How did you know He or She was THE ONE? Was it the way they smiled at you? Maybe the way you seamlessly and comfortably talked for hours? Was it the way they would drop everything for you? Or was it a cute song on the radio that matched that person perfectly? All I can do is quote Lupe from Ferdinand- “I love LOVE.” I love this time of year! I love Christmas for the magic and joy that you feel the whole month, but I love February for the LOVE! In honor of Love month (my daughter re-named Valentine’s Day), I thought I would share my own love story, and would LOVE to hear yours!
I am NOT good with dates. I know that sounds silly, but when I was in high school, if you ask me a date question on a test, 2 out of 3 times, I would get it wrong! But there one thing I do remember. The YEAR Craig and I started dating. It was a life changing moment. November 2010, two weeks after Thanksgiving. I had been dating someone prior, but it just didn’t feel like he was THE ONE. Enter Craig. That guy. Something about him made me just stare at him. He spoke to our congregation one Sunday, and I just stared. He was handsome. Tall (I could wear heels and not be taller than him- not even close!). and dark hair! Tall, dark and handsome. A dream! Can you tell I like him? 😉 After the meeting was over, his mom and my mom got talking. What did the two of us do? We just kept looking at each other and smiling, but we did not say ONE word to each other! I guess I was too busy dreaming of us running through a field of flowers holding hands just like they do in Disney movies…. I’m sure he was imagining me as snow white singing and all the animals of the forest flocking to me. Why would this be important? He is a hunter. I would make his job easy.… When I got home my mom had noticed me eyeing him, so what did she do? She got his number from my dad and called him! She told him thank you for his talk, and then came the questioning, "Are you dating anyone? Do you want to date my daughter? Great! Here's her number." My mom was the reason Craig and I started dating.
Our first date made an impression. He had called and asked me out for the weekend, I wasn’t able to go, but I asked him on a lunch date the following week after finals. Craig will still tell you that he thinks it wasn’t a date (since you go to lunch with coworkers not dates), but it was the beginning of something special. We met at Olive Garden, and I was concerned we wouldn’t have anything to talk about. But I was wrong. I remember what he was wearing, what he smelled like, how he acted, and how we talked non-stop. I was just grateful he wasn’t a Ute fan… From that day on, we talked almost every day. We saw each other AT LEAST twice a week. We were engaged in April, married in August.
The engagement story is a classic! Craig asked if I liked hiking on trails, I figured yeah, I guess I do, and we made it a date...So I show up to his house in my tennis shoes, jeans and as soon as I pulled in his mom took off in her car like I had the plague. Weird. She's usually uber friendly. I walk into the house and Craig is not dressed for a hike. He did have jeans, but he was wearing dress shoes. Odd. But could be normal because he works in the finance industry... Maybe he wore those hunting too....He was also had a large heavy backpack in tow, he was an eagle scout so maybe that was a 'preparedness' thing.... Again, strange. We headed up the trail, I'm not sure what the name was, because we only hiked 20 minutes before stopping- no where near the end of the trail. My kind of hike! Craig said that we should stop for some cocoa. He knows I'm a sucker for hot chocolate. The sun was going down, and we were just sitting there talking. After awhile, he looked a bit perplexed as he looked toward the sun setting. As he looked back at me, he says, "The website said sunset was at such-n-such time, do you think there will be one?" I looked over, and almost chuckled because there was no sunset, but there was a stormy looking sky. I shook my head and responded, "It looks pretty stormy, I don't think there will be any sunset tonight..." thinking he was just being funny, and wondering why he was so disappointed at my answer. He then took a deep breath, and pulls out the little black box, and pops the question. I was stunned. Ask him! I still remember staring at that beautiful ring glittering from every direction, wondering if this was another 'promise ring' (he had given me one for Valentines Day). But to my luck, it was real. I guess you already know what my answer was... as we sat there bubbling with excitement, a runner went by and said, "Gosh isn't it a beautiful night! It would be absolutely perfect if there had just been a sunset." I'm not sure Craig appreciated her comments...
There was something about Craig, he treated me with love and respect, he had the classic manners- opened the doors for me, let me go first, agreed with everything I said (it’s hard not to when I’m always right), and paid for every date. He made me want and crave to be a better person, I loved his Aqua Di Gio cologne, and his bear hugs made all your problems go away in an instant- they still have that effect on me. But something that I loved the most was his thoughtfulness.
We were both going to school at Weber State University. Both of us commuted to the school and then off to work. There would be snowy days that I would find my car scraped off. Rainy days- Ziplock bag
under my wipers with a chocolate bar and love note. Sunny days- an equally cute note or treat. I would find love notes in my pockets and purse. He was always finding ways to let me know I was on his mind, and I loved it! Those simple acts of kindness made me feel like a queen. Being the Disney fan that I am, I felt like I was the Princess who found her Prince Charming, and he was Perfect. I am a true undiscovered Disney Princess for sure, I was married at 18. Yup. Classic Disney Princess age. I think I may even be on the old side by two years. I think Ariel-The Little Mermaid was 16…. One of my favorite things even now, after almost 8 years of marriage, is asking the question, “Why do you love me TODAY,” he always takes time to be thoughtful and sincere, and honestly, he still comes up with new reasons. I love my Craig. I love my ONE and only.
Now it’s your turn! What is your Love Story?! I want to hear it!
-Mikenna
*If you have a love story that has just begun, or maybe you are engaged already- if that is the case, CONGRATS! - I would LOVE to work with you! Give me a call, text, email or send a dm! My calendar is filling up quickly and I want to make sure you are on it! Wedding planning gets exciting, and stressful at the same time, let me help you make it a fabulous day to remember!
Our Engagement Pictures! Taken by Illumine Photography- 2011
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