In honor of Valentines day, I thought I would highlight the people I love. My family. I know a lot of people say that Valentines day is about date night, or flowers, etc. For me it's letting the people you care most about, the people you love, know that you love them.
I will start with Jared and then go through each of my kids.
My first impression
Jared and I met, about a month after I graduated high school. Right after high school, I moved to Sandy, Utah. My plan was to get a job, get residency in Utah and then to start school. After moving there I realized I didn't know ANYONE! So, I decided to go to the local singles ward to meet some friends. Little did I know what the real purpose of those singles wards were. I remember the first time I saw him, he was helping pass the sacrament, he was very tan and had almost white blonde hair. I remember thinking, "hm, he is kinda cute." After passing the sacrament, I saw him go to his seat and watched him put an earring back in his ear. I remember thinking "what in the..." I didn't think much about him after that. (I don't want to say I judged him for having an earring, but I totally did). Then one night, a friend I had met through the ward invited me to go with them to another friends apartment complex to go swimming. I went, and he was there. I remember doing a double take at him then. This guy was HUGE! I had never seen anyone with that much muscle before. I grew up around a lot of different guys who were in to wresting and grew up on farms. They had a lot of muscle, were very strong. But it was nothing like this. At the time he was with some girl, who I assumed must have been a girlfriend. So I moved on. At the time, I really just wanted friends to hang out with anyway.
His first impression
Apparently, he too had noticed me that first day in the singles ward. He thought I was cute, so he asked around about who I was. He, then found out that I was only 17 still. With my late September birthday, I wasn't due to turn 18 until then. They all thought I was very young. They had nicknamed me la diecisiete, which means "the seventeen." Jared was 24 when I first met him. That is a seven year age difference. When you think about it, it is kind of funny to think that when he was a senior in high school, I was 11 years old and in 6th grade (yep, still in elementary school). Or when he was getting home from his mission, I was only 15, a Sophmore in high school. Not even old enough to date. Now, it doesn't really matter at all really. At the time, he thought before asking me out I had to at least be a legal adult. So he waited until I turned 18 and asked me out on my birthday.
Dating
We went on a couple of dates, I liked him, thought he was fun and good looking. I was just wanting to have fun and that is what we were doing. He, on the other hand I think feared commitment at the time. In fact any of his friends who got engaged. He called it en-gagged to be murdered. I was told he was more of a "player" and didn't stick with one girl. Which at the time was just fine with me. After the first few dates, we actually got be pretty good friends. We had the same group of friends we would hang out with and thats what we became really. Just friends. We hung out like that for about 9 months I think. Then, we started to like each other as more then friends. I was not about to admit to it because I knew him as dating a lot of different girls. There was a few I got completely jealous of, but I never acted on it or said anything, because we were "just friends." I didn't know it at the time, but there were times when I was gone on a date with different guys and he would be bugged that I was out with someone else and not hanging out with him and our friends. Then he was bothered by the fact that it bugged him and didn't know what to do. Things all changed when we all planned a big road trip. There was a group of us and we planned to drive up through San Fransico and then down the coast to Anaheim and back through Vegas. It was that trip that changed out status. Before the trip I had gotten some pretty strong feelings for him and it was during that trip that I completely fell in love with him. I didn't want to admit anything just yet because I was afraid we would get back from the trip and things would go back to being the way they were before. Well, we got back and he totally blew off this girl that he had dated a few times. He told her he had a "girlfriend." I felt a little better after that ha ha.
"En-gagged to be Murdered"
We got officially engaged in August of 2000. Our big road trip had happened in June. So we really only seriously dated for about 2 1/2 months. However, we had actually known each other and had been friends for over a year. The way he proposed is just mean. I am so not kidding with this. But anyone who knows Jared well enough, will know, that it was totally him. He is the biggest tease you will ever meet. So, I was going to school at the time and one night I got home from class and he called me to come over. I came over and he met me at my car. I got out and the first words out of his mouth were "Jess, it's over...." (my heart sank) and then he continued "are two words you are never going to hear from me." He then gave me the ring. He is a punk, maybe I should have said no, just to mess with him hee hee.
Now
Here we are now over 12 years later. It turns out, I made a perfect choice for me. He is extremely patient. Such an amazing dad. He works so hard for us, to make sure we can all live comfortably. He goes to church with us and honors his priesthood. He serves others. Helps a TON around the house. He is fun and easy going. Loves to go on vacations with me and the kids. I couldn't have asked for anything better. I love him more and more every day! I am so happy that I get to be with him forever!
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