Well, here you have it at last, family and friends--we are finally joining the ranks of the bloggers. Back in early July we went to a presentation by one of the guys in charge of the research and publishing of the Joseph Smith Papers, and he showed us pictures of Joseph's journals he tried to keep throughout his lifetime, and emphasized the importance of journal writing. I realized that this venue will probably be the only way I will ever actually write one, as I hate writing with pen and paper now, and that produces only one book that family would have to copy and send around if anyone ever did want to read it. So, enough procrastinating!
We met on March 14, 2008 on a "blind" date set up by Chip's sister-in-law and brother, Jane and Dan Wood. The four of us met up at a restaurant called Mangia Cafe in Clifton Park, New York. However, my decision to return to NY to attend the Albany Medical College Physician Assistant program and Chip's decision to come visit his family there during his spring break was what set our wonderful story in motion.
Chip: I saw a very striking and interesting-looking lady sitting there in the booth. During our conversation over dinner, I found Daria to be friendly, curious about many things, and an interesting person that I wanted to get to know better.
Daria: I found Chip to be a super-intelligent guy who was a wonderful conversationalist and also a great listener, with a wide array of interests (We are both big science nerds, but Chip is exceptionally creative as well; he knows how to use both sides of his brain). I was a bit crestfallen upon first seeing him, however, because I felt like his thick white beard made him look much older than he was...
After dinner, we drove over to Dan and Jane's home to watch the Steve Carell movie "Dan in Real Life", which we all loved. All in all, it was a great evening. Chip called the following day to ask me out again, but I had left my phone at home and missed the call. I phoned him back Sunday morning, but as he was returning home to Dallas that afternoon, there was no opportunity for us to get together other than saying hello at church, so we exchanged e-mails and went our separate ways.
Chip sent an e-mail a few days later and we began a regular correspondence. E-mails led to phone calls, then to texting throughout the day (even sometimes during boring classes at Albany Med), and before too many weeks we were communicating many times daily. Chip returned in late April during my first break between semesters and told me that he would be coming to visit at least every month. I was amazed that he would be willing to commit that much effort to a long distance relationship. He even asked me help him cut and shave off his beard on that visit (his children about fainted when they picked him up from the airport, as they had NEVER seen him without one!).
Chip sent an e-mail a few days later and we began a regular correspondence. E-mails led to phone calls, then to texting throughout the day (even sometimes during boring classes at Albany Med), and before too many weeks we were communicating many times daily. Chip returned in late April during my first break between semesters and told me that he would be coming to visit at least every month. I was amazed that he would be willing to commit that much effort to a long distance relationship. He even asked me help him cut and shave off his beard on that visit (his children about fainted when they picked him up from the airport, as they had NEVER seen him without one!).
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| At Patty and Ed's just before the ceremonial beard-shaving... |
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| During dinner on the San Antonio Riverwalk. |
Some of our memorable times together that first summer included meeting up in San Antonio when I attended the annual conference of the AAPA (my professional organization), visiting Fort Ticonderoga, NY and unexpectedly getting to see a filmed re-enactment of a French and Indian War battle, and traveling to Utah for a Smith family reunion in Park City and my daughter Angela's wedding .We continued to enjoy every minute we had together and our love and respect for one another grew and grew.
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| Treating Natalie and Mike to a nice dinner in Orem early August 2008--look how small she is, when Elena was born only 6 weeks later! |
When Chip came up for Labor Day weekend, we decided to honor his 4th-great-grandparents Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack by traveling to Tunbridge, Vermont to look for the country store where she was working for her brother when they met sometime before their marriage in early 1796. September 1, 2008 was glorious; the weather was perfect and Tunbridge was a picturesque town with the iconic covered bridge over the river. All was quiet; the few businesses in town had closed for the holiday. The main road was empty. We located the store, but were disappointed that we were unable to go inside. As we stood on the covered front porch taking in the spirit of the place and thinking about his ancestors and the vital role they played in the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days, Chip suddenly said, "I need to go get something from the car." He returned with a small velvet box containing a simple wedding ring and asked me to marry him. Strange as this sounds, suddenly we both had a powerful impression that a large company of our loved ones were looking in on this event from the spirit world with approval and rejoicing. This brought both of us to tears immediately, as we felt so grateful for this knowledge and for the eternal covenants our loving Heavenly Father offers us which bind us to our departed family and to each other here in this world. Of course, I accepted Chip's proposal immediately.
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| Thanksgiving dinner 2008 at Patty and Ed's |
We continued to see each other for weekend visits every few weeks as we prepared for our wedding, and shared a wonderful Christmas with the Utah family before driving together back to NY in the Honda Accord that I had just bought from Angela. We were very fortunate that the we were safe through snow over the Rockies, deep fog and a BAD ice storm in Iowa, and huge rains in Ohio. Thanks, Angela, for selling me the car, as it has been just terrific!
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| Chip, Marci, and me at the family Christmas party at Mom's mid-December 2008 |
