Since the 9th anniversary of the time that Tyler and I met is rapidly approaching, I thought it would be fun to post a little blip on here about us.
I was going through stuff to move it, and I had decided to throw away my bouquet and Tyler's boutonniere from our wedding, along with the first roses he ever gave me. I ended getting rid of Tyler's boutonniere, since it was falling apart and looked worse after I was done taking pictures of it, but I couldn't bring myself to ACTUALLY toss the other things... I had a really hard time with the boutonniere as it was!
Anyway, I just thought I'd post our story for those of you who don't know. I'll put captions by the pictures, too.
The bouquet my friend threw at her wedding almost exactly a year before mine. I caught it. I kept it as a reminder of the Lord's blessings - sometimes called superstition or magic or other names, they're really just the things He gives us to let us know how much love He has for each of us.
Tyler and Me at our wedding in 2001
So Tyler and I met at church (it really does pay to go to church - see?). We were both going to the singles ward, and I remember not really wanting to go that week. You know how you have burn out weeks when you just want to stay home? It was one of those weeks. But, there was definite divine intervention going on that day. My cousin called me and asked if she could come to church with me and then we could go my parents house afterwards for dinner.
So I went, because I was trying to be a good example (my cousin was not completely active at the time). Now, at the time I was NOT looking for a relationship. Almost all of my relationships before that were either unhealthy or short-lived. I had just spent Valentine's weekend begging (literally) a friend of mine to go to an Institute dance with me. I had to try to convince him for two hours (I was even going to buy him dinner... frustration!!). I was feeling rather down when it came to guys, so I had decided a couple of days before then that I was done with it all. I was only going to be friends with guys and I was going to concentrate on school and my goals. The problem was that my true goals and what I thought my goals were two totally different things. I thought I wanted to go to school and be a doctor of physics or something. What I really wanted was to get married and be a mom. Guess which one I got? :)
So Tyler was a little late that Sunday (when I almost didn't come to church). There were hardly any seats left (not sure why it was so packed that day) and I was so nervous about talking to the really cute guy that had just come in (and was still standing by the doorway) with his adorable 3 year old son. Normally, I would have done nothing. Once again, divine intervention ... intervened. Jamie, my cousin, elbowed me in the ribs (pretty hard too - it kind of hurt) and told me to invite him over. She didn't do it, which is normally what she would have done, I think. She told me to do it. And the real miracle? I did.
I remember that Tyler bore his testimony that day. He talked about how he had decided to come back to the church because of his son, Tristan. His ex-wife had decided not to be a member anymore, and that left him (and only him) to teach Tristan the gospel. He talked about the overwhelming sense of responsibility he felt, and then followed that up with the amazing comfort, love and joy that he felt every day that he tried his best.
I think by this point I was falling for him...
Then, he returned to his seat (next to me) and Tristan spent the majority of the rest of the meeting playing with the sparkles on my skirt.
I was also pretty much in love with Tristan by the end of the meeting.
After the meeting, I (once again - divine intervention!) got really bold and asked Tyler what his name was again, and told him that I was looking forward to seeing him again (or something really cheesy like that). That was the beginning.
The next Saturday, I went to a ward activity at a local warm springs swimming pool, and guess who was there! (squeal!) I got the biggest butterflies in the pit of my stomach because I was now on my own. I didn't have my cousin there that time to poke me in the ribs, but I really (REALLY REALLY!!) wanted to talk to him again.
I sucked it up and turned around to swim over to where he was. I didn't have to because cute, sweet little Tristan was swimming up to me. He asked me what my name was and how old I was, and I asked him a few things - the kinds of questions you ask a 3 year old. Then Tyler swam over to where we were. He asked me my name again (and apologized about 4 or 5 times for forgetting it! lol Honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal because I had forgotten his as well - but there was NO WAY he was ever going to know that!) and introduced me to Tristan (officially) and we talked for a few minutes. Mundane things like where we lived and what we were studying in college. Then it was time for Tyler to take Tristan to his mom's house, but he told me he was going to a local dance club that night with some friends and asked me if I wanted to come along. It just happened to be the club that my roommates and I went to EVERY Saturday night. (Once again - SQUEAL!!) I told him that I was usually there on Saturday nights, so hopefully I'd run into him there.
Right after I left, an acquaintance of mine swam up to where I was and told me that she totally thought that I should date Tyler. Apparently, she was a friend of his and she was totally trying to marry him off. She was the reason that he came to the singles ward the week before. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why she wasn't going for him herself, but she just laughed and said that he was like her brother. (I love you Fayette!!)
{SIDE NOTE: For those of you who live in bigger places with ACTUAL dance clubs - this place was nothing like that! It was 3 rooms - 1 with a snack/drink bar (no alcohol or tobacco allowed inside the building - the perfect Mormon hang out spot!) and a few old arcade games, 1 with a DJ in a corner and a big dance floor that played country music, and 1 that was very similar to the country room, except the lights were lower and a bunch of different colors that played pop/rock/techno music. Seriously not hard to find anyone in that place.}
This is us at Tyler's mom's house. I can't remember if we were engaged yet or if we were still just dating. This is the same shirt that I wore to the dance club the night we really started talking and stuff, though. Fun fact! :)
When my roommates and I arrived there that evening, I was super nervous, but so excited! I walked in and looked around the arcade room and the country room. He wasn't there. I walked into the techno room. He wasn't there. I must admit that my heart totally sank. I decided to make the most of the evening anyway, so I went back into the country room with my friends and started to dance.
I was in the middle of a twirling flip thing (country swing is soooooo much fun!) when I saw him come out of the hallway with the bathrooms with his friend, Fayette, and a couple of other people I didn't know. He went into the techno room and, as soon as the song was over, so did I!
We talked and danced the night away.
{And I think that's the last time he took me dancing...}
The next day, he was a smoothy after church. He told me that he wasn't sure what his home evening group was doing the next night, so he was wondering if he could come with me to mine, and asked me for my phone number so he could call and get specifics the next afternoon. I told him what we were doing, and that I would love it if he came.
And then I gave him my phone number.
(Again, BOLD for me! I normally wouldn't do that with a guy I hardly knew...)
He called me the next day and told me that, unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to make it to the home evening group that night because his ex-wife's brother (who was his good friend) had been killed in a car accident, and he wanted to go to the funeral and spend some time with the family.
(My heart sank - I almost cried! How pathetic am I?)
He apologized and told me that he'd still like to take me out - how was Thursday for me?
(My heart began to soar again! It was a very emotional weekend for me...)
So we went out that Thursday. He forever made an impression on my mind because he didn't try to kiss me on the first date. He shook my hand and gave me a hug instead.
(I was in HEAVEN!!)
The next week I found myself in Nampa (where he lived) with nothing to do, so I called him. He guided me to his house and we talked for hours. I said I should go since it was 11:30, then we realized that, even though there was something in front of the clock blocking the first digit so we thought it was 11:30, it was really 1:30. I kind of freaked a little since I knew my roommates would be worried about me.
As Tyler walked me to the door, I decided that I could easily fall for him if I let myself. But I didn't want things to go too quickly, and I definitely didn't want to scare him off. Then, out of the blue, he asked me,
"Would if be all right with you if I kissed you?"
(I melted. Almost literally! How many guys actually ask your permission before they kiss you?)
I think I even stuttered a little when I answered.
LOL!
I knew with that kiss that I had fallen. And I had fallen HARD! I was totally okay with it too.
LOL!
I knew with that kiss that I had fallen. And I had fallen HARD! I was totally okay with it too.
The next day, HE called ME!
(That was a first for me! I had never had any guy kiss me and then call me the next day. WOW!)
You can see how I felt about him, I'm sure. It was only about 3 weeks later that he took me to his parents house and introduced me to his wonderful family.
I fell even harder!
It was there, when he was showing me his baby pictures (Yes, that's right. It wasn't his mother showing off his baby pictures, he was doing it himself. I still think it's cute!) that I said something that made him laugh. (No idea what it was...)
He looked at me and said,
"I love you."
He looked at me and said,
"I love you."
And me, being the ever gracious dork that I am, said,
"You do?"
What on earth possessed me to say THAT?!?
He paused, then looked at me and said, "Yes. I do."
I was finally free to say what I had wanted to say for a couple of weeks -
"I love you, too."
Then, (and this is how I knew we were truly meant to be together) he said, "You do?"
LOL!
I still crack up thinking about it!
This is right around the time that we were dating. Tristan was so little! He's sitting with Tyler's mom reading a book. That was one of his favorite things to do with her.
We dated for 6 weeks (total!), 2 or 3 of which we were talking about getting married, and then one day he called me on my cell phone. I just happened to be going to my parents house, so he said that he wanted to meet me somewhere. He had a present for me. How about meeting him at the temple? I agreed, and drove over to the temple parking lot. It was April, so the flowers were in bloom and the trees still had blossoms on them. It was really beautiful.
This is the same bench, but about 2 years later.
When he pulled up and got out, he had a box in his hand that was too big to be a ring box. It wasn't until that realization that I hadn't even suspected that. I brushed it off, since it was obviously too big to be that. He explained that he felt bad for not getting a ring when we had been talking about it for a few weeks, but he wouldn't let me open the gift.
We walked onto the temple grounds and sat on a bench beneath a beautiful tree. He told me I could open it, and inside I found a beautiful music box with a hummingbird inlaid on the lid. I think it was made of different kinds of shells or something like that. It quite literally took my breath away!
I opened the music box and began looking at the inner workings - the little thing that spins around is my favorite part! Then I noticed that he had dropped to one knee. That's when I saw the ring.
Our engagement picture that we sent out with the announcements.
He told me he loved me and that he wanted to be with me forever. Then he asked me to marry him.
I couldn't believe what I had just heard! Here I was with this amazing man that loved me and now he was asking to marry me! Of course, I said yes! He put the ring on my finger and kissed me. I was so excited that I was getting married! I drove to my parents house and showed my mom the ring. She wasn't surprised at all. In fact, she seemed relieved and grateful that it was Tyler. :)
(Little did I know that that's EXACTLY what she was feeling!)
Tyler right after he graduated from Boise State University with a degree in Biochemistry. Yes, I got myself a smarty pants! :)
During our whirlwind engagement, Tyler graduated from college and got a job. (which he still has, thankfully!!) We planned our wedding and got to know each other better and spent a lot of time with our families. I remember one time I went to pick Tristan up from day care because Tyler was running late at work and Tristan came running in from the other room screaming "Annaaaaaaa!!" He jumped into my waiting arms and gave me a big hug and a kiss. The gal that ran the daycare (who Tyler knew from jr high or high school) looked surprised. She said, "Wow, he doesn't even do that for his mom."
While that is really sad and it breaks my heart, I kind of feel like it's just further confirmation that our family was meant to be together the way it is. Tyler and I are perfect for each other and Tristan was meant to be my son.
(I love that boy! I can't believe time has flown by so fast!!)
So 6 weeks after that, we had a gorgeous ceremony on the grassy hill behind my parents' church building, and we held our reception outside as well. I couldn't have asked for a better day to get married to the man I love! The sunshine was perfect, the birds were singing, we were surrounded by our family and friends, and I was pretty sure that heaven itself had come down to Earth, just for us!
This is Tristan at our wedding.
He's dancing with the flower girl, Lilly (Tyler's best friend's - and best man's - daughter)
This is my bouquet. It's been dried and sitting for several years, but it's still beautiful! I love my bouquet mostly because my dear cousin, Jamie (yes, the same one that poked me in the ribs) made it for me. I love you Jamie! Thanks so much!
Here is Tyler's boutonniere. It was much prettier on the day we were married, but sitting in the cupboard for 8 years or so will do this to a lot of things... I still love it. Once again, it was made by my dearest cousin Jamie.
I told him he was stuck with me forever now. He didn't seem too disappointed. :)
This is us on the day that we were sealed for time and all eternity in the Boise Idaho Temple. Tristan was almost 6, I was very pregnant with Nathan, and we were all very happy!
So that's our story. Hope you enjoyed it! :)
I had a blast re-living it as I typed it out.
And Tyler,
I love you more now than ever. Thank you so much for the wonderful things we've shared, the life we have together, our family, and for the love and friendship you've shown to me. I'm looking forward to the rest of this life and eternity!
You're stuck with me forever. ;)
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