How we met...

Dan and I met September 2004. I saw him before we met. I have a picture in my head. I was moving into our apartment complex with my friend Jenny Tillman (now Allphin) We we taking our things from her sister's car to our new apartment. Dan was talking on the phone, looking hot, on the porch of his apartment to someone in his family. I remember having the thought..."ooo....I think I am going to like this ward"

I'm not sure how much longer it was till we actually met. It was at least long enough that I dated someone almost 10 years older than me! ...yeah I know...what was I thinking....(I'll tell you what I was thinking...I was thinking "I'm cool". Sometime in October Dan was talking to a friend of his. She was complaining that she never met any new guys to date. So, Dan came up with a solution... He told her that they each had to go to a random apartment and introduce themselves. Dan chose our apartment. I, of course, was thrilled! The hot dude fell right into my lap......yes!! He stayed and talked to us. He says that I was really quiet. I was the one he was originally most interested in but I was so quiet that he decided that my friend Jenny was really cool.

A couple days later he came to borrow our potato peeler. When he came to return it he and I got into a conversation. I have no idea what we talked about. I do remember that I went in the back of the apartment for a minute and my hometown friend Britany went out to purposely flirt with him. I wanted yogurt really bad and had left some at work. I only worked about 2 blocks away at a local restaurant called "The Brick Oven" I said to everyone in the room (but I was obviously only talking to Dan) "Who wants to come with me to get my yogurt from work?" So, he came.

A bunch of people from the ward were organizing an activiy. They wanted to go to a Haunted House. I was invited. It ended up being a bunch of couples ......and....me and Dan. So we were stuck together. That was our first unofficial "date" I, of course, screamed alot and clung to Dan.

I wanted an excuse to see him again. Jenny was sick so I decided I wanted to go to the store to get her chocolate milk. I only had one barrier....I didn't have a car. I asked Dan to take me. I thought I was really obvious about my crush on him but he said that he felt like I just wanted to be friends.

The following Friday night I really wanted to see Dan. I was trying to figure out how I could do this. I was talking to my friend Sam about this dilemma when the phone rang..... it was Dan! He told me that he and a bunch of people were going to the movies and he wanted to know if I would like to go. YEA!! I got off the phone and Sam and I were freaking out like excited 10 year old girls. I went to the movie. Dan happens to be a movie talker. I HATE movie talkers! So, he was trying to talk to me the whole time and I was trying to watch the movie (The Bourne Ultimatum) Apparently I was really rude because Dan thought that I hated him by the end :(

Two days later was Halloween. I dressed up as a cat for work and came by to show Dan my costume. I guess that was a green light for Dan. I had to work during most of the Halloween festivities. He brought me back candy from the big party I missed. We watched a tail end of a movie with some people in the ward,
The next day Dan and I went on a walk towards his apartment. Dan told me how much he liked me and wanted to see where things could go with us. haha I remember at the exact moment a wart on my finger fell off. gross I know... It was kind of distracting. I told him I liked him too. He walked me back to my apartment and we kissed at my door. happy!
Once I was inside I ran back to mine and Jenny's room and jumped on her in bed to tell her the good news!









The picture above was taken 2 weeks after we started dating during Thanksgiving break in Seattle. Then picture on the right is mid may 2008 after 2 1/2 years of marriage. Not quite the same table but close!





Quotes from my journal during all of this:

"This guy Dan came over and he walked me back to work so I could get my yogurt. He seems really nice...and holy cow HOTT"

"Dan came over at about 8:30. He's so cute!! I talked to him for about 20 minutes. We are going with a bunch of people to a haunted house on Saturday night. We'll see if anything comes of that ;)"

"I got home about 9:30 and I didn't have anything to do. I was talking to Sam about what I should do that night and she said that I should call Dan and ask him to a movie. I wouldn't do that becuase 1)I was petrified to do so... 2)I was determined not to be one of those girls who flock around hott guys.But low and behold 5 min later Dan calls and asks me to a movie! I was absolutely ecstatic! (but I didn't let it show)"