When We First Met...

My friend, Emily challenged all the bloggers to a "When you met your Spouse" entry. Once again, I am delinquent in this post, but I had to do it!!

Two days after I graduated highschool, I moved out of my parents' house and into an apartment with my best friend, Jill, my sister, Holly & a few other gals! That was in the beginning of June, 1998. On July 23rd, we had heard a guy had just come back from his mission to go back to school at ERAU, who Holly had also met before he went on his mission, and before I was out of school. So, we decided to throw a little gathering of apartments at our own to welcome him back, and so Holly would have an excuse to meet with one of the other guys in the same apartment. While all the guys and gals were talking in the family room of the apartment, eating chips and dip and such, Jill, myself & the Return Missionary sat in the doorway talking about marriage! Everyone just turned their heads and laughed, because what else would two highschool grads and a RM be talking about?!?!?!

Several nights we all spent walking and talking down at the Prescott Mile High Middle School track, which was across the street. The RM (from here on out will be referred to as "Shawn") had already dated Jill twice. Deciding that Jill wasn't quite the ideal gal for him, and still trying to obey his Mission President's advice to seek out a Temple worthy wife as soon as you get home, he asked me out for a date. Well, he didn't ask me... we just kept walking and talking!! The first time we really spent in deep discussion we stayed up all night, after he had tried to trick me into holding his hand by telling me about a unique companion he had on his mission in Korea. I wouldn't hold his hand. That is not until the next morning, after staying up all night talking and looking at each other in the eyes. We were watching cartoons at 3 in the morning while we talked. He then asked me if he could hold my hand. Like a shy little schoolgirl, I said yes! I am sure I was blushing and grinning from ear to ear at that point!

(Please forgive the grittiness of the picture... It is our engagement picture which was taken on an old digital camera and printed on regular paper)

We kept taking walks and talking. We would walk up to the retirement home at the top of the hill and sit on the rocks at the flagpole and talk in the moon light. We would hike up Thumb Butte and talk in the moonlight. All we did was talk.... it was wonderful. It wasn't until we were walking home from the retirement home one night that I realized where these past few weeks were heading! I went into my apartment, where my sister and friends were waiting, and talked to them a bit. They all thought I was crazy! I was still 17 years old, talking to a man I just met about marriage!!

Soon after, I was at a FHE activity with the infamous Singles Branch, and I called my mom for some reason. When she answered, she asked me how I knew Shawn was there! I just started laughing and said I had no clue he was there! She quickly changed her story to, Well he's not here. Oh My Goodness!!

We met on July 23rd, 1998 (as recorded in my journal).... he proposed September 11th, 1998, at the base of Thumb Butte under the moonlight.... we were married and Sealed for Time & Eternity December 18, 1998, in Mesa, AZ.