave me a chance to put on something nicer than a tee shirt and jeans for our dinner date.

  

When Adam got back, he took me to Ottavio's for dinner.  We had the most wonderful time!  The place was empty except for one other table.  It was the perfect place for us to celebrate and it became our special restaurant.  That was the happiest night of my life! (Up until that point, that is.)

It's Like I'm Losing My Mind

I can't believe I almost forgot about our drive through Vermont on the way home from New York!  Man alive!  We took the scenic route and decided to visit the Joseph Smith Memorial in Sharon, Vermont.  We even got a sneak peak at the new Joseph Smith movie that had just started playing in Salt Lake.  It was so good!  I loved it!  Unfortunately it was freezing cold, go figure, so we didn't spend too much time wandering around the memorial.  Besides, most everything was covered in snow!  

Wednesday finally arrived and it was time for me to fly back to Provo.  That morning Adam and I took some pictures outside the house in Sutton.  I even had him make a snow angel for me. :)  Then we headed back to Boston to say goodbye.  It was easier to part knowing I would be with Adam again in just a few days, but that didn't mean I had to like it.  My travel home proved to be much less emotional and stressful.  I arrived in Provo without difficulty.

The next couple days of the Christmas break were ruined when I got a terrible stomach virus!  Marmee and I had gone to the bookstore where I purchased mine and even some of Adam's textbooks (the French lit. ones which he never read!) and by the time I got home I felt awful!  I still wasn't completely recovered by Saturday, but I wasn't going to let anything keep me from going to the airport to pick up my man!  Of course, it was kinda a bummer that as soon as we got back to Provo, I had to go in to work.  At least Adam would be coming in later that afternoon.

It sure snows a lot in New England!

Saturday was New Year's Eve.  I don't really remember much of what we did that day.  I do remember staying up until midnight to watch the ball drop in Times Square.  We went to bed shortly thereafter since we had to be getting up for church the next morning.

The next day, after church, we drove to Argyle, New York to visit Adam's aunts, Sue and Joyce.  Uncle Bruce and, I think, Aunt Arlene also joined us for dinner.  I was meeting the family left and right!  Sue and Joyce have a beautiful home on a lake, which just happened to be frozen over!  I'd never in my life been to a frozen lake.  With much trepidation I was persuaded to venture out onto the ice.  It was rather unnerving knowing there was just a little ice between me and hypothermia!  

We headed back to Sutton the next day in hopes of making it home before a major snowstorm.  We made it safely there, as did the storm.  School was cancelled for Pat and Danny on Tuesday.  (Mom, please correct me if I'm getting days mixed up.  Its kinda hard to remember it all.)  Again, I can't really remember what went on those last two days of my visit.  I have an awful memory!  I wish I could ask Adam, cause I'm sure HE remembers perfectly!  Well, at any rate, they were absolutely wonderful. And I was so relieved to find that Adam's family was so warm and inviting.  (In fact, I just read in my journal where I was anticipating the visit and hoping that they "aren't Yankee snobs"!!!  Ha ha!  Nothing could be further from the truth!)

The Morning Train to Boston

We got up pretty early the next morning to go back into Boston to see a production of White Christmas on the stage.  I finally met Pat over breakfast.  He turned out to be much friendlier than I had expected him to be.  (He was a teenager, you know.  Actually, I guess he still is... Not that I have anything against teenagers... Or Pat for that matter!)  After picking up Adam's cousin, Jan, we headed to the subway station outside Boston so we could take the train into the city. After a short walk through town and a quick stop for lunch, we arrived at one of the fanciest theatres I've ever been in (I'll have to get the name from Mom).  The show was great! I've always loved the movie and it was even more fun to watch it on stage.  They had extra songs and everything! 

 After the show we took a scenic tour through Boston.  We visited Boston Common and Boston Public Garden, where Adam pointed out to me an equestrian statue of Paul Revere, only to discover on closer examination that it was George Washington!!!  We checked out the Make Way for Ducklings statues and somewhere there was an ice skating rink, I think.  Adam lamented that the swan boats weren't running that day, though the pond was probably frozen! It was extremely cold, despite the sunshine.  And windy!  And I was wearing a skirt! Nevertheless, I loved it.  Boston is one of my favorite cities.  It's beautiful, historic, and best of all, it was Adam who introduced me to it.  Along with the rest of the Coxes, of course!  

I believe it was that evening that we stopped in Medford to have dinner with Adam's grandparents.  It was very nice to meet them, though I'm sure I didn't speak two words together the whole time we were there.  Adam's grandfather tried to convince me he was just a mean old grouch, and at the time, I probably believed him!  

Note:  Only the first picture is actually mine.  I've misplaced my disk with all the pictures on it...  I had to steal that one from another place I have it posted online, hence the size.  I'm really bummed about it cause I think I have a really cute shot of Danny sitting on the Mama duck!  I'll see if I can locate it...