Love Tag

I've been wanting to record "our story" on my blog for some time...Tyler and I just celebrated our 3rd anniversary and so I thought I would write a bit about how we met. Then my friend, Janet, tagged me with this and I thought it was perfect. I love to think of how Tyler and I were brought together because every time I do, I remember and realize again that we were SO meant to be together. We wouldn't have met had it not been for very specific direction from above. Read on and you'll see what I mean!

1. Where did you and your husband meet?

I have to give the background first... It was September 2004 and I had just ended a somewhat serious relationship. I was getting back into dating again (not my favorite by this point) and not meeting anyone really wonderful. I had two really strong feelings at the time - one was that I was going to be getting married very soon and the other was that my future husband was not living in Las Vegas. I think I even told a girlfriend that I thought he might live in Utah. I know, totally weird. I had two friends who were at the time engaged to people that they had met on a website called eharmony.com. I know you've heard of it! I thought that was nice for them, but I also felt like it was something I would never, ever do. Never.

One day I was feeling especially annoyed and not so hot about myself. I had been told by my friend that on eharmony you fill out this personality profile and that part is free. I had some time on my hands and decided that it would be fun to fill it out and say nice things about myself :), so I did. It took FOREVER to fill out. Well, it did the trick and I felt like I was a pretty great person by the time I was done. They started to send me "matches" based on 29 levels of compatibility, as they say, but to communicate with any of them you had to pay $49.95 for one month. Ha! No way was I that desperate! I was getting asked out fairly often - why did I need to pay to chat online with some social weirdos?! I was just in it for the profile ego boost.

The first weekend in October was my mission reunion in Utah. I decided to go and took the road trip by myself. I got to see mission friends as well as three of my best friends. It was a great weekend. On the ride home I was thinking/praying about life in general when I got an overwhelming feeling, really almost like a voice telling me, "You need to sign up for eharmony tonight!" I was by myself so I laughed out loud. I am NOT going to sign up for some internet dating thing. Again, the same voice/feeling. Again, the incredulous response. And then one more time. Finally, I said, out loud, "Okay, I'll sign up!" I got home a few hours later and went straight to the computer where I paid $39.95 (they'd sent me something for a discount to make it more enticing) and became available to communicate with the matches I found interesting. I was giggling the whole time and told my mom what I was doing. I thought the whole thing was kind of nuts and mostly funny. But I wouldn't deny the Spirit - I said I would do it.

Well, one of those matches was a guy named Tyler from Littleton, CO, who was living at the time in Provo getting his degree in mechanical engineering. I didn't see a picture right away, but he was one that I thought I would respond to...

We went through the "stages of communication" with eharmony super quick. This was a Sunday night that I responded to him and then on Tuesday I think we were through the 4th level and he left a note at the end that said it was the last day of his membership and he wasn't renewing and he gave me his e-mail address and said he'd like me to e-mail him. I wasn't going to but thought, 'What the heck?' and sent him a short e-mail. For the next three days we sent tons of e-mails back and forth. It was cool because we were really up-front and asked the kinds of questions that you usually have to go on four or five dates to feel comfortable asking. On Friday he asked for my phone number. I was nervous about that, but said a prayer and felt like it was okay. I sent it on Saturday. He called on Sunday - twice. We decided to meet in person to see if there was any way this could go further. You know, if we were really attracted. We had both posted two or three pictures by this time, but you never really know... He said that he could come that Wednesday! The rest, as they say, is history!

2. 1st thing said....

I don't know about online or on the phone...but the first thing I said when I met Tyler face-to-face (after hello) was, "You're even cuter than I thought you'd be!"

3. 1st date....

He had just pulled into town and instead of having him come to my parent's house and meet me and my family, I had him meet me in the parking lot of Port of Subs where we got lunch and then I drove us to Red Rock Canyon. We drove and talked a ton. There was only awkwardness/nervousness for about the first two minutes after we met. We climbed up some rocks, found a good spot, ate our lunch and were there for about three or four hours. It was so fun and easy and comfortable! When I got back into range for my cell phone, though, I had about 5 messages from my little brother wanting to know what in the world I had been thinking taking some guy I had never met before to a secluded place like that?! He was super worried. :) Then we went back to my house where he met my family. We hung out there for a bit, which was more awkward than I thought it would be. My family (except my mom) was definitely not so sure about the whole thing. Then we went to dinner, up to the temple grounds and then to the Bellagio water show. It was back to my house after that where he spent the night! Don't worry, different rooms. He left really early the next morning since he had to be back for school and he hadn't told a soul that he was going to Vegas. He was embarrassed about the whole internet thing at first too.

4. 1st Kiss...

...was on the first date! I know, I know. But I felt like we'd already been on 10 dates by the time we met in person. I think we waited like three hours or so before kissing. He says that I gave him the signal that I wanted to be kissed by putting my hand on the inside of his knee. Whatever! But I do remember that I had never felt like that before when I'd kissed any other guy. I loved kissing Ty - still do!

5. Long or short courtship/engagement...

SHORT! All of it! Both of us said we'd never do the quick courtship thing. But here we were in the middle of October, he was finishing his Masters in December and had already accepted a job in Upstate New York that was starting on January 3rd, I think. So we were engaged on November 8th and then married just 7 weeks later on December 28th, 2004. It never felt crazy fast, though, because it was so right. In fact, I felt like our engagement was kind of long.

6. Where did you get engaged?This really cool room/art studio at Sundance (where they have the film festival). It was the night that I had moved to Utah. We decided that we needed reality instead of just weekend dates, so I got in contact with a family from my mission in Hawai'i who had just moved to Orem. They are the COOLEST family and have two girls. I asked if they had an extra room and they did. Anyway, Tyler and I drove all of my stuff to Utah on Sunday, the 7th of November. On Monday he took me to a super nice dinner at this resort to welcome me to Utah. Then he got some phone calls from friends inviting us to a bonfire in the mountains. Okay, it was November and we were dressed fancy for the dinner and I knew I would freeze, but I wanted to be accommodating and excited. I wasn't very excited, but I wanted to be. :) We pulled into this parking lot and then we started walking past all of these buildings. I thought, "Oh, geez, we're going to be walking far if we have to get to an area where there's a bonfire!" But then Ty lead me into one of the buildings. We were walking pretty fast. I didn't even have time to ask why we were going into a building, I wondered if maybe we were meeting everyone there. We walked into this big room and at the opposite end of the room there was a fire going in the fireplace. I thought, "They call this a bonfire?!" But then I realized nobody else was there. We were walking toward that end of the room and I start to hear music and I see a table with candles and sparkling cider...and it hits me all at once! I think that I shoved Ty and said, "You've got to be kidding me!" We went and sat down on the couch where he handed me the most beautiful letter I've ever read. I, of course, cried through the whole thing. And at the end of the letter he got down on one knee, told me he loved me and asked me to be his wife. I was totally surprised and overwhelmed and impressed by this man of mine! We had just officially talked about getting married two nights before, but before that he had already bought the ring, talked to my dad and planned everything out. It was a night to remember, that's for sure!
7. Where were you married?

In the Las Vegas, Nevada Temple on December 28th, 2004. It rained like crazy that day, but it couldn't have been more perfect. After the sealing I didn't care much about anything! I was married to my perfect match.8. How did the reception go?

It was really fun! I love people and I love to talk...so I got to enjoy both of those things a lot. I hardly ate anything because I wouldn't stop talking to everybody. But our caterer packed us a little cooler of food to take to the hotel, so I didn't go hungry. I was in such a happy daze that I don't totally remember what it looked like, but I was told that it was a really beautiful reception.

9. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

Sedona, AZ. Very cool place to honeymoon! Just a small, artsy town with the perfect amount of things to do. We stayed in this really cool bed and breakfast and did a JEEP tour over the amazing red rock formations and also a bi-plane tour over the little town and area. I loved our honeymoon!

10. Do you have a song?

"The Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts. If you know either - or both - of us and our dating lives before each other, you would know just how appropriate it is!

I love you, Tyler Michael! I love being your wife and your biggest fan. I love being married! I love that we get to be parents together. We've had some amazing experiences so far and still have so much to look forward to!