So Rach told me that I had to add my side of the story I told her that I was just going to put "I concur" and leave it at that. But after reading her post I feel I need to add or maybe correct a few things. So here I go, and I will be going down the same way so enjoy the ride of Deja vu. Oh and Rach can’t get mad at the novel I write because she told me to.
As for the start being a play I don't remember that. I always thought it was a youth activity at the Church, but hey what does that matter. I do remember taking them home in my Moms old 1984 Dodge Aries SE, yes don't forget the SE because that made it a special edition, and then I drove right back to AC to hang out with the big kids who could stay out later. LOL.
Then we get to August 11th. I don't remember what I was doing but there was a knock on the door and my Dad called me up. I don't remember who came over, but they asked me to join them. So I got cleaned up, changed and headed over. I walked to the door and I saw Rach and thought something along the line of "WOW" but anyway I was just a couple of weeks from heading out on my mission to Belgium for two years. No point looking for that special someone right now.
Anyway to fill in what we did at the party before the dance, there were games and silly large group things. The one game I remember most was "I love you but I just can't smile." For those of you who are not familiar with the game the premise is this. You sit in a circle and one person in the middle. That one person in the middle, here on out to be known as the requester, then looks around the circle and in typical teenager flirty ways picks out who they are most into, or someone who is next to the one they really want to flirt with, whatever they think will get them noticed best, and goes over to the chosen one, here on out to be knows as the recipient, and says something along the line of "If you love me, smile." Of course there can be some very fun and long versions of this like "(insert name here), I know that you really love me and will do anything to make me happy. I really would like it if you would show me some off your cheesiness with a nice big smile” At which point the recipient of the request must say, "I love you baby but I just can't smile." Repeated three times. And they cannot smile while saying this. And this is where the fun begins because the recipient attempts to get it out as fast as they can, or as calm as they can, or they just bust up laughing because the requester has just started acting like a cat and is purring or meowing, or making funny faces, or standing on their head.... you get the picture. Anyway a few memories of that game, other then the ones above and that have to do with Rach and me go like this. Rach was the recipient of the request to smile by Mike, no not me, Mike Criddle. He went to her and asked her to smile and she made it through it even though he sat on her lap and put his arms around her and did a pretty good at trying to make her smile. As she finished her part for the third time, she pushed him right off her lap and onto the floor. Yes she was feisty even back then. The other memory of the game was that nobody was able to get me to smile. I was unbreakable. It became a challenge to see who could break me or the other unbreakable.... I don't remember his name, but nobody could do it. Yup I was a stone face back then too.
As for the dance, Rach said all that really needs to be said because we did dance, and stayed together the rest of the night. And my friends in the car drilled me about what had happened with Rach that caused us to become inseparable.
Rach had told me about the Region dance for the next night and I spent all day Saturday hoping she would call and ask me to join her. And the wish came true. Once again we never let go of each other.
The next week was forever long because Rach was out of town most of the week and so there was no talking, or contact. And since this was before the age of communication thru email, txt, and the likes, it was awful. But I wasted no time once I knew she was home talking to her on the phone and setting up out plans for going out. Yes it was Aug. 18th that we next went out. After Bekah's birthday celebration and watching "The Swan Princess" Rach and me took off and went to see "While You Were Sleeping" which is still one of Rachel’s favorite movies. And the kiss that I gave her on the porch when I dropped her off was just a nice little peck.
I have always loved hiking Timp and with the fact that next to the big waterfall was where we had our first real kiss just a day after the peck, it's even more special. I am surprised that Rach didn't mention the part of the hike that she always tells everybody about. After we ate lunch at the lake at the bottom of the glacier and we started heading back down and since there was snow well below lake I threw myself down the next section and bounced, tumbled, and slide the next couple of hundred yards. The whole time I was whooping and hollering, having a grand old time. Rach says that I shouldn't have done that and that I looked like a rag doll just being tossed about. I love the fact that I was in control the whole time and was even making myself flip and twist a little extra. Ok so maybe it wasn't the brightest thing to do but I was a hormone-enraged teenager that had to show off. But it was still fun and I want to do it again.
After we got home my family had the traditional dinner of choice for the Birthday boy. We had, and I can't remember here because I love all three, tacos, enchiladas, or fajitas. And Chris went to pick up Rach without me knowing.
I don't remember much about Rachel's birthday except the roses, which her Dad thought was a waste of money, especially for a soon to be missionary.
After looking at the rings of Saturn I did say my little cheesy line that I would rather see a ring around her finger. I don't remember specifically asking her to wait for me, it was more like, "and if you are still available when I get back then we will see where it leads." Or something like that but I did make her agree to date as often as she could so that she would know if she wanted me when I got back.
I think it was that night, but it might have been another, when I got home I went into my parents room to say I was home and I sat down on the end of their bed and told them that I think I had found the girl I was going to marry. They just said not to let it affect me going on my mission and I told them that was not going to happen because Rach would not let me stay home from a mission because it was that important for her to marry a return missionary. Besides she still had to graduate high school. What did they think I was going to do marry a high school kid? Silly parents always worried about something.
Rach has all the important details from then on to the engagement so I will just fill in a few more. While out on a date with a good friend and former mission companion, Aaron and his date, we stopped at Sierra West and looked at rings. Rachel picked out the one she wanted and we even check her size but I didn’t buy it then because as I told Rach, I just didn't have the money. I had just started working and needed to save up. So the next day I went back and bought it 90 day same as cash. Good thing I knew the manager who got it all worked out.
Then I surprised her with the ring, although there is still debate on that point, on November 15th. It was the night of my best friend's mom's 40th birthday party. We had been helping with the set up and I had it worked out to use the excuse that I needed to go pick up a CD that I could only find at a music store in the mall downtown. After we bought the CD I said something about the fact that we had some time before we had to get back to the party and asked if she wanted to get something to eat. Yes I am sad to say that we ate at McD's, maybe this is one of the reasons I refuse to eat there anymore. After that I said that I had never seen the view from the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, which I hadn't because they converted it from the old Hotel Utah while I was on my mission. Rach had talked many times about how beautiful it was and I knew that when I said I had never been there she would suggest going up. Plan worked. Once we were there It was just a matter of saying how beautiful the temple looked all lit up, and when Rach said that it was, I followed up by saying "But it will be even more beautiful when we are in it and you are wearing this." Just before I said this I had slipped the ring box out of the pocket in my wide ribbed corduroy pants and opened it for her to see the ring she had picked out. Suddenly I couldn't breathe. My chest was being crushed by a very strong hug. Rach spent that night at the party with a hand that was constantly floating. This lasted for only about another week or so when everybody she knew had seen it.
11 years and I still have to remind her of the dates. Yes that is right she txt me all day asking about one day or another. Who says the man can't remember dates. Just don't ask me about historical dates.
Anyway now you have the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. As far as us getting older than we were yesteryear folk remember.
11 years ago
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