Kessiah needed me to write our love story for a Young Women's
activity...I thought I would also record it here. This is my point of
view, sometime I will have to get Ryan to write it down from his
perspective!
I had just returned from my mission. I was not
looking to get married...in fact, I had a plan. I was going to finish
my degree and then get my Master's Degree...and then get married and
start a family.
One evening, about 2 weeks after I got home from
my mission, I was at a friend's apartment when Ryan came in with some of
his roommates who had been playing basketball. (Yep, a bunch of sweaty
guys!) After I left he asked my friend for my phone number.
Our first date was on February 3
rd…a
Chinese dinner and a play at the USU theatre (Sunday in the Park with
George). We spent some more time together and continued to get to know
each other over the next several weeks. Since I was a recently returned
missionary, it was a little strange for me at first to be sitting by a
boy…but I got used to it!
On
Valentine’s Day, his ward had a talent show that I went to. Afterwards
(about 10:00 p.m.) I got a special delivery of a card and flowers! I
still remember how happy and excited I was! At some point in February
Ryan went to a dance with someone else, he had already asked her before
he met me. I thought he was so sweet when he apologized to me about
it…we were obviously getting serious! On March 5
th, we went
together to a girl’s choice dance. Ryan was in the USU Chorale and I
enjoyed going to a few concerts Ryan was in. We enjoyed several other
theatre events at Utah State...definitely a perk of being a college
student! I remember Ryan showed off his culinary skills by making me a
dinner of beef stroganoff at his aprtment. We also enjoyed going to the
Logan temple together several times ...one of the benefits of being a
returned missionary!
Something that really impressed me with Ryan
was the time that he put into his church calling and the fact that he
made attending the temple a priority. I knew that someone who put the
Lord first would make a great husband.
I knew he was getting ready
to propose. Sometime during April or early May, we had gone to visit
my family. At some point during that visit he spent some time alone
with my dad. I knew he was asking permission to marry me...my mom and I
paced around outside waiting. Ryan and I had recently gone shopping in
Logan to look at rings so he would have an idea of what I liked. (I
found out later that when he went to pick up the ring, my good friend
and her fiance were at the ring shop as well...so she knew before I
did!)
We went to Idaho Falls during May so that he could stand in
the reception line of his good friend. While we were in Idaho we went
to the Idaho Falls temple, I really thought he was going to propose
while we were in the temple because I had had a few friends get proposed
to inside the temple recently. But he had other plans! After the
reception, we went to the drive-in movie theatre and then went for a
drive and ended up at the green belt (the area in Idaho Falls
overlooking the temple). What a romantic guy…in a tux (from the
reception), overlooking the temple, holding a dozen red roses and a
ring. (His mom had somehow brought the flowers to him during the
reception and he had put them in the trunk of his car) He knelt down on
one knee and asked “Will you marry me?” Of course, I said yes…and the
rest is history!
