How I Met the Love of My Life

I guess I’ve always done what I was told. I was a good kid. Most days. I was obedient and thoughtful. And so, as a Latter Day Saint, when the time came that I was nineteen I did what I was supposed to do – I went on a mission. I had no idea where I would be sent, but when I got called to Hawaii I was pretty excited. Then, about half way through my mission I was transferred to Seattle, Washington. I wasn’t as excited to go from Hawaii to Seattle as I had been to go from Utah to Hawaii, but I made due. But once I got there I was hooked. It is easily one of the most beautiful places in the world. The cloudy skies, the rain, the incredible forests that stand at the edge of every yard and road was, and continues to be, enchanting. I was taken immediately.

I served there in Seattle for about seven months. I was comfortable with the people and the area and was as familiar with American Sign Language as I had ever been. I was at the top of my mission game. I was supposed to go home in August, a bit early, but I had been asked to help interpret a Deaf Conference at BYU and my mission president had agreed. It was in the first part of that summer that I noticed the most amazing girl I had ever seen.

The first thing I noticed about this girl was her smile. She could have been in a toothpaste ad. Her smile was like the sun. and when she smiled it was like the rest of her face, then her body, then the surrounding countryside would light up. It was quite amazing. The thing is, when people hear me talk about this girl, and that I was on a mission, they will assume that my thoughts were inappropriate. But I assure you, dear reader, they were not. I was, at that point in my mission, in full missionary mode. I had my head in the game – so far in the game, that I nearly missed getting together with this amazing girl. So, she had been called to serve in the Deaf Branch in Lynnwood because she spoke sign language. She had taken some classes in college and was willing to serve in the primary with the little deaf kids.

My first real memory of this girl is me walking by a classroom she was in. I don’t think she was teaching, I think she must have been in a meeting, because she was sitting back in the old metal church chair and her legs were kicked out straight in front of her. She was wearing an ankle length, grass green, skirt, a white button up blouse, and white shoes. Her hair was the color of honey and it was pulled back. I remember walking past the room, seeing her there, and needing to walk past just one more time. I think I had forgotten something important that forced me to go back again, and maybe one more time. My real memory though, is of sunshine. This girl shone. She was just sheer beauty.

We really only got the chance to talk a couple of times. I invited her to a picnic that the branch was having but she turned me down. Something with friends. And even now when I think back and inviting her I wasn’t looking for anything inappropriate, I only wanted to see her out of church and keep her active in the branch. I was doing it for Jesus.

The second chance I got to talk with her was when she was telling me that she was leaving. She had been living with her family during the summer while she was home from BYU but she was heading back in August. She told me she had an apartment in Provo but she was moving. She was a bit discouraged because once she got down there she didn’t know anyone with a truck who could help her move. Like any good missionary, with service on the mind, I flipped out my trusty missionary planner and I offered to help her with her move. My brother, I informed her, happened to be large, well muscled and own a truck. He and I would be happy to help her move at any time. She was only too happy to accept my offer. And so we set a date, not to date, but to move her apartment.

I vaguely recall that there was some kind of communication issue in between the day we set the date and actually getting together. But those trivial issues are secondary to the fact that we DID actually get together. My brother and I were able to meet her at her apartment and lend a hand. Now, she will tell the story about how my brother was dressed like a cowboy, in tight jeans, tight t-shirt, boots and a hat. And she will also talk about how I was in red and black skull shorts and a maroon t-shirt and how she felt bad that I didn’t understand color matching. She may have fallen for me for the same reason that little girls need to keep a wounded puppy, because without them, the puppy will die on its own. It’s really incapable of taking care of itself and so God has chosen beautiful girls for the job. I was lucky enough to be the puppy and she fell for me.

She and I had a good time together from the first moment we really got a chance to be alone. She was beautiful and I made her laugh. We were a perfect couple. From that first time we started spending more and more time together. And like a good Mormon we fell in love quickly and without complication. God wants us to be quick about getting married, and so we did. From start to finish our engagement was something like three months total.

We had two receptions, one in American Fork and one in Seattle. The one in American Fork was laid back and easygoing, while the one in Seattle was planned, decorated and executed with military effectiveness. We thought about eloping, but never got up the nerve. Because we were both the oldest kids, we tended to have a bit more responsibility than was healthy. But I loved being around her then, and I still do. Marrying her was one of the best things I’ve ever done. There have been days when we don’t get along, but she is my shining example of what I want to become. And I try hard every day to make her laugh. Because without it I’m up the creek without a paddle. Once the laughter stops, she’ll realize who she married and I’m out on my ear.

But until the day that she realizes what a goofball she’s married to I relish every moment with her. She is incredibly smart, artistic and beautiful. Her smile still makes me smile, and it still lights up her eyes, then her face, then the entire room, and finally my world. I wouldn’t trade her for anything.