First Date

Friday, August 13, 2010

First Date

Another flashback of the past. Continued from Coming Home.

Our first date was just three days after I returned home from my mission. I remember feeling so comfortable getting ready, thinking that this was the perfect way to break back into the dating scene. After all, nothing would ever develop between Andy and me, so we could just hang out at perfect ease.

I did get a little frustrated, though, as my mom was preparing dinner for those staying at home. It had been a year and a half since I had eaten her yummy enchiladas and spanish rice, and here Andy was ripping me away from this delicious smelling food so that he could feed me the kind of meal I'd been eating last week. Oh well. I had agreed to go so I decided to make the best of it.

I don't remember too much about the evening. We ate at Tim and Jen's house and then watched a movie. I remember snuggling up to Andy, again thinking how nice it was that we could just be snuggle buddy friends because he and I both knew that NOTHING would ever come of us. We had just been neighbors and friends far too long for either of us to have romance on our minds...

I remember admiring the way he looked as we stopped for gas on the way home. He was wearing a brand new leather coat he had gotten the week before as a Christmas gift. He was wearing the same coat three years later as we headed to the hospital for the birth of our first son.

I remember feeling good around Andy - feeling like he was very chivalrous and kind and fun to be with. We laughed a lot while we were together.

And the next day, as I spoke in church to report on my missionary experience, I remember bringing up a comment that he and I had discussed the day before. I snuck a glance at him from the podium and we exchanged knowing smiles. I was four days home from my mission and I realized that I had already found my best friend.

I just never would have fathomed that in less than a year he would also become my husband.

To be continued in Burger King

To be continued...

2 comments:

BrittinyAugust 13, 2010 at 1:07 PM
So sweet! I had goose bumps while reading :)
ReplyDelete
Replies
MichelleAugust 19, 2010 at 11:25 AM
Oh, what a wonderful memory.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Family Proclamation

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.