August 17- August 23, Three Years!

(I made the green ribbon, the announcement, the envelopes and seal! I'm getting good at this!)

Where did you meet?
We had so many opportunities to meet! We took a summer Institute course together. The class was small (like, four people), but we never really got to talking. We also were attending the same ward. I was actually asked to visit his brother and him after his mom’s death for compassionate service, but had to decline because of a family gathering.
Where we officially meet was at an Institute Welcome Back Dance in August.
He asked me to dance. Swoon.

What was the first thing you said to each other?
Well, I had just finished a dancing with David… Dave had been the EQP of our ward for awhile, and my roommate and, well, every girl I interacted with had a crush on him. So, I was familiar with Thomson territory, I guess.
Therefore, I opened with a joke, “So, how long have you been Dave’s brother?”
Being the youngest sibling, myself, I understood being referred to as “so-and-so’s sibling.” No one ever introduced Mike as “Mike” but as “Dave’s brother.”
And without missing a beat, Mike says, “Since the beginning of summer.”
Now, that is comedy. We laughed. I asked a few more questions. Asked where he was living. We found out we were living in the same apartment complex… even though we had no idea we were building neighbors.
At the end of the dance I gave him a plastic blue flower (it was Hawaiian theme, oh yeah, I was wearing a grass skirt, by the way) and told him to “stop by sometime.”

Where was your first date?
It took him another month to ask me out on a date!
We went to a NAU girl’s soccer match (still don’t know who won) and went to the Mandarin Buffet… where the waiter hit on me.

In Mike’s defense, he did ask me out once before… and I flat-out rejected him. BUT, in my defense, he came over at 8:00 in the morning after staying over ‘til 2:00 am talking. He asked if I wanted to go hiking…. ummm..... raincheck?

Where was your first kiss?
Ha. I kicked out all my roommates for the night, for our second date. I made tacos, my great-grandmother’s rice dish and guacamole. He brought the Boston cream pie, of course. We watched Serendipity on the couch. And HE kissed me. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

How long did you date?
We became an official couple on October 16, 2004, by November 19, 2004, I knew I wanted to marry this guy. We got engaged on March 3, 2005, and then got married that summer.

Where did you get engaged?
Michael asked me to marry him at my favorite temple, the Saint George Temple.
I was feeling SO sick. I was trying so hard to hide it. We were visiting because his dad was getting married, so I didn’t want to be a downer.
When I was little whenever I was really sick, like, throwing up, my dad would bring me home a stuffed animal. I had told Mike this before.
We were walking the grounds and he asked me, “How are you feeling?”
I was being a trooper and said, “I’m doing okay.”
“Oh,” he said, “then I guess I can’t give you this.” He pulled a stuffed animal frog out of his pocket. He had sown its hands to the ring box.
Then he proposed. You know, on his knee and everything, all the good stuff.
The bench he actually proposed at is no longer there. Sad day.

When were you married?
We were married August 20, 2005 in the Saint George Temple, in the large sealing room off of the Celestial room. It was an all-white ceremony.

How did your reception go?
Ha. What reception? After we were sealed we had a small luncheon and then went off to do better things for the rest of the day. I feel sorry for people who stand in line for most of their wedding day and night.

How was your honeymoon?
SO. MUCH. FUN.
We went to San Diego. We visited the beach, the zoo, Balboa Park, and the temple. Right next to our hotel was a restaurant that made Dutch pancakes with apples, they were amazing!