Love Bird Tag

I was tagged by Holly. Mine is not nearly as clever or funny as yours, Holly!

1. Where did you and your husband meet?

We were in the same singles ward (Colonial I) in the Washington DC area. Our roommates were interested in each other, but Brendon and I were not interested in each other yet - so I don't remember exactly when the first time we met was. It wasn't like sparks for either of us :) My roommate, Melanie, and I were at a party and we invited Brendon and his roommate over to watch the movie "Ray". It was awkward deciding where to sit since we barely knew each other and weren't sure who was paired with whom - so Melanie and I let the boys have the couch and we sat on the floor (we thought it was a nice host-ly thing to do...our husbands did not!) It was already midnight when we started the movie, and Melanie and I fell asleep (our husbands still tease us to this day when we watch movies together). It's a miracle they continued hanging out with us, because aparently both boys were bothered by how that night went down.

2. First thing you said to eachother

??? "Wanna come watch a movie?" I really don't know. I do, however, remember the first thing he said to me that sparked some interest for me. Mel, Nate, Brendon and I had gone to Eastern Market to get pancakes and he was talking about his job search and said he was offered a job at the Department of Agriculture. Being the farm girl that I am something changed that day and I started thinking of Brendon as someone I could maybe be interested in.

3. What was your first date?

Brendon and I disagree on which date was our first. His roommate was taking out my roommate one Friday night, so that meant neither Brendon nor I had anyone to hang out with so Brendon suggested we hang out. We went to Target and bought a crepe maker and made crepes together. Date-ish I say. Brendon insists that our first date was when he took me to an imax movie (Deep Sea) at the Natural History museum, then to watch jazz music afterwards at the Jazz Cafe. I'll tell you what my favorite date was though. We were still very newly dating...it was one of our first dates. He didn't tell me what we were doing that night, but he told my friends so they could help me know what to wear. When they told me to wear my cowboy boots I thought maybe we were going to a rodeo. He picked me up and drove to my favorite cute town, Anapolis. He blindfolded me and led me into a restaurant, when I opened my eyes there were concert t-shirts for my favorite country singer, Julie Roberts. I have never been more surprised in my life! I didn't even know she was in town doing a concert. The concert was sold out, and he kept calling the venue every hour all weekend long to see if we could get in. Finally he convinced them to set up two extra seats for us near the doorway to the bar so that we could attend. The concert was AMAZING, but what made the night even more amazing is that after the concert we lingered around the front and made friends with the keyboard player. He invited us to stay for the second show and sit with his family in the back. And he arranged to have us go backstage for the meet & greet. I was so giddy for days!

4. Where was your first kiss?

Brendon had been dragging his feet for months moving from "just friends" to dating and I was ready to throw in the towel certain that he wasn't interested in me. Nate, Mel, Brendon and I decided to take a spontaneous trip to Puerto Rico on a long weekend. I realized that this was my last chance to shift things to "more than friends", and if we didn't kiss on this trip I was going to give up on the guy. The 1st or 2nd night there Brendon and I sat by the pool on lounge chairs until 4 am looking at the stars and talking. All I remember is that he pointed out one constellation that he thought looked like a penguin. I was dead tired, but I was going to hang in there until he kissed me, but then he said, "Ready to go?" I was so dissapointed - he'd had the perfect opportunity to kiss me and hadn't. But right as I was throwing my pity party he kissed me. Success! We were more than friends! Any close friends that know the story about the day after our first kiss know that it was the potentially most humiliating day of my life!!

5. Long or short courtship/engagement?

Average. We were friends/dating for a little over a year, and engaged for a few months. It was too long for Brendon and too short for me, so I guess we compromised. I tell you what though...it was a courtship jam-packed with fun times, trips, and adventures.

Palmyra, New York:

One of many trips to Little Italy (NY):

Duck Beach, North Carolina:

6. Where did you get engaged?

I don't think I'm allowed to blog about it, but if you know where he works then know that it was in a really cool room there with all kinds of a candles and a great view of Washington, DC. After an amazing dinner at Old Ebbit Grill and dessert at The Melting Pot.

7. Where were you married?

Oakland, California temple.

8. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

Hmm. Brendon's mom and aunt graciously let us use their timeshare for a condo in Park City for a week between our California and Utah receptions. But since we spent half the time driving into Orem to spend with our families we don't really count it as a honeymoon. We are currently planning the "honeymoon" that I am forcing Brendon to take me on for sometime this Spring/Summer. We'll update you when we make a final decision...but we are trying to narrow it down to a couple exotic countries in Europe and the Middle East. Think Italian gelato, Greek islands, Spanish bullfights, Holy Land, and Egyptian pyramids.

Now...I tag:

Brookie...because she has fun stories

My mom...so she can FINALLY have something to blog about

Laura H. ...for the same reason :)

Jen Butter...because I love reading her blog

Everyone else! Go for it...it's Valentine's day