Well..Obviously a lot has happened in since my last attempt to start up a blog habit...There's too much to go back and recap for the last year...but in short summary...I moved in with one of my friends and co-workers from Heritage Makers, Megan Vernon, which was SUCH a good decision. She and I became best friends and had a blast! We became great friends with our neighbors and made the tradition of Milkshake Mondays and hangouts. I was soo truly blessed to have her as my roommate.
Not only was the move a great thing for my social life and friends, but I had no idea what was truly in store for me. I did lots of dating last year which was a blast! But always in the back of my mind, with every guy that I started to really like, I'd catch myself thinking....is he the one? There was always something missing with each of them...
In November of 2012, the apartment/townhome next to us got evicted and a whole new apartment of boys moved in. I always told Megs that we should go introduce ourselves, give them cookies or something...but we never actually followed through. Finally one night during Ward Visits (my calling as Co-Ward Mission Leader) I visited the new apartment of guys. I soon found out I had been in the MTC with them! Small world...I only recognized one of them though. They all seemed really nice, but didn't think anything of it...My was I wrong! I would see these guys around ward activities and I tried to be social with them...they seemed to be...outcasts :) or at least not very interested in the ward. But we all got along when we chatted...I soon got to the point that I knew their names...well...most of their names. There was one I always forgot, and I felt horrible. His name was Jake Evans. :) Yes, I could remember the rest, but I'd always forget Jake's. I felt so bad! One day, Jake and I got home at the same time, and as we share a parking lot, we started talking. I asked him his name for the last time, and told him that the next time I forgot his name, I'd buy him a pizza....let's just say, I never had to buy him that pizza.
We all soon started hanging out as friends..Laser Tag, Basketball nights, wiffleball in the church....We all had a blast - not to mention my crush on Jake got stronger every time we were together...Then, in February, I got the sad news that my dear dear Grandma Phelps had passed away. It was a really hard event in the family....however, as bittersweet as times like that are, I truly believe that my Grandma Phelps brought Jake and I together. He was SUCH a caring friend, and he went above and beyond to make sure I was okay. That sparked our friendship and relationship..and my was it a spark!!! After receiving an entire banana cream pie from Village Inn from them, to text messages, and hang outs...Jake and I's chemistry took off. We felt so comfortable with eachother from the start....That weekend, we spent basically 4 straight days together...I was falling hard. I had a planned trip to visit my mission for the sealing of the Ruelas Family...and that week, it settled in for the two of us, that this wasn't just a fling...that we wanted this to last. So...within 2 weeks, we became official and seriously dating. I fell in love....truly fell in love, for the first time. And it was GLORIOUS.
Living next door from eachother allowed us to spend literally every day together after work...It was an awesome opportunity for us to truly get to know eachother. April came around, and we finally made it official! Jake proposed!!! April 25th, on the way to the airport - Jake drove me to temple square to have a "moment" before I left to visit the Ericksons for the birth of baby boy...We ran to the gates of temple square where a trail of rose petals started....they proceeded all the way to the fountain in front of the Assembly Hall. There was a ring box and an iHome with an iPod set up. He then started the music, and he danced with me, right there, to 'Can't Help Falling in Love with You' by Elvis...it was so romantic...I was on cloud nine. He then got down on one knee...saying, 'take my hand, take my whole life too...' and asked me to marry him. I, of course, said yes! he was shaking so bad :) and then go up and we embraced and started to dance again. the next song to follow was our first song 'I Can't Wait' by Runner Runner...It was PERFECT! I couldn't stop smiling...we ran to the airport after that and said goodbye :)
The rest is history! the wedding plans proceeded, and my family was AMAZING and worked so hard to make everything perfect for our big day....i can't thank them enough...Skipping through the engaged months...to our perfect day, August 3rd, 2013...We finally were sealed for time and all eternity. It was perfect. Never have I felt the spirit so strong as i did when we walked into that sealing room, filled with people that we loved....the love and spirit in that room was truly overwelming. I lost it and cried from that moment through the whole thing :) tears of joy...such joy...to be surrounded by such a spirit...and to kneel across the alter and look into Jake's eyes and promise forever...it was perfect!
We honeymooned on the Big Island of Hawaii, had an open house in Vegas, and then came back up to Provo to our little basement apartment....Then hit a whole new stage of our lives! We soon got a text from jake's uncle, Rick, that if we were serious about trying to end up in Sacramento, we needed to get down there now! We felt really strongly that this was the right thing..so...we have been getting everything together to move to Sacramento for Jake to start Paramedic school and begin his dream of becoming a fire fighter. I'm so proud of Jake and all he is doing. And I'm so so so happy to be married to him. Life has been nonstop for us since we started dating, yet we grow closer and closer and fall more and more in love every day. I'm so blessed to have him by my side...I've never known a love like this...and it is, in my eyes, perfect. Perfectly imperfect...and oh how happy I am! We are nervous but excited....here we go!!!
