27 Moments

#27

Chris came through the drive-thru one night while I was working at Arby's. My manager was jokingly giving me a hard time about something, and in a dramatic act of chivalry, Chris jumped from the truck and through the drive-thru window to defend me.

#26

While quite excitedly learning his first real programming language in the first semester we were married, Chris taught me a few very basic C++ commands. I wrote a program to calculate how much cement would be needed for the given dimensions of a driveway. Because Chris told me to.

#25

Quietly working on a puzzle of the Salt Lake Temple while watching movies or listening to Harry Potter on cd, then hiding the puzzle pieces by sliding the cookie sheets we used for storage trays under the couches.

#24

Hanging out in the tiny storefront of the Sinclair gas station where Chris worked during his senior year of high school.

#23

Hanging a blanket over our bedroom window in Twin Creek to block the cold winter air, only to remove the blanket and find the window to be completely iced over with almost an inch-thick layer.

#22

Hiking up the hills behind the University of Utah dorms after we'd broken up and talking about anything and everything that came to mind--along with a few karate demonstrations.

#21

Sitting on the floor in the hallway of the University of Alaska Fairbanks dorms, me trying to slyly ask Chris if he really was a member of the church and then trying to guess what each of the things meant on his get-to-know-you door poster.

#20

Driving from Aberdeen back to Salt Lake in my Mazda Protege, discussing how fun it would be to get married and pile all of our belongings into that car and drive wherever the inclination took us.

#19

I gave Chris break-up advice when he broke up with the girl he started dating right after he broke up with me. My advice worked wonders, and he called me back a few days later to thank me. We spent more than three hours on the phone that night, during which time I was walking around the U's dorms barefoot in the moonlight.

#18

In the short weeks before Jane was born, we lived in a townhouse that required a wood-burning stove for heat. We spent many a night cuddling on the couch, listening to the fire and watching the baby try to kick her way out of my belly.

#17

Our first Valentine's as a couple, I received my first flower delivery--a single white rose. On the same day, I received a letter in the mail chronicling many of the inner thoughts of the boy I was slowly coming to love. I still have that letter.

#16

Holding hands, walking on the dirt road from his parents' house to the cemetery, enjoying the peaceful quiet that only comes at dusk when you get completely away from cars and houses.

#15

Walking between the trees and down the hill after leaving the cafeteria--the first time that Chris confessed that he liked me. You know, that he liked liked me.

#14

Making an unauthorized copy of the key to the house we were still hoping to buy and sitting in the bedrooms together, imaging all the wonderful things that our family would experience in that house. (Thankfully, we did buy that house a few weeks later.)

#13

In the top five of presents while we were dating--I was desperately missing living in Washington. Chris gave me the movie 10 Things I Hate about You, which was filmed in Seattle, along with a fleece blanket covered in lighthouses and a teddy bear. My instructions: turn on the movie, wrap up in the blanket and imagine that I was in Washington again. The teddy bear was only necessary if Chris wasn't there to hug me himself.

#12

Senior Prom, Pocatello, Idaho. Chris and his friend Ben got up on stage, in front of the entire crowd at prom, and sang a song that they wrote for me and Ben's girlfriend, called The Golden Touch. I still have the cd recording and the written lyrics.

#11

The first time I saw Chris after his mission, we drove to Bear Lake together. That was one of the best drives through Logan Canyon that I've ever had. I didn't know until then how much I missed talking to him.

#10

For our first moment alone as a new family of three on the day Jane was born, we watched Stargate SG-1 in the hospital room.

#9

Last year's birthday celebration at Anniversary Inn. That's all you get to know.

#8

The first time Chris told me that he loved me, we were sitting at a red light in my parents' yellow van, facing west at the intersection of 4500 S and Highland Dr. in Salt Lake. He looked at me and quietly said, "You know I love you, right?"

#7

Standing outside the hotel room where my mom and I were staying, Chris informed me that when dropping a date off after prom, it is customary to leave with a good night kiss. After ten months of dating, that was our first kiss.

#6

Because he loves me and wanted to appreciate and share in the things that I enjoy, Chris read Pride and Prejudice and then voluntarily watched the six-hour A&E movie version.

#5

A moment spread over the course of two years--turning the corner into the small alcove of PO boxes in Utah State's TSC, holding my breath while checking the tiny window into box 1529, hoping to see the large, white envelope that meant a letter from Chris in Norway.

#4

Coming through the veil and into Chris's arms after receiving my endowment in the Logan temple.

#3

Receiving a priesthood blessing from Chris that lead one of the most powerful spiritual witnesses I have ever received that Chris and I are truly meant to be together forever, and that we truly are sealed together for time and all eternity.

#2

Standing next to Chris's gray Ford in a parking lot at USU, we kissed. The wind was blowing ferociously and my long hair completely surrounded both of our heads. Kissing in extreme weather is wonderful.

#1

Standing in the grassy field of Willow Park, wrapped in Chris's arms for the first time in over two years, knowing that I didn't ever want him to let me go again. And he hasn't.

Happy Birthday to My Love

Here's to many, many more birthdays together