So we're finally up and running! Now let's just see how good we are at keeping this updated. Well there's probably not a better way to start a family blog than with our very own story (for any of you who don't know it already... or those who love it so much because it's so wildly romantic and you just can't get enough of it). Enjoy!
Cuyler and I met on August 22, 2007 in the LDS Missionary Training Center. Cuyler was headed to Houston, Texas and I was going to Knoxville, Tennessee. Luckily we were both called to speak spanish and ended up in the same MTC district. Over the following 2 months, we spent practically all day, everyday in a tiny little classroom with 10 other missionaries. Over that time we became very good friends. At the end of October we went our separate ways to the mission field, but kept in touch over those 2 years with an occasional card or letter.
I returned from my mission in March of 2009 and quickly returned to college life in Utah. The following August I knew my MTC Elders were returning home soon, and so I sent Cuyler (and a few others) a letter to his home in California, so it would be there when he arrived. When he found my letter he was thrilled (as you can imagine ;). I had included my number in the letter and so he called me soon after. When he moved to Utah the next month, we met up at a CES fireside. When I saw him I couldn't get over how grown up he looked and especially how handsome he was. However, I actually had a boyfriend at the time, so I was reluctant to spend time with such a handsome man. Over the next four months we had occasional interaction, including a double date with me and my boyfriend with Cuyler and my roommate Janae. When my relationship ended at the end of December, Cuyler was the first to notice my sudden changed relationship status on facebook, and did not hesitate to offer a shoulder to cry on. I was pretty excited to have him paying attention to me, and so we began spending multiple days together each week. We enjoyed one another's company and became even better friends, but I was still recovering from a broken heart and therefore, was not ready to jump into a new relationship (although no doubt I had a HUGE crush on Cuyler). We continued to be friends, each dating other people but still spending time together quite often. We did lots of fun things together including the Festival of Colors. Doesn't that look fun?
Eventually I had a decision to make. It was April and I was moving to Arizona in a month and a half, but found myself falling in love with Cuyler and I didn't know what to do. He had started making some moves (holding my hand, cuddling, etc.) and I really liked it. I realized I did not want to lose my chance with such an amazing guy who was my best friend by this point, so I found the perfect moment and gave Cuyler a great big KISS!!!! :) I think I caught him a little off guard, but he didn't mind at all ;). So we FINALLY became an official couple (after about 3 months of spending so much time together) and life was blissful.
One of our favorite things to do together before and while we were dating was to go to the temple.
From then on Cuyler and I were never really separated, other than when I was at work, he was at school, or at night when we had to go home. We spent almost every weekend for the next month and a half taking crazy road trips together to see family and friends. We went to St. George, UT a few times as well as Phoenix, AZ, Idaho Falls, ID, and Logan, UT. It was such a fun time for us!
This was on our road trip to Arizona for my nephew Austin's baby blessing, and for Cuyler to meet my family :)
Then we went to Idaho to visit my bestie Megan and we also got to see one of Cuyler's mission companions, John. On our way back down to Provo we spent the day in Logan and visited my mission president, one of my mission companions, Mary, and another of Cuyler's companions, Lance and his wife Brittney.
Check out these "irresistible" guys :)
Finally the the end of May came and it was time for me to move to Arizona for school. I was SUPER bummed to leave Cuyler. We made plans to see each other a few times that summer, and then he would probably move down in the fall,we'd eventually get engaged and then hopefully get married in January or so. So, we took our final road trip together... We loaded up Cuyler's truck with all of my junk and headed down to Arizona.
On the way down we stopped occasionally to take pictures. At sunset we stopped at a bridge that overlooks Marble Canyon. It was so beautiful! So Cuyler set up the camera to take a picture of us, but when he walked over by me he suddenly got down on one knee, and...
HE PROPOSED!!!!! :)
I was not expecting this AT ALL but I was soooo happy :)That weekend, we got me all moved in to my new apartment in Tempe and then we headed back up to Utah for me to get my car and the rest of my stuff. We stopped at the Hoover Dam on the way back up (that's what those lights are in the background... it was hard to get a good picture in the dark).
So, we spent the summer talking on the phone and skyping, and made every possible excuse to take trips to see one another. I think there were about 5 trips total over the 3 months we were apart.
We got to spend our birthdays together :)
We even got to take a trip to San Jose, to tie up loose ends with our wedding plans and spend some time with Cuyler's family. This is us at the Santa Cruz boardwalk :)
At the end of August Cuyler FINALLY moved to Arizona and we got married a few weeks later (but since this is the longest post ever, we'll save that story for another day :)