If You Want to Be My Lover, You’ve Got to Be My Friend

Friends spelled out in scrabble letters

Dating isn’t just a time to fall in love; it’s a time to strengthen friendships. Everybody knows somebody—or knows somebody who knows somebody—with a story about a couple who got engaged after only dating for a few months, weeks, or even days. That quick jump between dating and marriage can… Continue reading

Why I’m Not Eloping (Anymore)

Woman in wedding dress running away in a field

If my own family couldn’t be at my wedding, I didn’t want anyone else to be there either. With a new global standard, Church policy now allows couples to be sealed in the temple immediately after they’re married civilly. Up until a few weeks ago, I wanted to elope. Not… Continue reading

Not Feeling the Spirit? It Might Be for One of These Two Reasons

Man in red sweatshirt walks along a road

What keeps us from always feeling the Spirit? Recently, I was reading emails and letters that I wrote while I was a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I remembered how I felt as I wrote them—and how I felt all the time when I… Continue reading