Celebrating the Beginning

Tomorrow is our 7 year anniversary. Here's some memories of how it all began:

Joel and I first met at our ward's Family Home Evening. It was a still life/fruit drawing activity. I was in the library (the U of U's) studying and then I looked at the time had the random thought, "I should go to Family Home Evening." So I did.

I was a few minutes late. Being shy, I looked around to see if there was anyone I knew to sit next to. There was I guy I knew, that kinda had a thing for me, sitting next to an empty chair. I sat there. I was not interested in this guy, so I turned and started to chat up the guy on the other side. That was Joel.

Joel, too, went by himself for no apparent reason (other than to meet girls, of course.) We talked. After FHE he acted all interested in the where the dorms were and what they looked like. So I invited him back to my place. We stayed a few minutes and then he invited me back to his place. (He didn't tell me then, but he wanted to show his roomate how easy it was to meet a girl and bring her home, so he needed me as proof.) We talked more. He said that he thought the perfect date was dinner and then a movie, so you could get to know the person and then cuddle up if you were interested or if not, you could sit back and watch the show. I remember sitting under the tree in the backyard, where there was this stone bench, and just talked. I got the feeling that he wanted to kiss me, but I thought maybe I was misreading his vibes, I just met the guy for heaven's sake. (He told me later that I wasn't wrong.) I thought he had a really nice smile. He was wearing a hat, so I wasn't even exactly sure if I'd recognize him if I saw him again.

That Sunday I was sitting at church with my roomate, Mandy Yeager, and that same guy from FHE came to sit with us, poor fellow, and Joel came and crouched in the aisle next to me to say hi and chat before church started. Then he took his seat in the stand, where he was sitting with the choir. That was nice so my roomate and I could chat and take a good look at him. He called me for our first date for the upcoming weekend.

As I said before, Joel had made it clear that dinner and then a movie was the way to go. I told myself that I wasn't going to kiss him because I didn't even know him to like him. He would have to hold my hand first. But it was just a date and I didn't like him. Before going too far driving in his car I decided that I liked him. Okay, but no kissing, he needed to hold my hand first. NO KISSING, MORGAN. HANDS FIRST. WHY ARE YOU LIKING THIS GUY ALREADY, YOU DON'T EVEN REALLY KNOW HIM? DON'T LIKE HIM YET!

Yeah, I liked him. So then came the movie....nothing...NOTHING!!! The movie ended. OUCH! Who tells a girl your expectations and then doesn't perform. So I told myself I like him and felt rejected because no moves were made. Geesh, good going. Just get me home. I set myself up just to be rejected so quickly.

We were play fighting back to his car, when he suddenly picked me up and ran to the car. When his put me down, he kissed my cheek. I was stunned! What?!?! Did he really just kiss me? But, you didn't make a move? Still stunned.

We went back to his house and then walked to the grocery store to get some ice cream. While walking he held my hand. Check. :)

I don't remember our first kiss. Is that bad? Who kissed who, who knows. But we were with each other, day in and day out, every day, since that first date. It's just history from there.

Happy 7 years, Joel! I love you seems to fall short in the way I feel, but I cannot think of anything better, so, I love you.