9 Years!
Wow. What a wild ride these last 9 years have been! On September 3rd, 2012 we were engaged to be married! It seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago all at the same time. I was feeling really nostalgic, so I wanted to write down a brief history of our courtship 9 years ago.
Spring Semester 2012:
I had been living in the same apartment complex for a couple years and felt I had outgrown it. My time there was a blast, but I was ready to move on. I signed a year long contract and paid lots of money toward a newer, nicer apartment a couple miles down the road. I was ready for change. I'd exhausted all my options with dating (or so it seemed ;) ) and felt the push to move on. Little did I know, my husband was moving in around the same time!
I decided to throw a little ward BBQ on the back patio of the apartments to give the new tenants a chance to meet. Ward stare, fresh meat, new options, etc. You know! Who was new to the crew! A perfect excuse to check out the new potentials! No shame in my game.
I was chatting with a few people (read cute new guys) when I mentioned I was from Georgia. From across the patio I heard someone yell "Hey! I'm from Georgia!" I yelled back "Cool!" and kept on chatting. Little did I know that Georgia boy was a special something!
Soon after, possibly that night, Thomas and his new roommates decided to put on a movie night. We watched "O, Brother Where Art Thou?". I brought a huge bag of candy to share. Thomas has zero recollection of me, but he did remember the candy I brought! All II remember is him sitting on the couch with a girl. Completely cornered. She wasn't wasting any time! I had no idea, but she sure did!
A week or two went by. We had a Facebook page dedicated to church socials, apartment needs, etc. Ward prayer this time, fast Sunday potluck here, cup of sugar there, etc. A particular gal, bless her heart, decided to post something slightly inappropriate. I was a moderator for the page, so I deleted it. It was weird and definitely not the right time or place to post something so bizarre.
Well, wouldn't ya know. It didn't necessarily fix the problem. In fact, it only fueled the fire and started some wholesome, BYU style, college drama. It was awesome. Just kidding. But I promise, I have a point to this part of the story!
I owned that I was the one to delete the post, so the online trolling and bullying ensued. Let's just say I didn't take it well.
A few minutes later, after tears and slamming my laptop shut, there was a knock at my door.
There he stood. That super tall guy from Georgia. I was annoyed. He was definitely part of the Facebook group drama, even if he wasn't the instigator. He assumed I wasn't happy with the whole situation and came by to check on me. Knight in shining armor, step one!
He called up the stairs, "Jenny! Jennnnnyyyyy! Jenny! Come here!"
Dramatic, through hushed sobs, "No!"
"Jenny, please! Come here! I want to ask you a question!"
"No! Go away."
I stood at the top of the stairs pouting and pathetic. He stay downstairs because he was a good guy and Honor Code.
"Have you ever been in a Jeep with the top down on a beautiful day?"
"No."
"C'mon. Let's go for a ride."
Me, hesitant, but really feeling crappy and finally giving in.
He took me to a playground around the corner and we sat and talked about our families and school and life. We never mentioned the drama that had upset me earlier.
A few weeks later I posted in the Facebook group that I had tickets to a concert in Salt Lake City and I was looking for people to go with us. Thomas messaged me and kind of poked around to find out who I was interested in. I gave him a few names (messenger chat history is amazing! haha) of some of the guys I had my eye on. He mentioned a few girls he thought about taking.
We ended up going on our first date with other people! I was definitely enthralled by my date. Looking back, I just laugh. I love that kid but we were not a great match. But I came to my senses soon after. I hardly paid any attention to the fact that Thomas was even on that date. I remember briefly overhearing part of his conversation with his date while they sat in the back seat, but that was it. Later on he told me he thought we were a better match than our chosen dates.
I found this out later on, but Thomas used to sign on to Facebook messenger (or chats or whatever it was a decade ago) just to see if I was online. He'd sign off if I was unavailable.
Over the next few weeks, which to be honest are a bit of a blur, we started spending more time with each other. He even asked me for my number! And now you'll be graced with just how smooth criminal young Thomas was in college. I'm just so glad I have proof of it!
Just having physical evidence of our early, flirty days brings me so much joy. Just so much. But the sad part is we moved to mostly texting instead of Facebook, so a lot of our conversation history is lost in the nebula. But I still have some fun stuff to look back on.
Soon after that we spent time together here and there. I would go "study" at his apartment after classes and before work. I was working for a tiny tech support company and he was working at the MTC (Missionary Training Center). We would go on drives, apartment activities, etc. I was trying to keep it pretty casual.
One afternoon we decided to canoe down the Provo river with some friends in the ward. It was a blast! We paddled around and got to chat. At one point, Thomas scooched up to the front of the canoe where I was sitting. He said something to grab my attention and right when I turned, he kissed me. I was so shocked! It was very sweet, but I was definitely caught off guard. Poor guy.
Eventually we had a conversation that makes me want to facepalm a bit. I told him, straight up, that I loved spending time with him, but I just didn't miss him when we were apart. I cringe at the thought of being on his end of that talk! I was so wishy washy with him for a solid month or so. I asked if we could back it up a bit, go back to just holding hands and no kissing, etc. Cool and casual. The poor guy. I was so confusing!
At one point he said to me,"If we get together, we won't talk about it. It's just going to happen." Which I thought was very interesting. And it's exactly what happened. Later. Haha.
Eventually he grew tired of my shenanigans and stopped trying as much. He wasn't the first to text or initiate anything. I definitely don't have any significant memories or feelings or even really noticing him pulling back (I was such a young derp), but he said as soon as he stopped, I started! I was reaching out to him first, initiating first, etc. He went home one night and told his friend that he was done with me. Ready to end things and move on. I must have done something right the next day! I have no idea!
We started sitting together at church. And that, my friends, is the official way to lay claim on someone at BYU!
July 2012:
We started a little tradition where we'd chill a watermelon in the river, go hike a waterfall, then go back to a cold crisp melon and eat it. It eventually became a really special place for us. On one of our hikes, we sat up under the waterfall and he pulled me close. A few days prior, he told me a little story. His mom used to put her ear to his and ask "What am I thinking?" and he would respond "That you love me!" So what does this hopeless romantic do? He puts his ear to mine and asks me what he's thinking. I panicked! I was so awful. I pulled back and told him no! "No! We can think it, but we can't say it! Because once you say it then you can never take it back!" (Side note: I'd been in a very long and serious relationship a couple years before all of this and I was probably still carrying a little baggage from that one. Maybe like a fanny pack worth. But it was very real.) This kid had planned the entire thing, and I ruined it! I was so nervous to start saying the big L word! But I did redeem myself a few weeks later and finally said it back to him. So all was well!
On September 3rd, 2012 he asked me to be his wife for time and all eternity. And the rest is history! If you want to read the whole proposal story, click here for my side of the story. Click here for his side of the story!
I am so in love with our love story! Even though it's been almost 9 years of marriage, it feels like just the beginning of our forever.
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