Happy Anniversary

This past weekend, Dave and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. We were married on December 13, 1996. It was a "Friday the 13th" by the way, and yes, that was Dave's idea. So here is the story:

I met Dave's cousin Adie at Snow College in 1995. Dave was on his mission at the time. Adie and I spent a lot of time together and I got to know her whole family pretty well over the next year or so. In the spring of 1996, on a weekend trip to Adie's house, I saw a picture of Dave on a mirror in her room, so I said to her, "He's cute. Who is that?" She said, "That's my cousin David, but he has a girlfriend, and she's gorgeous." Uh ... okay. So, I replied, "Well, when they get in a fight, let me know." Not very nice I know, but it worked. They got in a fight in June, and Adie and her family worked out an impromptu get-together softball game at a park so we could meet (June 28th). The problem is, Dave was really shy that night, and although we were introduced and talked a little, he didn't make his move, and there was another guy there .... Anyway, Adie and her husband Brice got married the following week in the Manti temple (July 2nd). So a bunch of us girls (I was a bridesmaid) and Adie's family (including Dave and his cousin Danny and some others) went to Manti the night before the wedding. Dave and I went for a long walk around the streets of Manti the night befor her wedding. We weren't even alone, but somehow it seemed like it ...

So at Adie's reception, with a little "friendly" prompting from Danny and Aunt Tish, Dave asked me out for the next weekend (July 6th). We got Subways and went hiking up to the water pipeline in Provo Canyon with two other couples. It was fun and we had a nice time. He called the next week to ask me out, and I couldn't go, and even after I turned him down, we still talked on the phone for over two hours (very impressive).

Our next date was August 10th, and we just went alone. We went miniature golfing at the old Sports Park in Sandy and as I recall, I won handily. That date was amazing and so fun and something definitely clicked. When I got home that night, I went to check in with my parents, and my mom said, as calm as can be, "You're going to marry him, aren't you?" And I said ..... "yes I am."

So I guess you could say the rest is history. Over the next few weeks, we got talking about the future, and Dave suggested that we fast and pray about our decision. I said, "You do what you have to do, but I know I am going to marry you." (You'd think he would have realized what he was getting into at that point.) I was just so sure. So he prayed and fasted and worked it out (probably nervous to take on such a big project). He asked me to marry him on September 14th 1996 on the top of Ensign Peak in Salt Lake City. He was trying to time it just right to be up there at sunset, but we got a late start, so he drug me straight up the front of the mountain and didn't even bother with the trail that winds around and eases nice and slow up the mountain. Anyway, funny when I think back on it.

We were married on December 13, 1996, in the Mount Timpanogas Temple. Interestingly, my sister Melanie was married on October 22, 1996, so my parents had two daughters get married within six weeks of each other. Melanie and Jason were actually the very first marriage performed in the Mount Timpanogas Temple - pretty cool. My dad was also released as a bishop and called as a stake president during that same period of time. He was almost both signatures on my first temple recommend. You could say that was a CRAZY time at our house.

(Mostly I just posted this picture so you could see Dave's stylin sweater. I swear I just got rid of that thing a few years ago. Yikes.)

So from the time we met, June 28th, to the time we got married, December 13th, was less than six months, and we have never regreted that. As goofy as it sounds, when you know it is right, why wait? It was fun to have a wedding in December. It is such a romantic time of year, and it is a fun time of year to celebrate our anniversary every year. With all the craziness going on in December, we always take the time to get away for a few days, and I love that.

So 12 years later, we have moved six times and been in over 10 different wards. We have bought two houses, Dave has earned three degrees, and we've had four amazing kids. We have been through a lot of challenges, had some amazing, happy, wonderful times, cried a lot, laughed a lot, played hard, studied hard, and worked hard. I love having a best friend. I love that he is patient because I am not. I love that he can make me laugh every day. I love that he lets me be me. I love that he calls me from work and asks in a quiet whisper how to spell some random word. I love that I can beat him at tennis and he always wins at basketball. I love that he ran a 5K with me and stayed right with me the whole way even when I doubled his normal time. I love that he always compliments my haircuts and prompts the kids to do the same. I love that he is a crazy insane BYU fan. I love that he always offers me a bite of his food (even when it is something he knows I hate) or half of the last cookie. I love that he got up at 6:00 a.m on our anniversary to come to my spinning class with me and then sweated like crazy, was totally sore the next day, and admitted it was harder than he thought. I love that he brings me a glass of water every night before bed. I knew then and I know now that we were made for each other.

So if there was a song that describes this anniversary, I would say "I'd Choose You Again" by the Forrester Sisters:

Lookin at my life,
Through the eyes of a young girl
Growin older all the time
Maybe just a little wiser,
I can clearly see
All my mistakes keep coming back to visit me
Pointing out the roads not taken,
So much I'd like to change
But one thing I'd do the same

I'd choose you again
I'd choose you again
If God gave me the chance to do it all again
I'd carefully consider every choice and then
Out of all the boys in the world,
I'd choose you again

Times weren't always good
Seems like the Lord gave all the easy parts away
But every time the road got rocky
You'd look at me and say
You had all you needed
As long as I was there with you
You're the reason I kept going
If I could start my life anew
The first thing that I would do

I'd choose you again
I'd choose you again
If God gave me the chance to do it all again
I'd carefully consider every choice and then
Out of all the boys in the world
I'd choose you again