My Story (Short Version)

I grew up in Sandy Utah, which rests in the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Sometimes, when I was a child, we would pack up the motorhome and drive 15 minutes up the canyon to our favorite camp site. It was strange and nice to be able to be completely away within 15 minutes. My world was beautiful as a child. I used to walk the trails at Dimple Dell Park just to think. Once, while I was sitting quietly, a mountain lion past within 10 feet of me on a path to the stream. I love the mountains and I miss living so close to them.

In seventh grade I met a few friends who stayed with me through middle school. Sometimes when we were hanging at my friends house her older brother would be playing basketball outside with his friends. How was I supposed to know that my future husband was one of those friends.

Ryan and I grew up within 5 minute of each other. We went to the same schools and knew a few of the same people, but we didn't meet until after his mission. He served in Rosario, Argentina from 99-2001. He loves Argentina and we hope to visit together someday. He had been home a year and a half and was growing tired of the dating scene. The night before we met, Ryan had sat in the foyer at a single dance because he just didn't want to dance with anyone there. Party Pooper! Luckily I would attend the singles ward the next day and rescue him from his pouting.

I woke that Sunday feeling especially confident, who knows why. Ryan was teaching Sunday school and as he spoke I felt he was talking directly to me. There was a whole class but he seemed to stare directly at me. Feeling confident, as previously mentioned, I decided to stare back to make him nervous. He would look at me then he would look everywhere but at me, it was quite amusing and honestly I was too distracted to even listen to the lesson. Of course, he approached me afterwards and we've been together ever since. We dated for 6 weeks (too short) were engaged for 5 months (too long) and have been perfectly happy for the last 6 years (just right).

Since that time we have bought a house, sold it to move into my parents house so we could go to school, had a baby boy, had a baby girl, finished school and bought a house in Syracuse.

Of course, all those stories will have to wait for another time.