Since I'm writing this blog without her approval, I feel like I have carte blanche to to tell our story with as many liberties as I want!
According to my dad, our marriage goes back to before Jen and I even met. He served as a Stake Missionary in Copperton right around the time I graduated from high school and started attending Snow College. He loves to tell the completely false story that a little blonde-haired, blued-eyed girl would come up to him and say, "Someday I'm going to be your daughter-in-law." Talk about revisionist history...While that's not true, the rest of this is. Kind of.
Despite the promptings and proddings of friends (in particular one Tony Dowse), I hadn't dated since I got home from my mission. I just hadn't met someone that I felt was worth spending time and money on. I was somewhat confused about who or what type of person I really was looking for anyways to be perfectly honest.
And so it was on a fateful Sunday morning in July of 2001 that Jen and I met. I had been assigned to be a companion speaker with Dad (now on the High Council in the Stake) and our assignment was to speak in Copperton that day. Little did Jen know that the person she couldn't take her eyes off as he shared humorous, touching and spiritual experiences about his mission would be her future husband. I swear, she stared at me the whole time. It made me really nervous.
Dad introduced me to Jen and her parents. During his time as a Stake Missionary, he had developed a strong relationship with Jen's family (another story for another day) and made sure that I met them. For me, it was infatuation at first sight. All during the next week, Jen was the only thing I thought of. Tony finally convinced me to organize a date and I immediately decided to call Jen and ask her out.
Little did I realize that Jen had just graduated from high school, just turned 18, and that I'd be completely robbing the cradle. But at the time, none of that mattered to me. All I could think about was blonde hair and killer blue eyes. She of course said yes. (How could she decline?) I scared her half to death by taking her to Park City and running the Alpine Slide. Of course, I didn't even realize then that she was scared to death of heights, roller coasters, and all things adventurous and fast. But she was a good sport. We finished off the night by going to the cabin and cooking some shish-kabobs (sp? Does anyone really know how to spell that?). I won't say what time we got home because I think her dad is still in the dark about that one. I don't want to ruin my good standing...
Looking back, I'm really glad that first date didn't scare her off. Jen and I are complete opposites in a lot of ways. She's very creative, sensitive, patient, full of charity for others, non-musical (at least singing wise), doesn't really like camping, and all the things I mentioned above. On the other hand, I'm not very creative, or sensitive, or patient, or full of charity, I love music and being involved in it, love camping and adventure and all sorts of dangerous and fast things. I'm really lucky she didn't just walk away and never return my calls.
I did go on a date shortly thereafter with a good friend from high school, Kristy Sanderson. Unfortunately for Kristy, all I talked about was this Jen girl that had captured my imagination and focus (Sorry, Kristy). I still don't think that Jen realizes how much she occupied every waking moment of my life right after we met. In fact, I turned down other opportunities to go on dates because I was already pretty certain that Jen was the only girl for me.
To be perfectly honest, I probably had our wedding set before the second date. Which by the way, was a trip to Jordan Commons to watch "Princess Diaries" a couple weeks later. A chick flick. Yup. I really, really, really, really (should I keep going?) wanted to hold her hand. But she was smart - she employed every feminine trick for keeping her hands out of reach for the entire movie. I was amazed. Didn't she get it? I mean, my left hand had sat on either my leg or the armrest in wide open position the entire time. I couldn't decide if my mojo was out of wack (of course, seven years ago, I'm not sure "mojo" even existed) or maybe tactics had seriously changed since my dating days before the mission. Either way, I was one frustrated hombre until after the movie, as we walked out, Jen made the mistake of letting her hands down to her sides. I seized the moment (and her hand) and never let go.
Okay, that was overly cheezy. Sorry. Now, contrary to my prior dating experiences, I wasn't interested in moving too quickly. Holding hands and a nice hug were the extent of what I had planned this early in our relationship. Jen will seriously deny the next part of the story, but I swear it's true. I took her home and gave her a hug on the front porch. As we released the hug, I pulled back to tell her thank you for a great time.
The next thing I knew, I had been kissed, she had said goodnight and she was in the house. I hadn't even caught my breath. Come to think of it, I hadn't even really felt the kiss. To this day, Jen denies that she has super powers, but I honestly haven't seen anyone move that fast in my entire life. Honestly. I'm not sure if she was embarrassed, scared, or if I had the ultimate case of nasty popcorn breath...
That said, we spent part of the next Sunday discussing the fact that we didn't want to move to fast. I still felt burned by my pre-mission relationship and Jen had just barely written a "Dear John" letter to a missionary. Of course, as we walked around Copperton, she still didn't give me a chance to hold her hand again. Stupid feminine hand hiding techniques.
That talk didn't really change much. All it took was some flowers when she had her wisdom teeth out, a couple dates to weddings of friends when she was still drugged up from getting her wisdom teeth out, and a Peter Breinholt concert and she was mine.
Of course, we conveniently were both planning on moving down to the navel of Utah, Ephraim, to attend Snow College. That helped quite a bit. Jen also conveniently left her pillow at home when she moved down there. So I had to go up to her house and pick it up, which gave her mom a chance to really evaluate my son-in-law potential. Not long after that, the next weekend I think, we drove up to American Fork to the wedding of my dear mission companion, Jacob Wright. On the way home, talk turned to our thoughts and desires for our relationship and not too long after that, we were planning our wedding.
Some may say that it all happened too fast. That Jen was way too young. That I was too much of a missionary geek still to fully appreciate the dating scene. But we don't think so. Seven years ago, we were both as nervous as could be in the Manti Temple, waiting for our ceremony to start. It didn't help that the temple worker helping me get ready mentioned that just the week before, a poor young man had been left at the altar...
And here we are seven years later. We woke up this morning with Teanna in our bed, proclaiming that it was daytime and time to get up. A lot has happened since that fateful kiss and run in early August of 2001, but at the same time, not a lot has changed.
It seems like only yesterday that we met and fell in love. And I look forward to each tomorrow that we have to fall in love even more.
Jen, I love you. More than anything. Thank you for choosing me and blessing my life with your amazing and profound influence and two beautiful children. Happy Anniversary!
Jake
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