Nearly seven years ago Nels and I met at BYU-Idaho. The first night that we met, we were at our ward "sweet-swap" at our now-friend
Hannah's apartment. I was excited about the new guys in our ward (what single girl isn't?) and thought that the one sitting on the couch surrounded by multiple ladies was cute. --- But I'm not usually one of those girls that joins the throngs, so I decided to bide my time, seated across the room eating my brownie - where I got ambushed by his odd-ball roommate. I don't really remember much else about that night other than all of a sudden hearing Nels say, "I'm really sorry, I'm not very good with names, so I probably won't remember . . . " At that point, I piped up from across the room, "Well, you'll remember my name, because I'm cool!" ha ha. (
Unfortunately I AM one of "those" girls!) Anyhow, at the time, he
didn't remember my name, BUT he DID remember that I was cool. :) LOL!
A few months later after hanging out every once in a while (and after breaking up with . . . well Crazy) he started "coincidentally" walking past my bowling class, right as class ended. We'd chat on the way to my next class. Then I somehow started "not having" my next class when he would ask me to lunch. :) This continued for a couple of weeks. One day he stops by my apartment and asks, "So. I have to go to this really boring opera for my class . . . and if I bring someone, I get extra credit . . . do you want to go?" Ha ha! :) This was our first date. :) :) All through this "boring" opera I kept worrying about the intermission. You know, that long part where they do nothing, but you have to stay in your seats because you don't know when they're going to start again . . . and it's just the two of you . . . waiting for it to start again? The part where I always get kind of nervous - because I always get kind of nervous around people that I really don't know that well - especially one on one - my brain tends to freeze up and I feel retarded. Yeah, that part. Well, that part never really happened. Intermission came and went. We talked the whole time - I felt completely comfortable - and had so much fun at the "boring" opera (that I can't even remember what it was about).
A few days later, we were sitting in his big, blue van in front of my apartment --- he'd given me a ride home from class. (Actually my class ended about 1/2 hour earlier than his and was only about 1/4 mile from my apartment -- and it was about that far to the building where his class was, but HE had asked if I wanted a ride . . . how could I refuse?!) Anyway, we were sitting, talking, for a long time . . . there was this feeling there, that I can't even describe as anything but a glimpse of eternity. I could FEEL Nels -- who he was, is, can be. The incredible person that he is. I'm not really sure what I believe as far as the Lord "setting up" the person we marry --- it being this thing of "destiny" or whatever . . . but looking back on that moment gives me the one surety that I have that I have known Nels for a LONG time. That we DO have a relationship that extends beyond this life.
The past 6 years of our marriage have been the most wonderful of my life. I'm so thankful for the marriage that we share and for the blessings of the temple. It's amazing to me that we can truly say that we love one another more today than we did the day we were married. --- We seem to be a little haphazard in the way we do things, but our relationship is so steady, so sure. I can look back on the past 6 years and honestly say that there's never been one of those "tough times" in our relationship. We've had lots of weird little ups and downs (and all arounds :) in our life together, but not in our relationship. It's always there, it's always strong.
SO - for our anniversary this year (being on a Sunday) we didn't do anything too grand. Nels's sister and BIL watched the girls for us - we jumped in the van with no prior decision of WHERE we were going and took off --- FREEDOM!! :) LOL! We decided to "go somewhere we've never been before". :) Sounds exciting, doesn't it??! ;) We headed up into the hills east of Idaho Falls and just took a drive ---- a VERY L--O--N--G drive. We stopped at a little over look of a river valley and just sat on the rimrocks there and talked for a while and then jumped back in the car, continuing on the road we'd been on. We decided that this road probably . . . eventually . . . looped back into the Valley and so we'd just follow it around.
Two and a half hours later . . . we finally came out of the mountains clear down by Blackfoot! :) It's a strange feeling to want to go home, but you've come a long way and you can't figure out if it's going to be faster to go back or to continue in the DARK forward. It was a fun little adventure and we now know where the town of BONE is . . . well, actually, I'm still a little unsure of WHEN exactly we passed through it - WHICH small cluster of 2 or 3 buildings is considered Bone, but we can say that we've been there. We also know where Blackfoot Reservior is. It was fun and it was nice to have a chance to just chat, uninteruptted, with my hubby for a few hours.
(Sorry guys, for another SAPPY post! It's not what I intended! - I just can't help myself !)
