A new story to be told...

So, I've been told that since I'm married I really need a blog. That and I haven't updated my blog since I came home from my mission in December. It's been a while.

So, basically, I'm MARRIED!!!

Here's the scoop: Alex and I met in early 2007, our freshman year at BYU. I was in the Cougareat one Friday after Music 101 with Alison and the boys from our ward who were also in Music 101, and our friend Tracy was sitting a few tables away with this really good-looking boy. Naturally, I was curious, and I walked over to find out who in the world this boy was. I sat at their table and talked to them for about five minutes and then it was time for people to head to class.

Next run-in: Tracy was avoiding Alex's roommate who was coming to visit her during visiting hours and so I went with her to visit Alex, because obviously his roommate would never expect her to be there. Well, Alex had the book The Three Musketeers on his shelf. Which obviously meant he must have read it, indicating good taste and intelligence. Basically I had a big crush on the boy. He added me on facebook later that night and between the two of us we had more than 100 wallposts before I went to bed.

We kept facebooking the next day until we decided AIM was easier (oh the days of chatting on AIM...) and he decided it was best not to overwhelm the internet so we met in the Cannon Center (the old one), bought Subway together, and ate in the Chipman lobby (it was early so it wasn't crowded with couples yet). Then we walked around Helaman Halls, sat on the hill and watched five minutes of a baseball game, walked around some more, held hands, and returned to the Cannon Center lobby. Least awkward first date ever, we just talked and talked. And yes, the place of our first date has since been destroyed. I remember being so excited that he liked me, like silly movie jumping around that night when I got back to my room.

So we had our little March fling but soon realized that there were a whole lot of tests coming up (and boyfriend the finals before=crappy finals) and we were both going home for the summer. So that was over.

We talked during the summer but I pretty much spent the summer trying to get over him because "we'll see what happens in September" seemed not-so-promising. In the end we went on one date in September and held hands and had fun but we saw each other only one other time that semester. (I think it's because I didn't kiss him ;) )

So, after an eventful semester and a couple of other boys who never even held my hand I found myself on AIM on Valentine's Day of 2008 talking to Alex. He said he decided he was going on a mission (yay!). And some other things that created a new conversation 3 days later in which we decided we were having an unofficial DTR and he knew where he stood but had to come over to tell me. He came over, we didn't want to let go of each other, and that was basically that. We've been holding on to each other ever since, except for a freak out "ohmygosh I'm dating a boy and this is going to get serious" moment a week later during which he listened and prodded and talked and cared and basically I was hooked.

So February 17th was our day. We dated pretty seriously all summer. Lots of marriage talk. He got his mission call at the very end of June, he got me a promise ring that I would wear for two and a half years, and he went home in August to get ready for his mission. Argentina, Buenos Aires West.

With perhaps a bit of inception the idea of me going on a mission as well was planted in my head and I couldn't get it out. It felt right. Which, I must say, was odd. My vision of sister missionaries was weird, badly dressed, slightly abrasive girls. I had never ever wanted to be one. BUT I had a testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel and I knew it was true and I felt that a mission was right.

April 2009 I got a call to the Italy Catania Mission. I had to read the letter about 5 times to make sure it was real. Italy was my dream. I had taken 3 years of Italian at BYU, I had always loved Italy and wanted to go there, and so I was pretty caught off guard when my dream came true. Just goes to show that God really does know me and what I want and what I need. he had prepared me my whole life to be exactly where I was exactly when I needed to be for those 18 months, and though it now feels like a dream it is an experience that will forever define me.

Alex and I wrote lots of letters those two years and two months.

When I called him the day after I got home in December it was so normal to talk on the phone with him, and super exciting. I was home for a week before we went to Utah for New Years and we finally saw each other again. Perfect. After supporting each other through missions we supported each other through school. I graduated in April. He drove me to the doctor's office and to school every single day after I had surgery in February. He is my best friend, we can talk forever about everything, we can be quiet together, we can laugh and cry and do anything together.

We got engaged in February, 2 years and 364 days after we started dating. We got married on 18 June 2011.

And that is the beginning of our once upon a time.

C'era una volta.