One Year Later...

On October 16th this year (exactly one year after Zack and I met, almost the same time too!) he asked me to be his forever.

                                               STORY TIME!

So we woke up on this sunny Sunday, just like any other. Ammon, Scott, and Sheena spent the night at the Burrells’ because we were singing in their family ward. It turns out it we weren’t as needed as thought, but it was still fun to sing the EFY medley again! (woot efy!) We finished singing and left, trying to make it to their student ward. We went to church and it was just delightful, their bishop is nice and their ward is smaller than mine, more cozy [:

Zack and I went to his apartment to get ready for our picnic we decided we were going to go on a while ago for our “anniversary.” He made quesadillas and we took apples and water bottles and other things that don’t really matter. He said he was going to go change into normal (non-church) clothes. I told him it was fine to just stay in church clothes, but he was ADEMENT about changing. That should’ve been my first clue, but he told me if I was going to expect it, he wasn’t going to do it. Well, what a better day than our year anniversary? So, naturally I didn’t expect it! We loaded up in the car with our usual red picnic blanket and basket and took off. We jammed out in the car on the way there. He didn’t drop any hints by saying abnormally cute things or messing with my left ring finger.

We got there and ate our quesadillas (note to ANYone who packs quesadillas: don’t pack in plastic bags, they get soggy…) after we finished eating he said he had to go the bathroom, okay, nothing weird about that, right? He started walking toward the big bathroom at Vivian park, which is a good 50 yards farther than the smaller one from where we were. I called out to him, confused by his choice. He must’ve responded with some witty remark that made me laugh AND made sense because I wrapped up like an enchilada with the red blanket. He seemed to be gone for a while so I unwrapped a little to see if I could see him, which I couldn’t be I could see this guy in a suit and a girl and then, kinda walking behind, this other guy. I thought, “hm…that’s weird. What weirdo brings his girlfriend and another dude to the park on a Sunday?  Oh well, it’s a little bit cold. I’m gonna curl back up.” Little did I know, it WAS him. He has gone BEHIND—they were closed for the winter—the big bathrooms at the park and changed into his suit (only requirement I had). He was wearing his swimming suit and a shirt so he could change, I didn’t even notice the extra bulk!

He got to me and nudged me, asking what I was doing all curled up. I told him it was cold and he gently pulled the blanket back from my face. There he was in a suit, with Ammon, Sheena, and Scott. Scott and Zack had guitars, Ammon had a video camera, and Sheena a digital one. I was still a little confused as they told me to sit on the tree stump conveniently right there. Zack and Scott sat down and started singing the song I’d hear the melody of for about three months. I was like okay, he’s going to end the song with will you marry me. The end of the song came and no proposal. Hm, maybe this was just a really cute thing he wanted to do for the special day, okay. No disappointment inside me at all, he walked over to me and started talking to me about how I make him so happy and he wants to try to make me as happy as that for the rest of forever…still wasn’t clicking…then there it was. Smoothly, perfectly, he kneeled, pulling the ring out and opening the box all at the same time. He asked me. I don’t even remember seeing the ring until he almost dropped it after I said yes trying to put it on my hand.

"At the sand dunes at night, don't be cold I'll hold you,
Carving pumpkins that fright, I almost can touch you..
This song was written for you!" 

I had a blister on my right foot, so I was only wearing one shoe! so embarrassed... 

 We’ll be together,

 Forever.

well, nowhere better than the beginning

October 16th, 2010

I was sitting in the Denver airport, bored, and my best friend Amy texted me asking for a cute picture of me. i asked why. she says she misses my beautiful face. yeah right. i took one anyway. she showed it to her new fiance's best friend, Zack. hm...well skip ahead a little. they convince Zack that he was entirely too sick to go into work the next day so that he could go with them up to BYU Idaho to see Amy's apartment and meet her friends, he finally gives in to the plot and comes with them. He didn't want to be the third wheel to this newly engaged couple so that's where I come in.

Next thing I know I'm headed to a restaurant that day to meet a kid I'd never met along with my Father and older brother, and there in the Winger's, we see each other. love at first sight? nope.


i see him for the first time eating the famous "sticky fingers" with a FORK! yeah...weirdo. if only i knew then...

anyway, we didn't talk a lot. he shared his food with me, which i now know is just like having a dog that has a bone in front of him sliding said bone into my lap; it's a pretty big deal. "ZACKARY DOESN'T SHARE FOOD!" quote from, anyone anyone? Friends, great show...anyways he set his fork down and the group pays. i say goodbye to my family that is still there eating and walk out into the cold, afternoon October air. we get put in the back of a car together. we were "polishing the door handles" as my mom says, not because we were nervous or scared of cooties. just not really sure of what was going to happen the rest the night. 

we get to my friend's apartment and play super mario, a super game for a life-changing weekend [: Zack shows he knows his way around a controller; he's a complete gamer. i get bored of watching and decide i'm going to go hang out with my brother, also named zach but with an H. clear difference right? nah, it makes life interesting though. exit amanda

while i'm gone, apparently i'm talked about (Zack can talk about those times) and like a gentlemen calls me first. I promptly reject the call... what? i'm at dinner with my family! he texts and asks if i want to come hang out with a group of people, maybe go build a fire at the dunes. i say sure, the fam wasn't in the best mood anyway and i wasn't happy there. so enter zack

he shows up a few minutes later. he meets my brother, his at-the-time girlfriend (now wife), and my dad. yeah, first day we knew each other, he got the very condensed version of treat her right, don't keep her out too late (if only my dad knew then, haha), and i'll be waiting up with a gun, metaphorical in his case. we say goodbyes and start walking away. i don't know if you know this but restaurants, they have doors. so he holds mine open as we're leaving. yeah, not a big deal the guy can hold a door longer than two seconds. i mean sure it meant something, but here's the real deciding/mind-changing/interesting/cute/wait, what?! moment. 


we then walked across the street with me, toward the car...MY side of the car, then he opened MY door first!

granted, it wasn't the first time i ever had a guy open my door but NO guy who i'd only known four hours. it was his habit. (a habit we still keep to this day, but that's for a different story though) let's just say the second impression was the more important one in this case. maybe a good lesson to remember... 

we get back to an empty apartment. apparently our friends decided to take a walk through the campus gardens without us. so we try to catch up. ever tried to send two new comers to find a place? even lewis and clark had a guide. we walked the general direction and that's when another habit/motif was formed. temples. the first day i knew this guy, we walked toward the temple together. a walk we're still making to this day [:
okay well he was still stuck in missionary mode, seeing as he got home that summer. i was walking as fast as i could without breaking into a run to keep up.

we get home about seven seconds after everyone and they decide it's time to go get pallets. BONFIRED...best unknowingly bad idea ever. we load up in the cars and head to the local grocery to get wood pallets. they burn. they're free. they also have a LOT of nails in them to keep them together...dang dune cop...rewind! zack and i get sent into retrieve the necessary items: lighter, boyscout water, and refreshments. zack starts walking in and turns back, waiting for me. i start to catch up and right as i get close enough, he reaches back his hand for mine. okay, yeah sure first 12 hours of knowing the kid and his hand fits way too well with mine. we walk through the whole store getting what we needed.

i liked it. he liked it. we didn't let go the rest of the night. 

As we're out there on the sand, fire ablaze, 12 am creeps closer. it was a saturday night and the honor code says home again home again for all the students. Amy, Todd, and Zack were all heading back to Utah later so we didn't have to make curfew. so there we are. all snuggly, it's REALLY cold for a southern girl in october. Amy and Todd said, "we want you guys there, at our wedding. should it be the end of december or the middle of april?" zack and i answer at the same time...with different answers. there we are talking to the cute newly engaged couple when, to our surprise, red and blue lights come flying over the dunes...oh no. what did we do wrong? probably looks really bad. two couples, out past honor code curfew, cozied up with a lovely, diminishing fire. long story short, it's apparently illegal to burn pallets in national parks. too many nails. it's also apparently illegal to have glass in the dunes. AND it's also apparently a BIG deal when a park ranger gets mad at you because they can issue a federal citation...good try though Todd. we have that incredibly bright spot light, all the headlights, and the blue and red ones on. all pointing at us. i feel as if i almost know what Joseph Smith felt like when he said "brighter than the noon day sun" thanks mean, condescending, dune cop. just makes for a good laugh now. (sidenote: amy, lucy, tanner, and i went back four days later to pick up those blasted nails.) we decided after the fire had burned out and marked, we decided, along with the cop, that it was time to head home. we packed up and left. the sooner, the better. it started out with Amy and Todd in the front, snuggling and whispering sweet nothings and zack and i in the back sitting, well...not polishing the door handles anymore. IN MY DEFENSE i would like this record to show that i was still in my same seat. it was HE who was sitting awfully close. well Todd had the great idea to tell zack to just "mack on me" to make it less awkward.

he tried.


twice.


Todd and Amy finally got too tired to drive so zack and i switched them spots. we talked about music and his mission (always ask a r.m. about his mission.) well, we proceeded to get lost in the wee small hours of the morning. (frank Sinatra reference.)

even better, our phones were dead.

 seriously though, it was close to two a.m. when we got home...high five me...i had to go to the bathroom SO bad but he was in the middle of his story and i wanted to say goodbye properly cause the chances of seeing this guy again, let's face it, slim. so i invite him in and say hi to my dad and run upstairs to the bathroom. leaving him alone with my dad....for the second time in our first 12 hours. i kinda feel bad, sorry zack! i come back down and walk him out to the car again. i forgot shoes and the concrete was so cold. he had me stand on his feet, when if he is telling it will say that i sent the "vibes" for a kiss now. i don't remember doing it. maybe the fact we're so close together gave him the wrong idea...oh well. so we said goodbye, hugged, no kiss (i'm not that kind of girl!)

 i ran inside, accepting the fact i'd never see him again.

okay so that's the first day of US. if you're reading this please comment and tell us how you and your sweetheart met, if you have one [: