Love Stories

The other day Kade asked, "Mom, how did you and Dad find each other?"

I loved how he phrased the question. Not, 'how did you and Dad meet,' but, 'how did you and Dad find eachother.' As if we had been lost from each other and were on a long journey to find each other again. So I got to tell him a little bit about our love story and here it is in more details:

It was May 2005 at BYU in Provo, UT. Since the semester had just ended a lot of people were moving out and a lot of people were moving in. I ended up staying in the same ward because I was going to stay in Provo for the summer to work. The first Sunday after all the big move in and move outs Brad and his roommates sat in front of me and my roommates. I didn't notice him at first, but he was apparently listening to my conversation with my friend Michelle because after I had told Michelle that I was bummed we were missing the Pistons and Pacers game (it was the NBA playoffs at the time), he turned around and said, "Wow, I can't believe a girl said that!"

Honestly, I fell in love with him right away. I know that sounds so cheesy and cliche, but it is so true! My friend Michelle can vouch for me. I turned to her after he had turned back around and said, "I want him!" Probably not the best way to proclaim my sudden love for him, but it's what I said.

We spoke later after church for a little bit mainly about the NBA playoffs and I learned that he now lived in my same complex. The rest of that week we happened to run into each other every night around 5 PM at the mailboxes. That was about the time I would be getting home from work and I would head straight to the mailboxes to check my mail because I was writing a missionary whom I also really liked at the time (which didn't seem to scare Brad away), and he was heading out to go running with his friend because they were training to run the St. George marathon together that October. We talked a lot that week at the mailboxes and then finally the next week we hung out for the first time and watched an NBA playoff game and then walked to the BYU Creamery together after that for ice cream. We were pretty much inseparable after that. I'd come home for lunch so we could have lunch together, we'd be together every night, and every Sunday I'd ride with him and his roommates to church. 

By early July we knew we wanted to get married. My mom was already helping me secure a wedding date at the Salt Lake Temple and find a place to have the reception. By the end of July Brad finally proposed to me at my favorite place in the world, Silver Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It took us a while to nail down the wedding date. We kept going back and forth from 11/4 and 11/11, but we finally chose November 11th so it would be easier for Brad to remember!

The night before our wedding Brad took the time to write me a really long, sweet, love note. He gave it to me the morning of our wedding and I was able to read it while I got ready that day. It was the sweetest thing and that along with so much else made that day one of the most special days of my life.

Our romance was fast, but I know I married the right man. The past 9 years have been amazing. Obviously not perfect, but with all the hard trials we've been through together, I know there is no one else I want to endure and enjoy life with. His sense of humor keeps me going and he makes me laugh every day. Is hard work ethic and perseverance inspires me to be a better person. And the way he loves me and our children makes me so grateful that I get to be his wife for eternity.

I am the luckiest.