Getting Married

The Meeting

I met Alan while serving my mission in New York City. We first served together in Long Island where he quickly proceeded to pick on me to my face and behind my back while he was around his fellow missionaries. We served together for over seven months and still he picked on me. I honestly always believed he was an awesome person and I really wished we were friends. The thing is there were several times when it was just our two companionships together, he would be so nice and considerate and would come talk to me and demand my attention. Also he would always end up sitting next to me when we would have district meetings and district activities. He would always call me over to look at pictures of his niece. She was cute, but I thought it was strange behavior for someone who swore he hated me. I remember torturing him before we left the mission to come home by saying I would make him be my friend when we got home. He said that after that conversation he told all the elders that he would never see me again. Three weeks later (after I came home too) he contacted me on facebook and eventually we started hanging out.

(Alan is sitting next to me as we made sushi for our district activity)

After the Mission...

I was pretty clueless though. I still felt that he probably didn't like me, but I remember thinking he was so nice now. One day in particular he came over and I kept repeating that we were just friends so he needed to relax. (I thought he was freaking out because we were spending so much time together.) He came over again later that night and I introduced him to my two best friends from before my mission. They were all excited and pulled me aside to ask me who he was. They were like, he is so cute who is he? What are you doing with him? I think it was around this time that I realized how good-looking Alan actually was. Before he had always just been Elder Lee. Anyways, my friends had to go and Alan said he was hungry so we went and got some food. Again he was so nice and open with me. (Which I love it when people are open.) Then he said he was paying for my food. I said, "You know if you pay it is a date right?" "I know," he said. This is when things started to click for me....maybe he does like me....he was taking me on a date. It was pretty sneaky. Anyways, the night progressed and we watched the Last Samurai before he took me home. I was still unsure of what was going on, but the next day he obviously thought we were together and I decided that it was ok. We had a DTR decided we would give it a try. Alan said, "This (our dating each other) is either going to be super awesome or super terrible."

The Dating

I still remember how like the 3rd day we were dating we were sitting on my couch just talking and Alan got really silly. He put his head in his hands and let out a long ahhhhhhhhhh! I asked him what was wrong and he wouldn't tell me because he was embarrassed. But I knew exactly what he was being so silly about. I was thinking the same thing and it was crazy. We knew then that we wanted to be with each other forever. It was that simple. I have had my doubts but they were doubts about my ability to be a wife and doubts about if Alan really could love me ect ect. We had always planned to wait a year just to be sure. Neither of us wanted to rush into the serious commitment of marriage. Anyways, Alan and I have come so far. I have never felt so close to someone. I have never felt so loved and wanted and needed. It is beautiful. We can talk/argue about anything and we are still best friends afterwards. It is wonderful. I love him.

The Proposal

So thursday night when he walks me home he said that he wanted to take me out to eat the next night. He was so decisive I knew something was up. I was so excited because I was sure he would propose the next night. The whole day I was excited, until he texted me and asked what I wanted to cook for dinner. (We cook together you see.) Anyways, I was super bummed. But then he picked me up from work and he was dressed in his super fashionable collared shirt and skinny jeans and I knew tonight was the night. He was so cute. He pretended we were going to go to get bread bowls from Smiths for the soup we were going to make and pretended he went somewhere to explain the way he was dressed. But I knew what was going on. He took me to An El Salvadorian Restaurant to eat Pupusas where we had our first date. We ate everything we had the first time. I had two cheese pupusas and he had four chicken ones and we shared plantains. Then we went to my brother Rob's house cause that is also what we did on our first date. Then we were driving home and he said. Hey lets go look for ear plugs. I was like what? Then he said he wanted to go home and change and I thought wow, did he do all of this to throw me off. Then he had me wait in the car for him. While he went upstairs to change. Then he came down in the same shirt and he was carrying something. I saw there were flowers when he came to the car and then he told me to get out. This is where I got confused. He led me upstairs and the apartment was all lit up with candles everywhere! We sat down on the couch to watch a movie, just like we did on our first date. But the movie, was not just any movie. It was a dvd of us. He put together pictures of us together from our mission. Surprisingly we sat by each other a lot on the mission. Kind of funny huh? Anyways, it had all our favorite songs and it was pictures from all our adventures together and then it ended with a picture of the Portland temple. It was beautiful. He kissed me then went down on both knees while I sat on the couch. He started to cry and I had already been crying a little and he said I meant the world to him and he would do whatever it takes to take me to the temple in April and be with me forever because he needed me and loved me more than anything ever. It was super sweet and he pulled out the ring. And asked me to marry him and I said yes. It was so exciting and emotional and it was wonderful! I am so happy.

We picked the ring out together in Seattle from an antique jewelry store. It is from 1910! or around there. It had little leaves engraved on the band. It is super delicate and beautiful. I know I know I always said I didn't want a diamond. But, when I saw this ring it was perfect. Despite what the pictures may show, it is actually a pretty small diamond so I don't feel bad about it and the ring is beautiful.

Anyways. So we are getting married April 29 in the Portland Oregon temple and April 30th is the reception in Seattle and May 3rd on Tuesday is the reception in Oregon.