The Rest of the Story

So I have been super busy lately so i didn't get to do as many posts as I planned, but i have to finish and what a perfect day my anniversary.

Well, that night (Thursday) our first date, went very well. We went out to Village Inn for dinner and then to a movie (Pursuit of Happiness). After the movie we just sat in the theater talking until the workers ever so kindly hinted  that we needed to go now. :) So he took me home. I was smitten, and was as excited for our all day date Saturday as i was nervous! :)
After freaking out because I didn't know what to wear...the long drive and all day before the reception we were going to....so i didn't want to wear a dress...but didn't want to look sloppy and show up to a reception in jeans...so i decided i would bring a skirt, but wear khaki's just in case....yes i remember all this...it was a big stressor that morning!
He came and got me, we got in his truck and started our trek to Rexburg. We talked the entire time, it was so so easy to talk to him! We got there, visited some of my friends (remember i had just left a few months prior) and then decided we would go to a movie, but it didn't start for a couple hours, so we did what all college students do....went to Walmart of course!
When we got out of the truck and started towards the doors he reached over so naturally and took my hand, and i remember thinking "oh my he did that like we have been dating for months!" I got my millions of butterflies, and they remained i think from that moment on. Later, we decided not to change (dang good thing i wore khakis!) and went to the reception. Sitting in the truck he wrote out a check to give his friend, and handed me the card and told ME to write something in it. At that moment, no kidding, i knew i would most likely marry this man. I had just met him that week, our 2nd date, at HIS friends wedding and I, I had to write something in the card. Oh my, that was just the beginning! :)
Well we drove home, and got there safe and sound, but like i said he was so easy to talk to so we parked and talked and talked some more. Then my stupid cell phone went off....I am so anti answering phones on dates so i just pushed ignore and continued to talk. It proceeded to ring and ring and ring, so finally, MORTIFIED I answered the phone to hear my mother on the other side, " Marci are you OK?" "yes mom, I'm fine, do you need something?" "No, I am just calling to make sure you were OK. I was fine with this whole day date, until just 20 minutes ago when Luke called freaked out that you were out with a stranger all day, and he thought something bad happened to you.", "great, call him and tell him i am fine. Talk to you later." I hung up the phone so embarrassed. I looked at my missed calls...i had i think somewhere around 5 from Luke and 3 from my mom. Worriers! Gosh!
So that ended the date...oh but wait....this dang good lookin farm boy leaned over and kissed me! Oh yea! Heck yes! What a kiss! We might have kissed for a minute :) and then he walked me to the door, kissed me goodnight, this time like he had done it a million times before, he was so smooth, and said goodnight. I walked in more than just smitten. I flopped down on my bed because i was pretty sure i would pass out from the butterfly invasion in my insides and called my mom. Got mad at her for calling so many times, made sure she had called my worried big brother and told him I hadn't been chopped up and fed to the alligators on the way to Rexburg, and then told her of my date, and that he had KISSED ME!
Let jump a few days down the road...Tuesday when i saw him next in class. So excited! He held my hand during class from that day forward. We made dinner probably 5 out of 7 nights a week at his place and did home work, or watched movies...watched movies more than homework. It was the next weekend after Rexburg that we made dinner at his house, but went back to mine to watch a movie (Pirates of the Caribbean) This was a rare occasion...just ask my roommates, i was never home, especially with him. But that night we cuddled up and watched the movie...afterwards snuggling on the couch we started playing 20 questions...and while i know it lasted longer than 20 questions we covered everything from, "What do you want in a spouse?" to "How many kids do you want?" to "Whats your favorite color?". He might have kissed me at one point towards the very end of the night, and then said "I LOVE YOU" oh man, i was not expecting that. I panicked. I didn't know what to say, no one had said that to me and meant it before...besides my MOM! So i think i just smiled and kissed him cause i was lost as to what to say, i didn't think i could say it back, i had only known the dang kid for just over a week! So he left, i am sure with his pride sitting there behind him.

My mom called around this point, and told me she had to meet this boy. She had been in Mexico the whole week before (she left right after our Rexburg trek) so she felt like she had to make up for lost mooshy details and needed to meet the boy i had told he I was pretty dang sure i would marry someday. So she set up a date for me, Brandon, Her and Luke, Hilarie and their little Maddy to go to dinner. Brandon came and picked me up and we drove out to Luke's house. Luke let us in, and little Maddy Joy, my pride and joy all wrapped up in a darling, smart little niece at 3 years old, walked right up to Brandon and said, "HI Uncle Brandon!" I think i died inside. Brandon looked at me, my mom looked at me, Luke and Hil looked at me....wow what a little girl. She came up with that all on her own.....she called it as she saw it i guess. We had a great dinner and after Brandon took me home i was talking to my mom and she said she 100% approved and so did Luke.
The rest of it is a blur...really late nights with him, then coming home at 1AM to start my homework...mind you i was in my 2nd to last semester...so i had intense classes, intense homework, and intense feelings for this boy, and I had a job too.....needles-to-say I lived off very LITTLE sleep.
Because this is turning into a novel let just skip to the engagement....
March 5th...I knew it was coming...we had talked about it, i had helped pick out my ring (much much much to my dismay, i didn't want to, he made me) I had plans that weekend to go to a bridal fair with my mom and he said I couldn't go till i had a ring on my finger...i thought this silly we had the date picked out for May...2 months away! So anyway i thought it was coming that night, he came and got me, he drove down to the temple, parked and we watched the sun set (wasn't a great one, but hey i was getting engaged so anything was beautiful that night) the sun went all the way down, down, down, and no ring. He put the truck into drive and we went to dinner at the pizza parlor, and he got all stand offish. I was freaking out. He stopped talking to me, he was removed, and i honestly though oh crap, what is he going to do, break up with me! He didn't, but he didn't ask me either. I went home and balled my eyes out.
The next night he called and said he would be there to get me at 7, i asked why, still put out by his crappy mood the night before. He wouldn't say why, just that he would be there at 7. So 7 came and we started driving, driving driving and ended up in Black Canyon (i think that's what it was called, up Hyrum Canyon) he pulled out some fire wood, made a fire (on top of snow mind you) and we roasted hot dogs, ate some chips, and then realized the fire was dieing, and we were out of wood. So trying to be creative I ripped up a box he had and was feeding the sick little fire, and then Brandon was by my side, down on his knees with a little box open with a shiny ring glimmering in the fading fire. He asked me, i replied with, "yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes" We kissed, he put the ring on my finger, and the fire went out. I couldn't see my ring. Like i said i didn't want to pick out my ring, not one tiny bit, but he made me, so i did what any bull headed girl would do so she still gets her way i had given him 3 to choose from...and at this moment with tears running down my face, trying to examine what ring he had chosen to be mine for ever, hugging the man of my dreams, i tryed to turn towards the truck to get some light of the headlights, he caught on and let me out of the embrace so i could run over to the headlights. YEA! He had good taste! :) he picked my favorite out of the 3!
My life was perfect. and it has remained so even 3 years later...really it just keeps on getting better.

Wedding day story to come...i need to get in the shower before Ky wakes up! :)