10 Years

Happy Anniversary to me and the love of my life!

On one hand, I can't believe it has been 10 years, on the other it seems like I've never been without him.

I met Dave in September 1993. He had been home from his mission about 48 hours and was thrust into the real world immediately. His sister, who was my friend from our first year in school, brought him over to my dorm. I thought he was so cute, but so dorky. He frequently messed up English and Spanish and didn't remember how to talk to girls. However, beneath it all, I knew that was the sign of a good missionary and I was instantly attracted. I was serving as Relief Society President at the time and the two of us made quite the pair....well, if you discount the fact that I loved everything outdoors...camping and especially mountain biking. I was on the college dance team (which I couldn't tell Dave for awhile because he never liked cheerleaders). Dave was the athlete-type...basketball, golf, tennis, etc. and not so outdoorsy.

Dave asked me out on a date soon after our meeting. We went country dancing. He wasn't a very good dancer, but that made him even cuter. (He's much better now...remember he hadn't touched a girl in two years.) After we went dancing, we went to Domino's pizza. He ordered a pizza and we walked to a park. I still had this self-conscious thing about eating in front of a guy on a date (yes, I was the girl who would order a salad on a date and pick at it like I was this finicky little eater and then come home and devour a double cheeseburger and fries). The problem is, that was so unattractive to Dave AND more importantly he had spent MONEY on the pizza that I wouldn't eat. In spite of that, we had great conversation and found that through our differences, we connected.

We dated that entire year at Dixie and at the end I had been accepted to BYU and then I found out he was going to the U. I quickly applied to the U and followed him there. Dave is a meticulous planner (with life and financial decisions...ya know, the big things...don't ask him what he wants to do next weekend), so he proposed one weekend in May 1995, yes almost two years after I met him. It was another year and three months that we were married...August 2, 1996. We graduated from the U in June 1996 and married two months later.

The last ten years have had it's ups and downs, but mostly ups. We've made life-changes, added two kids, moved across the country, bought two different houses, changed jobs, etc, but we've done it all together. There is no one in the world that I'd rather be with and there is no one that is a better match for me. Our differences complement each other, but the really important things in life we feel the same about. I look forward to our future.

I'm grateful every day for a husband who works so hard that I don't have to, one that supports me, one that puts up with me and one that loves me. I'm grateful for a husband that considers a fun weekend to be one that is spent with me and the kids (even it's just grocery shopping and doing yard work). I'm grateful for a husband who doesn't expect dinner on the table or a clean house, but appreciates both. I'm grateful for a husband who loved me at 260lbs. and who never made me feel anything less than beautiful....and still does. I'm grateful for a husband who supports my decisions on things and really just wants me to be happy. I love him.