For the purpose of filling in the gaps that I left by not blogging for a whole year, I am writing this, the first of many such posts, hopefully, to fill in my imaginary readers on what the actual readers (hi Mom!) of this blog already know...
I met Katie in Junior High, but I don't remember having any classes with her until High School. World history sophomore year, and chemistry senior year. (Yes, we had chemistry together, hilarious.) Anyway, it was in these two classes that we became acquaintances. But never friends, really. We could not even find each others signatures in our yearbooks, if that says anything. Eventually I left on my mission, and near the time when I got back, she left on hers. While she was gone I rekindled friendships with some of my old high school friends, and spent a lot of time with them. Eventually, she got home and started spending time with the same high school friends I was spending time with, and thus we re-met.
She did not know who I was, actually. I remembered her, but she thought I was someone else. It was not until she looked me up in the yearbook that she realized who I was. She only (to this day) has one memory of me from before the mission. It is of the dweeby, awkward, pudgy, annoying, 10th grade version of myself following her through the halls calling her "kit" (she used to spell her name 'KT') which apparently I thought was hilarious and she thought was outrageously irritating.
But now that I am older, much more mature, irresistibly attractive, charming, and funny, she was able to overlook her one memory of me, and be friends with me. Which we remained for about 6 or 7 months after she got home. We went hiking, snowshoeing, camping, rafting, and backpacking together. By February we could not be satisfied with friendship any longer. After attending a concert on Valentines Day with a group of friends, I went to her house and asked her on our first date which we scheduled for Presidents day weekend. We went birdwatching, which included some strategic marsh bushwacking, which required us holding hands in order to steady one another... Got hotdogs (that made her sick) and went to the Nickelcade (I know, totally romantic, right?). We kissed on our second date, and were decidedly steady by our third.
About a month and a half later, I was approached about a summer job opportunity selling for Living Scriptures. My biggest hangup was that I didn't want to leave Katie. She once thought about coming with me, but then decided against it thinking it was "too big a commitment." I felt quite strongly that I needed to go do this job, and she said she would support me in whatever I chose. About a week later, we went camping together and she brought up marriage. I was surprised because I had planned on dropping the big "I love you" that night, and here I had already been trumped by her explaining that she had often dreamed of us being married or engaged, and that she prayed about it and received a "Well, duh. Isn't it obvious?"
So here I was, completely caught off guard, because the last thing I'd heard from her is that she "liked where we were" and selling with me would be "too big a commitment." She had also mentioned a few days prior that she didn't think she would get married until she was 50. But I was glad to hear it, for I had certainly been thinking about marriage, I told her so (rather awkwardly I might add) and then we shared the sentiment I had planned on delivering that night anyway. About another week later, three days before I was set to leave for my summer job she asked if I really had to go. I said yes, because I felt like I was being prepared for certain things like independence... responsibility... and... marriage... there was a short silence broken by Katie saying "I do want to marry you Mike." I sighed and expressed my joy that the feeling was mutual. The next day we spent the day together discussing marriage, the day after that I planned how I would propose and talked to her parents, and then the next morning, Easter Sunday, I popped the question when I went to her house to pick her up for church.
The next day I left for three and a half months, which in case you are bad at math is almost twice as long as we dated! She flew to Houston to visit me in July, and then again at the end of the summer so we could drive home together. From that day we have been virtually inseparable. We were married on October 6th, 2011 in the Salt Lake Temple and life together has been nothing short of euphoric since then. (It is only life apart that gets hard, like when I am at school or she is cutting hair) I love her so much, and am eternally grateful that Heavenly Father put all the dominoes in place so that events would transpire as they did. I got so much more than the best wife I could ever begin to hope for, I also got to be an older brother (something I have always wanted) of five new siblings, as well as getting two grandpas, two more parents, one new adorable nephew, more new aunts and uncles than I can count, and a new best friend.
No comments:
Post a Comment