It was 6 years ago...

...on Friday, November 12, that I hung out with a fun group of people at a birthday party for a friend, Rhett. And at this birthday party was a very cute guy named Darwin.

...on Saturday, November 13, that I attended a ward activity that included a dance. Although I came to the dance with some Brazilian guy, I danced to a song called Amazed by Lonestar with that cute guy named Darwin. We danced. Close. We sang the words to each other. It was a dance to not be forgotten. The cute guy named Darwin asked me to dance the last dance with him too, but someone else had already asked me, so I had to turn him down. Poor guy.

...on Sunday, November 14, that I sat next to the cute guy named Darwin at church. He called me later that night and asked me to come to a bonfire at his friend's house. We talked outside in the cold by the fire. Then inside the house. When he brought me home I asked him if he wanted to come inside to meet my cousins, who I was living with at the the time. He came inside, and we stayed up talking long after my cousins went to bed. We talked about lots of stuff. He told me he liked me & wanted to see where things could go with us. I was unsure. I had a missionary out who I was sure I was going to marry, but I told Darwin I would give him a chance.

...on Monday, November 15, at 5:00am we shared our first, most magical, amazing, incredible kiss either one of us has ever experienced. (Picture the end of Beauty and the Beast after the Beast becomes human again and they kiss and everything transforms to beautiful again. Yeah, that was kind of what it was like.) We took it as a sign and felt we were both walking on sunshine the next day. I ended up calling in sick to work that morning after having only 45 minutes of sleep...needing to be at work by 8:00am, I nearly passed out in the shower from lack of sleep. Although my body felt miserable, my heart felt like it was going to burst from the feelings I was beginning to feel about this cute guy named Darwin.

...on Tuesday, November 16 through Thursday November 18, that I saw Darwin every night after he got done at work. We would talk for a while before he would go home so we could continue with our work and school responsibilities and not fall too far behind. But all we really wanted was to be together.

...on Friday, November 19, that I hung out with Darwin at his house where we talked some more and tried to figure out what we were feeling, and why our feelings for each other we were already so strong.

...on Saturday, November 20, that I took Darwin up north to go to a baptism and baby blessing where he met my parents, siblings, aunt, uncle, and lots (but not even close to all) of my cousins. My family fell in love with him instantly. My aunt knew there was something special about him and told me I had to keep her posted. It was that night, on Saturday, November 20th, after spending more time talking at his house, when he walked me out to my car he said, "Marry me someday." A little unsure of what to say, I told him I had to pray about it. On my way home he texted me a couple of scriptures to read in Doctrine & Covenants. When I got home, I read those scriptures and immediately prayed about my question. I didn't expect to get my answer right away, but I did. And it was clear. I knew I was supposed to marry Darwin, not my missionary. I called Darwin and when he answered the phone I just said "Yes." Not completely sure what to say, he said, "Yes, what?" I responded, "Yes, I will marry you."

...on Thursday, November 25, that we told my family at our Thanksgiving dinner that we were going to get married August 12, 2005.

...on Saturday, November 27, that we were shopping for engagement rings.

And from there, it's history.

Here we are, exactly 6 years after that life-changing week we had, only 2 months away from meeting our first child. Dar & I both agree that life has improved since we met each other and married in the beautiful Bountiful temple on that very hot August day. I am so glad that even though things moved very quickly for us, we were both willing to trust our Heavenly Father by taking that HUGE leap of faith into the darkness (not knowing each other hardly at all, and getting engaged after a week of just hanging out, not having gone on an official date yet, was a pretty scary thing for both of us) knowing that He would not lead us astray. I am so glad Darwin trusted the feeling he had to ask me to marry him and that I trusted my feeling that it was right for me to marry him. Darwin is by far, with absolutely zero competition, the very best thing that has ever happened to me.

Dar, thank you for being my best friend, my husband, my lover, my protector, my security, my perfect puzzle piece, my everything. You complete me. :) I love you with all my heart!