the long story of how we met

^ ^ The first picture I put of us on social media. This was about two weeks into dating! ^ ^

 

This is your typical love story you always hear about. We met at college. We belonged in the same friend circle. We hung out a lot. We liked each other. We went on dates. We fell in love. We got engaged. Now we are married. No crazy drama like falling in love with my ex-boyfriend's brother's roommate, no childhood sweetheart since I was three years old, and no missionary story where he converted my sister and then she introduced us. We had some of our own small coincidences which I'd like to share though.

So here's how it happened.

4.28.2013

We met on my 19^th birthday. I was passing by his apartment #15 to visit another apartment when one of his roommates spotted me walking by, and called out that I should come inside to introduce myself. In the apartment all the roommates were chilling on their couches. Everyone went around the room and said their names. I mention to the group that my birthday party is happening in a few minutes and invited everyone to come over if they want some cake. I left to visit his neighbors at apartment #16 to invite them to my party as well. Nate, one of the guys in that apartment, didn't come to my birthday party but another roommate of his did. I still tease him about Nate about not coming to meet me since he tells me now that he thought I was super cute back then.

 

9.9.2013 - 12.21.2013
(Fall semester)

Since my 19th birthday, I haven't seen much of Nate. But the following semester Nate was assigned the same ward as me. We never had a conversation but I knew of his existence in little ways:

1. I saw his face from across the room at the ward activities and at church on Sunday. I remember when his FHE group made the impressive gingerbread house. My FHE group tried to be artistic by constructing a modern-looking gingerbread house. Really it was cubes of graham crackers on top of each other offset with a bad icing job. I was jealous of his group's gingerbread making.

2. My wonderful roommate had a boyfriend who was roommates with Nate. I heard a lot of stories about Nathan from him. Such as that Nathan knows most movie quotes and could know what movie you quoted from. I remember he was over at our apartment nearing Christmastime recalling a couple of lines from 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' and no one understood what he was saying. "Nathan would know I was quoting the Grinch!" He responded.

3. Speaking of holidays. Over the Halloween season Nate made window art of Batman and the Joker for his apartment and also carved an epic 3D pumpkin of Two-Face that stood proudly by the door mat. Since then I always called him the “Batman Guy” who possessed a crazy artistic ability. Seriously though, he's AH-MAY-ZING. And the guy who quoted movies. And the guy who was in my ward. That's about all I knew of Nathan.

4.20.2014

I come in and sit on the couch in apartment #16 (remember when I went to visit them a year ago? Still friends with them), and I see Nathan in the kitchen unpacking. “Hey, I know you. You live here? You're the last roommate I haven't met?” I asked him. “Yeah,” he replied. Not much of an opening conversation, but we were both shy people. The next day was the ward activity that happens at the start of every semester. Nate and I were in the same ward yet again so I talked to him more. Cue the word "social" in "social "opening ward social". Anyway. We were sitting in a big circle on the ground with his roommates and other friends telling stories. Somehow we got on the topic of dreams. They were telling me their dreams and I interpreted them the best I could. I have this reputation among my peers that I have dreams that foretell the future and can also hear others and tell them what it means. Really, I don't believe it but it's still fun having a crazy dream and making some sense of it. Anyway. Nate told me about his dreams. I laughed at how goofy the dreams were, and how funny this Nathan guy is! Things really hit it off with us that night. According to Nate, he had a huge crush on me ever since that day.

4.28.2014

For my 20th birthday I had two celebrations: one on Sunday by my roommates, and another on Monday at Craigo's. Nate came to both parties and I remember him being one of the first guests to arrive and one of the last ones to leave. While there was a group of people at both parties, I made sure to talked to him. Never much of a talker, but still made great conversation.

5.16.2014 

At this point of the semester I've had a lot of interaction with Nate. Whenever I hung out with friends he's usually there. Plus I visit his apartment all the time because I have a class with one of his roommates so I do homework over there. I also supported the Ultimate Frisbee team Nate and his roommates were apart of. When I was at the stake dance, Nate danced and socialized with me the whole time. Same for when we went country dancing with Art. I was convinced that this guy liked me. Then on Friday, our group of friends wanted to go to the drive-in theater to watch Godzilla and the Amazing Spiderman 2. Somehow by mutual decision we sat by each other in the trunk of Nate's Jeep. Just the two of us. By the time the Spiderman movie was playing, we were cuddling. That next day he asked for my number.

5.29.2014

^ ^ My roommate snapped this picture of me after Nate and I returned from our walk where we had our DTR ^ ^

We went on first official date on May the 22nd. We cooked dinner together, walked to the park to play frisbee, and then drove to an old run-down theater to watch the X-Men Days of Future Past on cute little couches! The following weekend, I traveled home to Boise for the Memorial three-day weekend. We texted the whole time! I returned to Rexburg and I went on a few more little dates with him. One day I spotted Nate lying on his couch holding two legs of a bar stool over his head. It was just as funny seeing it in person as you would think! He saw me come inside then nonchalantly asked to go on a walk with him. During that walk we held hands and talked about what we got going for us. He might have kissed me. That day forward we made it official to go steady.