IT'S A LOVE STORY!!!

So you won't be getting much updating on blogging until we get settled in Houston in 2 weeks or so. So sit tight...sorry, I know you're missing it! ;)

Until then, here's a little something to tide you over. We are currently in St. George visiting my grandparents. Tonight, my grandma showed me a book my Aunt Aundrea made them for Christmas that has my grandparent's parents, my grandparent's and ALL of their children's love stories. I thought it was SO cute and SUCH a cute idea. I was about to go to bed after reading all of their love stories and starting thinking about my own love story with Kent. I decided that I wasn't that tired and that it might be a good idea for me to write it down for history's sake. So that's what you're about to get. If you're interested, read on and if not, no worries just stop reading now. WARNING: IT'S DETAILED AND LONG!

MY VERSION:

Kent and I have known each other since we were little kids. Kent is 3 years older than I am so I was always the "little sister" to Kristin and Kari. No offense to him, but I never really looked twice or thought anything of him because I believe BOTH Kristin and Kari had some kind of a crush on him at some point....

Anyway, Kent got home from his mission August 2003 (27th to be exact). What is funny is that Kari and I had been visiting Louisiana for our break from school for two weeks and we were headed back to Utah/Idaho Aug. 26th. Kari was trying to get me to stay one more day so she could see Kent (no worries, they have ALWAYS just been friends) since he'd been on his mission for the past 2 years. I insisted that we GOOO because I didn't care and was anxious to get back to my freedom in Provo. So I got my way and we drove off to school on the 26th-the day before Kent's arrival back...just barely missing each other.

Fast forward to Christmas break. Kari STILL hadn't seen Kent since his return from his mission and informed me one night that Kent and Taylor were stopping by the house to see her. Of course, I didn't really care that much at the time but that was soon to be changing. Shortly after the doorbell rang and I went to the door with the phone to my ear to let them in. As soon as I opened the door I must admit I was surprised at my reaction. I don't know for sure if my mouth dropped or not but for some reason Kent looked VEEERRYYY attractive to me for the first time in my life!!! I remember feeling VERY awkward, letting them in and running upstairs after to get off the phone as quickly as possible. The boys stayed and watched a movie that night and I came in and out not too sure how much attention I wanted to GIVE or GET from Kent. The next 2 weeks over Christmas break I saw Kent quite a few times. Mainly because he supposedly just "tagged along" with Taylor to come see Kari. I remember one night they were over watching a movie and once the movie was over Kari and Taylor had fallen asleep and Kent and I sat up talking about our lives until almost 2 or 3 am (until my parents came and busted up the party). I remember going to bed that night a little nervous because this was the FIRST guy that was turning my head since my break-up with a previous boyfriend who I was still hoping to work things out with that happened 8 or 9 months earlier (sad I know!). I knew that I couldn't just let this slide out from underneath me because for me to be SOMEWHAT interested in someone else was HUGE! I could tell by the way Kent spoke to me that he WAS having a LITTLE bit of interest BUT I had kind of been out of the dating world (hey, 8-9 months is a LONG time) so I couldn't be 100% positive. One night he invited Kari and I to go bowling with a bunch of other people. He OH SO SLIGHLY got my number and I was REALLY hoping he'd put it to use ESPECIALLY since I was trying to play it cool and didn't reciprocate and get his number. Sure enough, a few days later was New Year's Eve and I got a phone call from a random number and when I answer, to my surprise it was KENT! He was calling to invite Kari and I to the Single's Ward New Year's Eve party in Denham and then to go four wheeling after. We talked for a REALLY long time on the phone talking about both of our previous relationships (I kinda think he was asking to see where I stood with it all and to see if he was in the clear to pursue me or not) and then ending with me telling him we'd be there!! Now I just had to rearrange plans that I'd already made with the ex. I ended up inviting him and his brothers and sisters up to Baton Rouge instead of us heading down to their place (you might think that's kinda weird but you gotta know the whole story because it really wasn't). PLUS I thought I'd REALLY know how I felt if they were BOTH there at the SAME time. I also REALLY wanted to spend one more night with Kent before we headed back to school. We had a VERY exciting, fun evening with NO New Year's kiss which I wasn't totally disappointed about (weird I know, I was still figuring things out). The night ended with Kent promising Kari he'd come up to Rexburg for her graduation and me being THRILLED to know that I was going to see him in 4 months. He gave me a BIG hug (which for some reason put butterflies in my stomach) and telling me he'd call (which I was SOO hoping he'd do).

Post New Year's 4 wheeling adventure

I'll never forget on January 4th, my mom was helping drive me up to Rexburg for school and my phone ringing and to my surprise and excitement it was KENT!!! We talked for a little bit and I was really hoping this meant he was interested. This was the FIRST phone call of many that would be happening between us over the next several months. We talked and talked and talked some more until ALL hours in the morning. We knew we both liked each other but our situation was a little odd since he was in Louisiana and I was in Idaho. For Valentine's Day weekend, Kiers, Kari, Ciara, Taylor, Jared J. and I were all planning a trip to So Cal. Well a few weeks before I get a text from Kent asking me what I thought of him coming along. OF COURSE I wanted him there!!! He told me he really wanted to see how things would be between us and so sure enough he made the trip out and we all headed to Cali for a weekend that HIT OFF our relationship. We even had our first kiss on Valentine's Day or actually Feb 15th because it was past midnight. I was the initiator on that one...I knew he wanted to kiss me but for SOME REASON he was taking FOREVER to make the move. He was sending ALL the signals but just not going in for the kill! I was assuming he was a little nervous because he hadn't kissed anyone in over 2 years so I just went in for the kill! Anyway, the weekend came to a close and I saw Kent back off to Louisiana.=( We continued our long distance relationship with our long night phone calls and we soon realized that both of us were feeling stronger for each other. I knew I had to plan a trip down to Louisiana to see him again. So in March of '04 I was heading down to the dirty south to see him (to my surprise my parents let me leave in the middle of the semester AND pay for my flight back home). We had what we call like to call our FIRST official date with JUST the TWO of us. It is my most exciting date I've EVER had. Kent picked me up, we saw Starsky and Hutch, hit up the golfing range (NO neither of us golf), went to Ninfa's for dinner (Kent had crawfish quesadillas and I had steak fajitas) then went on a 4 wheeling adventure at the "beach" and started a fire and talked forever! We had a VERY memorable weekend but once again the time quickly came for me to head back to the 'burg! Our phone conversations continued and slowly but surely April came and it was time for Kent's TWO week adventure out to Idaho for Kari's grad (like he promised her) and to pay me a LONG visit!! I headed down to Utah the day he flew in so I could meet him down there and drive up to Rexburg together. I REALLY was getting anxious to tell Kent I LOVED him because I had been wanting to wait and tell him IN PERSON instead of over the phone. I was a little nervous to say ANYTHING because he hadn't said anything to me and I didn't want to look like an idiot to say it and have him not feel the same way. The night he got in we were talking and he told me he wanted to tell me something. At first I was oblivious to what he was going to say but next thing I knew the words "I LOVE YOU" were coming out of his mouth with many other sweet, heartfelt words and my heart started racing with excitment!!! He DID love me and I DIDN'T have to be embarrassed to tell him! I quickly told him I LOVED HIM TOO and that I'd been wanting to tell him but wanted to wait until we could actually SEE each other. I guess we both were thinking on the same brainwave because he said that same thing. Well, by the time the 2 weeks of this visit was up we were talking marriage. Kent was headed down to California to sell that summer and I was headed to BR to work. We knew our long distance relationship was only going to continue but we had decided that we didn't want to wait until Kent got up to Idaho in the fall to date and have a "normal" relationship. We knew how we felt and we wanted to take the next step and get married....

On April 26th, I drove with Kent from Idaho down to California for his summer job. I was planning on flying out the next day from Cali to head back to Baton Rouge to work. I knew we were going to get engaged but I didn't think that it would happen for another month or so but the crazy guy that Kent is had other plans to surprise me. We got to Oceanside pretty late that evening and Kent was trying to convince me to go to the beach. I honestly DID NOT feel like going because #1 it was dark and we had NO IDEA where it was or HOW to get there and #2 I was tired and just wanted to relax before I left in the morning. I guess my stubbornness spoiled Kent's plans a little come to find out later. Instead of heading to the beach we stayed in and talked. In the middle of our conversation Kent left to his bedroom and returned with a BEAUTIFUL jewelry box that he bought in Italy. He told me in previous phone conversations that he bought it on his mission to give to his future wife someday. I thought maybe this was the "pre-ring promise box" that he was giving to show he was serious about us getting engaged soon. He told me to open the box and inside was a poem he'd written. For those of you who know Kent, know that he's pretty goofy and never really all that serious. Well, this poem was more of a sweet, funny poem not a mushy, gushy poem. The last line talks about us being together forever (one day I'll post the poem). Next thing I know, I look up and see Kent with a ring box in his hand!!! He gets down on one knee, opens the box and asks me to marry him!!! I was SOOO taken back and SHOCKED that it was all happening RIGHT THEN but of COURSE I said YES!!! I put on the ring and was actually surpised that he did pretty good at picking it out without my help (something that he no longer does these days because he never feels like he gets it right!).

Our engagement went just like our dating-we saw each other 3 times before our wedding date. With Kent selling in California and me in Baton Rouge planning a wedding, we were BOTH anxious to get married and FINALLY be TOGETHER in the SAME PLACE from then on out! We were married Friday, August 27, 2004-exactly ONE YEAR from the day Kent got home from his mission. We both headed back up to Rexburg together for school and honeymooned in Jackson Hole where we saw a play, a gun show, rode in a carriage around town, experienced a chuck wagon dinner and show, went whitewater rafting, rode horses through the mountains, hot tubbed, and had the time of our life together in the coziest little hotel "Inn on the Creek".

So that is how our lives got started together forever and the rest is all history!!! I LOVE that man!!!!