Love Story

So... I've finally entered the world of bloggers! I haven't the faintest idea what I am doing most of the time, so bear with me.

Lately Stephen and I have not had much quality time together between grad school, work, homework, and getting ready to move. It's been challenging to say the least, but we're making it.The other day while I was playing on the floor with our son, I started to think about all the ways our life together has changed, and it caused me to reminisce on our past. I think it's healthy for a relationship to reflect on how you fell in love with each other and the growth you've had since. Here's an account of my love story (as I reminisced):

Back in 2009, I had just completed my freshman year at Southern Utah University and was moving in with my sister, Brooke, for the summer break. Amanda (one of my very best friends) convinced me to try out her singles ward, which I had no intention of doing prior to that time. I gave it a shot and am forever grateful that I did.

I fell in love with the people in that ward and made many wonderful friendships and memories. One particular Sunday after I had spoken in sacrament meeting, a new member in our ward had introduced himself to me as Stephen Palmer. After some brief small talk, I went on my merry way, not giving Stephen a second thought nor seeing him again for months (though if you ask Stephen, this wasn't the case :) ).

Six months later, I was home from school again, this time for Christmas break. Recently having had my heart broken and former ideas of love mixed up, I was certainly not looking for a new relationship. I was actually considering becoming a nun, or a crazy cat lady with her 27 cats. Okay. So not really. But you get the point. I was basically avoiding boys like the plague. One night while out with some friends from my ward, I found myself in desperate need of some comfort. Emily (another good friend) went to find two brethren to give me a blessing. Lo and behold, this Stephen guy pops into the picture again and is the one who gives me the blessing. I'll be honest, I had completely forgotten about him and only reluctantly gave him my phone number when he asked for it that night. Grateful for the peace the blessing brought, but still uninterested in ANY guy, I forgot about Stephen. Again.

Later that month (while still on break) I found myself hanging out with Stephen every so often. See, I thought my friend Amanda was interested in him and I was trying to play match-maker. Little did I know that Stephen kept coming back to see me. While I had fun talking and hanging out with Stephen, I NEVER considered dating him, let alone thought that he was my "type." And so we became friends. We talked nearly every day from then on for about three months- Stephen asking me for girl advice and I complaining about previous boyfriends. It was the first time in my life I had ever had a sincere and genuine guy-friend and I loved it! Stephen was so easy to talk to and listened to my rants so patiently, throwing in his sympathy frustrations as well. I found myself looking forward to our conversations each day, even though I had returned to school in Southern Utah and Stephen had taken off for Rexburg, Idaho.

One difficult day about three months later, it was the one year mark of my father's passing and I was having a super hard time. Somewhere in the middle of that day, Stephen had sent me a yellow rose and a kind note that said he was thinking of me and hoped my day got better. It was then that I realized that maybe I had been looking for all of the wrong things in a guy, that maybe my ideas of  love were not the real and lasting kind. I knew that there was something about Stephen that was so different from any other guy I had dated, but what I didn't realize right away was that that difference was something I wanted and needed. I began to question my desires to becoming a crazy cat lady, and then interest in Stephen blossomed :)

Ever so slowly, my heart opened again and I found myself dancing and singing to silly love songs, anticipating the next chance I'd have that day to talk to Stephen again.

Stephen took me hiking to watch the sunset on our first date and I was so impressed with his desire to genuinely get to know me, all the while giving me my space. I really enjoyed his company and decided that if he were to ask me on a second date, I'd definitely say yes. Well, that second date came and then led to a third, then a fourth, and a fifth... We were "officially dating" a month later :) So much for the convent.

Stephen and I dated for three months, which to some might seem like not long enough, but the amount of learning and growing that took place in those short three months made it feel profoundly longer. In those three months, I had come to understand and appreciate what real love is. I had learned that love isn't so much a matter of fireworks and butterflies (though those feelings have their place, too), and that it isn't all about floating up on cloud nine, oblivious to reality. I learned that real, lasting love makes you thrive in ways you could never have imagined. It causes you to see an imperfect person perfectly. It aspires you and brings the desire to rise above and be better than you are. I learned that the kind of love I wanted was more than what the fairy tales portrayed. I knew that I wanted someone who could challenge me, someone who could see all of my ugly sides and still believe that there is a more profound beauty somewhere inside that was worth fighting for. I wanted someone who could laugh and play with me and who believed that the "honeymoon" stage could last forever and was willing to work hard for it every day along with me. I wanted someone with whom I could face "make it or break it" challenges and know that we could rise out of it with a stronger love and devotion to each other. I knew that I needed someone who could love God more than he loved me, because it would be his love for God (and mine as well) that would hold us together during difficult times. I'm not a poet and likely never will be, but after you have experienced what real love tastes like, you just KNOW. I had tasted it, and I knew that I wanted to make Stephen mine forever. Lucky for me, Stephen felt the same way!

So no, I didn't experience light-headed dizziness when I fell in love. I didn't even fall head-over-heals, sitting up dazed and confused. I didn't fall at all. Everything came slowly and sweetly together, and it made complete sense.

On December 28, 2010, I was sealed for time and all eternity to my best friend.

Taking the time to remember and reflect on important events and moments in time and the feelings associated with them has given me strength and hope for the future.