22 years ago...

CAUTION THE FOLLOWING POST MIGHT BE ENTIRELY TOO SAPPY FOR SOME:

Gotta love that huge 80's hair.

 22 years ago today a 20 year old girl and a 21 year old boy decided it would be a good idea to get married.  They had no clue how hard marriage and being parents was going to be, but got engaged because they believed it was the right thing to do.  Saying yes that evening of November 10, 1989 is a decision that I have never once regretted.

The story:
It was the beginning of my junior year in college at BYU.  Based on experiences that I had had the previous year I had realized that I could not compromise my standards of living the gospel, so in order to do that I would have to marry a guy who was spiritual and not necessarily fun.  I had learned that I could live without fun, but I could not live without someone who shared my convictions and commitment to the gospel.  Based on my experiences I didn't think the two things could coexist in one member of the opposite sex.  I had even told my Bishop what I had come to realize.  He just smiled a knowing smile, and said you never know.  So anyway,  I met Tony almost unknowingly right before school started because we were looking for an apartment with a TV so we could find out some news that we had heard about.  His apartment had a TV.  I was introduced to him, but was too distressed by the news to really pay much attention.  The first fast Sunday I bore my testimony in church, and Tony says he was very impressed and his roommate told him he should ask me out.  So that weekend we had a opening social dance, and Tony asked me to dance twice.  He was so easy to talk to, I felt completely at ease, which is unusual for me.  (He also danced very close.)  After the dance I hoped that he would ask me out, but I didn't figure it would happen. The next day at church he sang in Sacrament meeting, and he had a voice that would melt any girl's heart.  That day he asked me out for the following weekend.  We went out on Friday night, I had a great time.  Sunday was stake conference.  He happened to sit down the row from me and gave me this note.

I of course said I would go with him.  When he came over Sunday evening it was pouring, not a little Utah drizzle, a true Brazilian style downpour.  We decided to go anyway.  We walked and talked and got soaked.  He held my hand finally at the end of the walk.  We went out a couple of times that week and then that weekend we went up to Bridal Veil Falls and just talked.  We both agreed that we wanted to see where this relationship was headed.  That evening he kissed me for the first time.  I was so smitten.  The rest is really history.  We spent as much time as possible together and started discussing the possibility of marriage. We knew it was right to get married, so I told him he should probably ask me and make it official. (yes I wanted the ring) He already had plans in the works and told me to be patient (not my forte). On November 10th we had a mock wedding date planned for my apartment and our dates.  We all picked up our dates, and they all had to pretend to propose to each of us.  Tony of course went last.  When he started he said "If I were going to ask Annette to marry me I would have some nice music playing (my roommate started some music playing), and I wouldn't just give her one rose, I would give her 26 roses (his friend's mom was a florist), and then I would read her a poem that I wrote."  He then read me the poem.  I of course was crying at this point, obviously this wasn't fake, and I of course said yes. 

 

This is the song he played that night by Dan Hill

This is the only picture of my ring.  We picked it out the next day.

I felt like and still feel like I have always known Tony.  I know that sounds like a seen from Saturday's Warrior, but I had never before and have never since met someone who I was instantly comfortable with and felt like I could share anything with. I am grateful everyday for the opportunity to have him in my life.  He is so much fun, we are constantly laughing, but more importantly he is someone I have always been able to look up to, and someone who always makes me want to be a better person.  Yes he is a dork (sorry it was just getting to sappy), but there isn't a better dork around.  Love you Tony!