Today is our 16th wedding anniversary. Good day to add this topic. I'm going to go ahead and type the questions and then answer them in order so that I don't get off topic like last time.When and how did you meet your spouse?
I didn't really meet him until we were in our early twenties but I knew of him in high school. The first time I became aware of Owen was senior year. We were in A' Capella choir together. (Honestly to this day I wondered why Owen took that class.) I had this super smart/ genius-type friend Tom whom I was very fond of. He was someone I wanted to be like. Reserved, intelligent and kind. One day I walked into the choir room for class and beheld Tom talking in a very intimate and affectionate way with this tall, blond muscle bound boy with a slight mullet wearing a heavy medal T-Shirt. I was slack-jawed and as soon as I had the chance, I questioned Tom who this mystery friend was. I wondered how on earth Tom was friends with and really liked someone like this. Tom told me that he was Owen, his brother. I was stunned. No way! Really?! Seriously?! Honestly, to me Tom and Owen were polar opposites as far as looks and presentation was concerned and I thought secretly that either Owen or Tom was adopted. I once tried to get to know Owen a little better when I was at Tom’s house hanging out. I suggested that we play D and D because I had heard that Owen would play with Tom and a few other boys. I went along and tried to initiate a friendship but Owen acted as though I didn't exist and it was clear that this one wasn't interested on any level in me. Fine. I had enough male friends to date and hang out with anyway. Once while I was in that choir class, I had the strongest impression that my future husband was sitting behind me. I turned around to look at who was there and realized that there were at least 15 boys sitting behind me. Of course, Owen was the one actually sitting exactly right behind me in the next row up. Something that I realized once we were engaged. That’s as far as our meeting went until after Owen returned home from Romania.
The period of time starting 6 months from Owens return from his mission, our stars were aligning. I had become obsessed with the plight of orphans in Romania. I had convinced a group of my friends with impassioned pleas that we NEEDED to go to Romania and take with us paint, toys, soft blankets and clothes to help at least one orphanage have better conditions for a few children. We had talked to our teacher from High School who had done something earlier who gave us contacts in Romania. Plans were in the works. I was saving everything I earned in order to pay my way and also pay the way for our eventual interpreter. We decided that it would be a good idea to take with us a returned missionary who had served in Romania and was familiar with the language and the culture to serve as part interpreter part priesthood wielding body guard while we were in country. When my friends and I were discussing this, I immediately remembered Tom’s brawny brother who had just returned from his mission to Romania. We pitched the idea to Owen over the phone and promised that we would furnish travel food expenses if he would come with us for the month. He agreed (he said to be exposed to several eligible and lovely young ladies for possible courtship) and came to our next meeting.
He was already at the meeting when I got there. When I first saw him, I knew that eventually we would be married. Of course, I thought it would be several months before we would even get to dating but eventually we'd get there. Owen and I were made a work team for our valley. We were to work together gathering donations of every sort as well as securing financial support from businesses for the trip. Owen and I spent three weeks working side by side doing our best to better lives of Romanian orphans and liking each other more and more every day. One day, Owen gave me a broken watch from Russia. It was a silly gift but I remember feeling really moved that he had given me something from his mission experience. On Valentine’s Day I took him a card and some flowers right before I went on a date with another guy. I spent the evening wishing I was with Owen. The next night, I talked Owen into going to a friend’s wedding. Owen met my grandmother, my best friend’s family and many of my friends and they all reported to me that they were strongly impressed that they were meeting my future Husband. Owen and I were feeling it too; Even though we had only known each other for three weeks. We had never kissed, or held hands, or even hugged. Yet, on the 17th of February, Owen asked me to marry him as we sat in front of the Provo temple. After I said yes, we shared our first kiss. The whole night, I thought he was going to tell me that we needed to slow things down due to the fact that we were supposed to be traveling together for a whole month. I was learning that my future husband was a doer when he felt something strong. We were engaged for two and a half months in which time I managed to pull together a wedding. We were married on May Day. All of the light posts of downtown Salt Lake City were wrapped in spring colored ribbons. It felt as though the whole world were celebrating our love. We held our reception the next day at the Springville Museum of Art. We had a lovely huge cake, a classical guitarist and beautiful pink roses and calla lilies. It was so beautiful! I loved it. I love Owen more and have done for better and worse these past sixteen years.
