Dating

I know these pictures aren't very flattering of my leg... but the bruise is so grose, how can I not share?!

Life is funny in some ways. While that bruise is NASTY and it hurts pretty badly, receiving it marked the end of one of the best dates ever! At the top of one of my friend's blog, it says, "together is a wonderful place to be". I have always loved that. As I look back and fondly recall all of the wonderful memories Jon Mark and I have made over the past five years or so, I can't help but think that together really is the best place to be!

Before we were married, we went on some great dates. Hiking was something Jon Mark and I loved to do. I remember hiking to the top of Squaw Peak in Utah, and thinking that I had found a little bit of heaven on earth. One view was of the forested peaks of the Wasatch Mountain range, and the other view was of the Provo valley. I was holding the hand of my future husband, and couldn't help but enjoy every second. Other times, we'd walk (even in the rain) all the way to the movie theater. We would stop on an old wooden bridge (my favorite bridge) and talk. One of our favorite past times was when we'd go ice skating together. we would play tag and I'd taunt Jon Mark about how much of a better skater I was than him.

Last weekend, we contemplated how we could go about dating each other now that we have a newborn. We've since worked out a system with my sister. So, on Saturday, we dropped both kids off at Lindsay's house and went ice skating together. Now, I don't want to brag (but since it's my blog, I'm gonna) but I am a WAY better skater than Jon Mark. I'm so good, in fact, that I can skate faster than him when I am going backwards and he's going forwards. Well, we decided to play tag towards the end of our date. I was going to fast that I kept lapping him. One of my favorite songs was on, so as I was lapping him for the tenth time (a bit of an exaggeration) I was practically dancing as I sang the song. As I came up behind him (still taunting him) my toepik (?) caught on the ice and I immediately went from an upright position to lying--no, skidding-- on my belly. Basically, I belly-flopped on the ice. IT HURT SO BAD! Now, I don't want to give too many nasty details, but can I just say that when a nursing mother belly-flops on a rock-hard surface, certain parts of the body are doomed to hurt more badly than other parts! IT KILLED! Well, by the looks of it, my knee got most of the damage.

But, as Jon Mark carried me off of the ice, I felt protected and loved. My sister in law shared a quote from Pres. Hinckley that basically says, love isn't so much about romance as it is about an anxious concern for the well-being of another. I loved that quote. Jon Mark is always concerned about my safety and my needs, and it was evident when I fell last Saturday. It was one of the best dates ever!