Happy Anniversary!

     I've been wanting to write down our dating story since before we got married. So now, in honor of our 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY, I'm actually going to do it!  It will be long, and undoubtedly boring for all of you...so I apologize.  I believe I've mentioned before that we met at Laura's wedding because D and Randall were previous mission companions. The rest of our initial dates are pretty memorable because it was a long distance relationship and our "dates" were actually weekend vacations.

Our First Date

     We met at my Grandpa's house, and then I rode with Randall over to Cari's for a barbecue.  I remember thinking that I was oddly comfortable being alone with this boy that I'd only said 2 words to previously.  AND that he had ADORABLE dimples.  We ate dinner in the backyard with Cari, Roger and their kids Steven and Meghan, Laura and D, Tara and Jay, Alexis and Dave, Jenny and Christian and their two kids Mrysa and Brock.  After dinner we watched the boys play basketball for a little while. (He was showing off, and I liked it.) Then we held hands while we walked through Wheeler Farm.  Well, technically I was holding one of Mrysa's hands and he was holding the other, but yeah...
Fun Fact:  If we all got together today there would be 27 kids running around!

Our Second Date/The Cabin

     After such a short acquaintance, I was shocked to hear that Laura had invited Randall to go to the cabin with us a few weeks later.  I was surprised that he was actually coming, but also excited and a little nervous that he would see me in my "cabin state."  I packed a few beauty products that I normally would NEVER bring to the cabin, and looked forward to seeing him again.  He rode down with my Aunt Janette, Uncle Glen, and cousin Amy.  We played Nerts (back when he would actually play games with me), Mission Impossible (back when we all could still run without injuring ourselves), Leg wrestled (Who's brilliant idea was that?), hiked (held hands briefly for real this time), and heard ALL of my embarrassing moments shared lovingly by my family members (Did they WANT him to NEVER talk to me again?), which can be found here.  I remember feeling a little sad watching him drive away with my relatives. 

Utah trip

     At this point, my friends were very interested in meeting this mysterious "blind date."  So Lindsey, Julia, and I planned a trip to Utah. We went to the Salt Lake Temple and watched The Testaments (which Randall was late for, by the way), went bowling with some of Randall's friends, and went to Music and the Spoken Word at the tabernacle (held hands again...he was a fast mover).  :)

California Trip

     My friends Lindsey, Julia, Leah, Randy, Ryan, and I decided that we wanted to plan a California trip and go to Magic Mountain and the beach.  I invited Randall to come with us.  It was a little weird to be with him AND my friends for some reason.  Probably just because my friends and I were constantly together for years and were very comfortable, and when Randall was there I felt like I had to make sure he was comfortable and entertained all the time.  Or maybe it was just a blatant reminder that if I actually ended up with this guy I'd have to leave my friends and move 400 miles away.  I don't know. 
     The first day we went to Magic Mountain and Randall dragged me on a ton of rides that I would have sat out if he weren't there...but it was really fun.  I don't exactly remember how this happened, but later that night Randall hopped in the shower and I went to the hotel pool. (To get something I'd accidentally left there earlier maybe?)  My HILARIOUS "friends" decided to quickly take off while I was gone so that Randall and I would have some "alone-time."  Unfortunately, they were unaware that I hadn't taken a key to my room, or that Randall takes RIDICULOUSLY long showers.  Therefore, I was locked out of my cheap hotel room in the middle of the night.  I banged on Randall's door, which only alerted our creepy middle-aged neighbor that I was locked out.  He came out of his room and kindly suggested that I come into his room and wait.  Ummmm, no thanks!  After another 20 minutes (SERIOUSLY LONG SHOWERS) our kind neighbor came out again and encouraged me to come watch The Gladiator with him.  Yeeeeahhh, NO WAY!  Fortuntaly Randall was FINALLY out of the shower and let me in.  Then came the part that my friends knew I had been avoiding...I was alone with Randall!  To somewhat explain myself, I didn't see our relationship really going anywhere (because he lived so far away, and I had already planned to marry someone that was on his mission) so I didn't want to kiss him.  Well, my friends had other ideas and they ended up working out.  We shared our first kiss that night.
     The next day we went to Santa Monica Boulevard and rented tandem bikes to ride to Venice beach.  I was feeling kind of sick (probably from all of the crazy roller coasters I rode the day before) so I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have otherwise...but it was still a fun day.  It was actually my first time ever seeing the ocean in my life. 
DISCLAIMER:  I apologize to my mother (and Randall's) who probably didn't know that we were alone in a hotel room that night (for a very short time) or approached by a creepy middle-aged man for that matter.  And to my kids - No, you can't go on an overnight trip with your friends. ;)

(Riding the parking lot tram at Magic Mountain)

Meeting the In-laws

     At this point in our relationship, I was a little stressed.  I was REALLY starting to like Randall (I mean, have you SEEN his dimples?) and I wanted to cut him off before it got too serious.  I was NOT going to leave my friends and family/school/work and move to Utah so why continue this relationship?  I planned to break up with him on my next trip to Utah.  Randall had initially told his family (after the cabin trip) that I was definitely marriage material, but was getting tired of my distracted/friend-absorbed ways.  He was considering breaking up with me as well.
     Well, the time came and I was back in Utah, only this time he planned to introduce me to his family.  His sister Jackie was blessing her baby Katelynn, so the whole family was getting together.  I was obviously nervous, but they were all AMAZING.  I felt SO comfortable and seriously loved them all IMMEDIATELY.  Needless to say, I postponed the break-up...

     This is when the trips start to mix together in my brain.  We were together as much as possible even though I was working as a substitute teacher AND at the Safekey office PLUS going to UNLV full time for elementary education.  Randall was working lots of hours for Sew What, sometimes even overnight.  Neither of us were getting nearly enough sleep but we were really enjoying the time we had together. 

(At Tara's Wedding)

     We had a few interesting (Randall would say frustrating) phone conversations during this time.  During one conversation Randall said: "Well, I know I love you and I want to figure out a way to be together."  I was a bit surprised, so I responded "Well, what if I love you too?"  I thought I was pretty tricky, but I didn't fool anyone.  I only had to think about it for a couple of seconds and I could honestly say that I loved him, but I just hadn't thought about it yet!  At least he knows I didn't just say it light-heartedly!  He still teases me about that to this day. That along with a conversation we had where he started talking about marriage. I MIGHT have mentioned that I still feel like a little girl, and I didn't know if I was mature enough to get married.  To be honest, I still don't feel mature enough!
     I was truly conflicted at that time, because I only had a semester left of school and student teaching.  I loved my jobs, and obviously my family and friends in Vegas.  I couldn't imagine moving to Utah, even though I had lots of family there.  I remember my friend Marie (who was already married), encouraged me to focus on what's REALLY important.  Actually ALL of my family and friends had already recognized what a great person Randall was.  I think I was just afraid he was too good to be true.  I just KNEW he must have some hidden problem that would end up making me miserable for the rest of my life.  I was really paranoid about men, and had always planned to marry someone that I had known for YEARS to be sure that they weren't just putting on an act until after the wedding.  Fortunately, I was eventually able to put my fears behind me and move forward with our relationship.

(Right before we went to General Conference at the Conference Center, October 2001) 

     We got engaged over Thanksgiving weekend in 2002 and I moved in with my sister Cari after Christmas that year.  It was SO nice to be able to see each other all the time like a normal couple.  My wedding day started out really hectic, but ended up being one of the best days of my life.  Sure I was sleep-deprived, and it was SNOWING at the end of APRIL, and my sweet hairdresser slept through her alarm clock, not to mention other more personal issues I was having 2 WEEKS EARLY...BUT we were both there ON TIME, and I was sealed for eternity to the BEST, most HANDSOME man I've ever met.

(Thanksgiving Day 2001 with the flowers Randall gave me when he proposed.)

     I'm so glad that I had such great advice when we were dating, and that everything worked out in the end. I know that I couldn't have found a more perfect partner for myself than Randall.  I love him SO much, and my love for him grows with every new addition to our family, evey sweet thing he does for me and the kids, every funny comment, every trial, every day that he heads off to work to provide for us, every night that we snuggle on the couch and watch TV, every time he comes home from work and searches out each child to give them a kiss or a hug, every night when he reads to the kids and tucks them into bed, and of course, every time I see those adorable dimples.

     Thank you Baby, for sticking with me through all of my foolish fears, and being spiritually in tune enough to know that we are meant for each other.  I LOVE you!