Why I decided to wait for love...and why I'm getting married in the Temple

Meeting my current fiance is not something that happened in the normal way. There's no real reason why we should have met. Timothy Jacob Harbison is from Sachse, Texas and I'm from Nashua, New Hampshire. But, there were definite events that caused us to meet. On my side, I decided to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I then started to make the necessary changes in my life so that I could, someday, get married in the house of the Lord. The reason why I knew that I wanted to get married in the Temple was so that I could be sealed for all time and eternity to my future spouse. Matthew 18:18, "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Here, Matthew is recounting Jesus talking to the disciples about different things, started with the great lesson on who shall be first in the Kingdom of Heaven, and moving to how things will be accounted for in the future. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is one of the few in existence that proclaims to have the same set-up of apostles, prophets, and a direct line of authority from Jesus Christ. Because my church has this authority, we are able to make sacred covenants in the Temple, like done in Biblical times, to bind ourselves more closely to God and Jesus Christ.

On Tim's side, he has always tried to put himself into the best situation possible to support his future family. This has led him to excel in academics and become a very wanted student for internships. He has completed many research projects, and because of this knowledge and exemplary academic skills, he managed to obtain two internships this past summer: one in Ithaca, NY and one in Idaho Falls, ID. We met while he was in Ithaca, at the Cornell student ward. My rotations in medical school caused me to be based out of Horseheads, NY, and I really wanted to meet more people of my age group and stage in life, so I got permission to go to the Cornell student ward. We met shortly thereafter and started dating after about a week or so.

I've been in many relationships in the past, as has Tim, however, for both of us, this one has been very different. For me, I've been more focused on making sure that the Church, the Temple, the Scriptures, and the Godhead are a major part of our lives and our relationship. Some of my favorite memories are just spending time together going to Church, Church sites, or the Temple. We both understand the importance of making and keeping Temple covenants, since we are both endowed and have done the best to live our lives in a manner that exemplifies those covenants. If you are interested in reading/seeing more about our Temple clothing, in a church sponsored article, please click here. Plus, this relationship was more about the eternal possibilities instead of gratifying the flesh in our current life. This has helped us temper our passions for each other, attempting to keep them within the guidelines that the Lord has set forth. 

Tim treats me in a way that I never thought would be possible. He treats me with so much love, affection, and respect. He always places my desires and wishes above his own. He has reworked his schedule to make sure that I was well taken care of this week. He is respectful of my parents, a great delight to my friends, and will make an amazing husband and father to our future children.

This past Saturday was a really special day. Not only that it was our 4 month anniversary, but because of what happened: 

I had finished up my month rotation in McCall, Idaho doing general and orthopedic surgery. My first stop on my vacation month was to spend time with my (then) boyfriend Tim in BYUI. On Friday night, we got to go to a very special masquerade ball held in a couple of the gyms with both a live band playing in one section, and a DJ in the other section. It was really magical.

On Saturday, Tim told me that he had to go take a test, and then got stuck helping people with Physics (because my guy is just that smart and wanted). I was actually getting a bit aggravated with him because he made me wait. He then took me back to the Physics department room, claiming that he needed a notebook for homework from there. As we exited, he walked me by the Planetarium, where the door was opened, and he said that that wasn't supposed to be that way, and went to "investigate" it. I followed, begrudgingly. As I entered down the stairs, he had decorated the place with these heart shaped lights, green and blue, and had a lunch set out for us, a bouquet of roses, and a bottle of sparkling cider. He told me Happy Anniversary, since it has been four months since we started dating. I was amazed by how much work and detail he put into that. I commented to him, that I didn't know how he was going to top that for the proposal. Little did I know....

After our lunch, he said that he wanted to show me one of the movies. He put me in a seat, and then went to choose one, skipping the "sea monsters" version. The lights went down, a song started playing, and a compilation of how Tim felt for me appeared on the dome. He wrote down many qualities of me for why he loves me, and said that he thought I was an angel when he first met me. He had many pictures of us, both together and separate. I started crying. After the pictures and words filled up all the screen, words formed asking, "May I have this dance?". The song, "Waltz for Jennifer" by FFH started playing. We danced, while I was shaking. At the end of the dance, he stopped, dropped down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. I was crying when I gave him a shaky yes. It was the best surprise ever. :)

 

We are hoping to get married in the Palmyra Temple on April 25, 2015. Our marriage will not end in death, neither will we be parted. It will continue on, throughout all of the eternities, and I couldn't be happier with my eternal companion.