My Valentine

So Rachel's post made me realize that I have never actually recorded our story, either. Actually, that’s not true. While we were engaged I started writing it out long hand in a journal. (I had a job where I had too much time on my hands.) I never finished it though, and after I pulled it out just now I realize why. It is WAY too detailed. Seriously, like a day-by-day account. Pitifully detailed.

Basically, there were four of us. Me, my roommate Jessica, Will, and his roommate/best friend Matt. It was 1997. We were all freshmen at BYU. Will and Jessica had been called to be FHE mom & dad for our group. The first time I met Will was at FHE. We were already there waiting for others to arrive, and he and Matt walked in. I remember thinking they reminded me of Bert & Ernie. (Matt’s rather tall and lean. Will is “average height”. Check your almanac. )

We started hanging out, the 4 of us. The day before Thanksgiving break Will’s mom sent home some leftover enchiladas with him, and he and Matt called Jess and I and asked if we wanted to help eat them. So at 11:00 pm we spread a blanket out in the middle of an alley way between Maser Hall and Penrose Hall and ate enchiladas. It was a fun night. For some reason I touched Will’s hair. I distinctly remember how soft it was. Actually, it still is. Strange memory, I know. My crush on Will started that night.

There is a big soap opera here in the middle that I’ll skip over. Basically Matt left on his mission, and Jessica and Will started dating. Hello, 3rd wheel! Fast forward a few months, they broke up and Jess started dating somebody else so Will and I started hanging out again. I still had a crush on him but I wasn’t getting that vibe from him, so we were friends.

He left on his mission. We wrote. Then we wrote a little less often. Then a little less. I dated other boys (all big mistakes). I didn’t see him for several months after he got home. Then one day he emailed me and asked to meet up in the Cougareat for lunch. We picked up without missing a beat. That was in October, I think. Sometime over the Christmas break we were at his folks house cozying up in front of the fire and he told me that he wanted to marry me. We got engaged on February 3rd. There’s really no story to that – I got impatient and ruined it. Apparently if I had waited until Valentine’s day it would have been something to remember. (Not sure if I believe that or not.)

We got married in Las Vegas on July 14th. It was a cool 104*, which was actually a blessing since it had been 115* the week before. I don’t remember a word of our sealing. All I remember is looking around at this room full of people and thinking “I can’t believe all of these people are here for us.”

The day was such a blur – I don’t remember very many details. Thank goodness for home videos! (I was such a home video junkie growing up, you’d think I’d take more now.) Will’s temple clothes got stolen, probably out of the back of my mom’s car at her house between the temple and the luncheon. Somebody walking by must have just grabbed the bag. I’m sure they were disappointed with what they thought was their loot.

We went to exotic Cedar City on our honeymoon. We went hiking at Bryce Canyon and went to the Shakespeare Festival. On our way back to town from Bryce Canyon we hit a deer and totaled our car. Will’s folks bailed us out and drove down with one of their cars for us to use. To this day, when Will calls me Dear he whispers “killer” under his breath. (I was driving.)

We had an open house at his folks house about a week after the wedding. It. Was. Beautiful. I had always wanted an outdoor reception but I always knew growing up in Las Vegas that it wouldn’t happen. I think that if I had realized just how much extra yard work it would be for Glen & Liz I never would have asked. But they did so much work and it was perfect. I have really fond memories of that night.

Every once in a while Will and I will look at each other and say “How did we end up married?” Out of the hundreds of girls he met, and boys I met during my growing up years, how in the world did we end up together? Because seriously, we really are made for each other. And I could go into all of Will’s wonderful qualities that make me feel like I am the most fortunate girl in the world, but that is a topic for a whole other marathon post.

Love you babe. Happy Valentine’s Day.