Happy Valentine's Day!

Love is In the Air!

I wish I had digital files of pictures from when we were dating. It would make this post much more entertaining. Anyway, here's a little more than you ever wanted to know about Joel's and my courtship:

1. Where did you meet?

Who knows? We went to the same elementary, junior high and high school. He was a snobby A-tracker and I was a regular, salt-of-the-earth, blue-collar C-tracker. Needless to say, our paths didn’t readily cross. The first time we noticed each other was in our senior year of high school on Halloween night 1996, at the seminary council party at Warren Robison’s house.

2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met?

I thought he was really cute.

3. Do you remember what he was wearing?

He was dressed as Indiana Jones. We lovingly refer to him as IJLC, which is his favorite movie (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) – for many years this movie contained the only lines he could quote from a movie and the only actors he knew by name (Harrison Ford and Sean Connery). Thanks to Nacho Libre, his pop culture knowledge has nearly doubled in the last two years. It is the Beyst.

4. Where was the first time you kissed this person?

After a double date with Ammon and my friend Amy, we dropped Amy off at her house. Ammon and Joel drove me home to my sister’s house and Ammon waited in Grandpa Rass’s Lincoln for an HOUR while Joel and I had a heart-to-heart that finally ended in a kiss. (Honestly, we owe just about everything to Ammon for helping to get us together, to keep us together after Joel's mission, and to prod us toward marriage)

5. How did he/she ask you out?

He called me on the phone.

6. Where did you go for your first date?
We went to the dollar movies and watched ‘That Thing You Do’ with a bunch of his friends. I remember thinking that even though he was in the seat next to me, he was absolutely as far away from me as he could possibly be without sitting in the laps of the people on the other side of him…he was a little shy.

7.How long did you know this person before you became a couple?

We met in October 1996, but didn’t become a couple until May 1997.

8. Has this person ever proposed to you?

We done it. On May 24, 2000 down to the Provo Temple after we’d gotten in our first fight.

9. Do you and this person have kids together?

We have too many for me to adequately cope with, honestly. Each time I get pregnant I think I was so STUPID to think I could handle it!

10. Have you ever broken the law with this person?
Never. However, I have broken the law several times without him.

11. When was the first time you realized that you liked this person?

The first day I met him.

12. Do you get along with any of the ex's of your partner?
Ha ha! He has NO ex’s. Bless him. I married the most honest, innocent, moral person that has ever lived. Now you can feel sorry for him that he married me!

13. What’s the most expensive thing this person has given you?

You might think it would be my wedding ring, but it’s actually my digital camera.

14. What is one thing he/she does that gets on your nerves?

He doesn’t usually clean up after himself if he makes food for himself and the kids.

15. What is the thing you do that gets on his/her nerves?

I’m so high strung. He tires of my impatience.

16. Where do you see each other in 15 years from now?
If I haven’t gone on a real vacation alone with him by then (something that includes an airplane, the hot sun and a swimming pool for us to relax by) it will probably be because my kids have pushed me over the edge and I’ve been committed to the state mental hospital…clue in on that, Joel.

So, you know how when you read about the pure love of Christ in the scriptures and it says you have to be long-suffering, patient, kind, doing good to all men, etc. That’s Joel. He puts up with so much in me. When I’m pregnant, I cry everyday. I’m always exhausted and hormonal, and Joel gets the brunt of it, usually, right before bed. But he loves me, anyway, and has really helped me overcome a lot of my ‘issues’ in the last 7 ½ years. He’s the perfect match for me and just about everyday I can’t believe how well we get along together, how much peace is in our home, and how good looking he still is. Plus, he just emailed me and asked me if I would join him in his quarters this night for a toast (of sparkling cider, that is). I'm pretty sure I'm going to, even if it makes me look like a floosy.