It's been over a whole year since Matthew and I got together, and I have been in a romantic mood lately (watched Jane Eyre over the weekend.... plus fall just seems like such a romantic time to me, for some reason). So I decided to re-post my story of how Matthew and I got together:
Matthew and I met in the singles ward in the summer of 2010. I had been going to the ward for five years and he had just started coming in May after returning to Orem after serving a two-year mission in Birmingham, England. He has a beautiful tenor voice and we had recently lost our choir director (she got married that spring) so it wasn't too long before he was called to be our new choir director. I was the ward organist and the "unofficial" choir pianist at the time; I preferred playing the piano to singing, and was more available for after-church activities than some of the more capable pianists in the ward. I also thought choir might also be a fun way to make friends and practice my flirting skills to use on cute guys in my classes at BYU.
I liked Matthew, of course. Everyone liked him. He was so cheerful, enthusiastic, humble, and easy-going. He was always patient with the choir (and with the dazzlingly beautiful though rather clumsy pianist) and very diligent in his calling. He seemed a little less proficient than our previous director when it came to musical knowledge, however, and when I found out he couldn't play the piano or read music specifically, I offered to go over some songs with him so he could get the conducting down. Though he insists that I must have been trying to tell him I liked him at this point, I was actually interested in two other guys at the time and only thought of Matt as a nice guy who I'd like to be friends with and get to know a little better.
It took until September for someone to make the next move, which Matthew did when he asked me for my phone number so he could contact me about getting together for that, um, music business-related thingy. I was surprised and excited that he was returning my gesture of friendship, especially when I noticed his hand shaking (he, of course, claims not to remember any such thing) as he wrote down my number.
Things got steadily better and better. Matt started things off by sending me a few texts over the week. Once I figured out how to text (believe it or not, I had probably sent fewer than ten texts in my life before meeting Matt, and had only needed to re-charge my phone maybe once a month. I really couldn't believe that I was turning into one of those people who kept their phones turned on and at their side all day!), I began to text him back regularly. We chatted about school, church, and work, but neither one of us made a move to advance the friendship further. I was becoming more and more interested in him, though. I knew he was funny and interesting and nice, and I decided that I would definitely go out with him if he asked. But would he ask? And if we did go out, what then?
Well, I didn't have to wait long to find out. After texting him about needing a break from endless amounts of schoolwork one evening, I was surprised when Matt offered to take me out to a movie the next night. Being a fan of movies and cute guys, I said yes without hesitation, and so we went to see "Knight and Day" at the dollar theater. I was nervous the whole day before, because I had made a rather impulsive decision that if we seemed to have chemistry and to be getting along well (in the brief time that we would have, consisting of the drive to the theater and the time we would spend ordering and eating ice cream beforehand), I was going to ask him to hold my hand.
I know what you're thinking (Probably something like this: RUTH, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?!??!? ASKING A GUY TO HOLD HANDS ON THE FIRST DATE!!!!???? ARE YOU INSANE!!!!????!?!?!?). I was pretty nervous about it myself, but being the reckless whirlwind of romantic chaos I am, I ultimately decided to throw caution to the winds. I really don't know why I became fixated on the idea of asking him to hold hands. I had never kissed or held hands with a guy before in my life, but my usual wariness seemed for some reason to not apply in this instance. I just knew that I was going to do it if it felt right.
Matthew came to pick me up for our date, and my first thought upon seeing him was that of pleasant satisfaction when I realized that he was actually taller and more muscular-looking than I had remembered. He had such an adorable smile and was very gentlemanly in opening my door and complimenting my appearance. Maybe I was already twitterpated by that point, but I thought the date was going exceptionally well before we had even arrived at the theater!
We had no trouble at all talking to each other, and I became more and more confident as we devoured our ice cream and the moment of truth approached. Finally, when we were seated in the theater, about half-way through the movie (at a slow part, obviously), after a series of unsuccessful attempts to force him to notice my available hand next to his, I took a deep breath, leaned over, and asked him if he wanted to hold hands. Probably the scariest thing I've ever done in my life.
He thought about it for maybe two seconds and then shrugged and said, "Sure."
Well, I'll just say that neither one of us was able to think much about the movie after that. Except that it was the BEST. MOVIE. EVER.
The very next day, Matt and I attended a ward activity that involved riding the ski lift at Sundance. We got on a lift alone and spent the whole night talking to each other (and holding hands - hey, it was cold and I had conveniently forgotten my gloves, ha ha ha). When we got back to the rest of our group, neither one of us let go, and it dawned on me at that point that we were really dating.
Somehow the weekend just kept getting better and better. We got together on Saturday to go to the gym (both of us had been going alone, but liked having the motivation of another person), and then spent Sunday together as well at church. We texted each other throughout the week and planned to get together whenever we could in the evenings to take walks, play games, watch movies, and just talk. Eventually Matthew changed his Facebook status to say that we were in a relationship and told me he wanted me to be his girlfriend. Of course, I said yes.
After only a few weeks of dating, Matthew told me he loved me. I was a little unsure about how I felt towards him. I worried about his schooling and our financial situation as well as how a relationship would affect my own circumstances (I was just about to graduate and was considering moving out of state for good for graduate school), but I knew I liked him and that I was happier than I had ever been and that I wanted to keep dating him for the next day, and the next week, and the next month, and so on. Then one weekend, we had an eventful experience together which involved riding bikes up the Provo Canyon and nearly wasting an hour trying to crack my broken bike lock before giving up and calling Matthew's brother to come up and cut it for us. I was cold, tired, and rather stressed out during the ordeal, but Matt was calm and reassuring. I was so impressed by his thoughtfulness and attentiveness to me that I decided to tell him the next day that I loved him. After I made up my mind that I loved him, my worries seemed to settle down. Things began to fall into place, and I realized that we could make anything work if we put our minds to it.
Matthew, of course, was way ahead of me when it came to thinking about marriage. He had told me early on that he wouldn't want us to wait a long time before getting married, and I had hesitantly agreed to consider a wedding at the end of 2011 (after he rejected the idea of getting married after he got a bachelor's degree and I finished grad school. Ha ha ha). However, as we spent more and more time together and our feelings for each other became stronger, I soon changed my mind and agreed that I wanted us to get married as soon as we could. Pretty soon, we had moved the wedding from December to August, then from August to July, then finally from July to May 28 (which will be five days after the 8-month anniversary of our first date, September 23).
He proposed in February (back when we were still planning an August wedding) in a very cute way: He drove up to my house (which I rent with four other girls in Sandy) on a Wednesday night, took me out to dinner at the Outback Steakhouse, and then, as we sat in my car, showed me his version of our favorite dates (a sample includes going to the gym, going to the temple, seeing the Scarlet Pimpernel at the Hale Theater, riding the Sundance ski lift ride, going to Wendy's, etc.) which he had recorded in his mission journal. He had also cut and pasted pictures of us in the journal. It was so sweet. After I read it, he got out of the car and knelt down in the snow and pulled out the ring. It was a very quiet and special moment for the two of us.
Of course, things got hectic quickly when we announced the news to our families, and then subsequently announced that we were moving the date up to May. Still, both of our families have been wonderfully supportive and encouraging, and we are very blessed to have a great number of friends and relatives that we can count on to give us help and advice during the wonderful yet frenzied time of engagement. After getting married, we are planning to live in Provo as Matthew works in Provo and attends school at UVU, and I attend graduate school and work in Provo.
Matthew and I met in the singles ward in the summer of 2010. I had been going to the ward for five years and he had just started coming in May after returning to Orem after serving a two-year mission in Birmingham, England. He has a beautiful tenor voice and we had recently lost our choir director (she got married that spring) so it wasn't too long before he was called to be our new choir director. I was the ward organist and the "unofficial" choir pianist at the time; I preferred playing the piano to singing, and was more available for after-church activities than some of the more capable pianists in the ward. I also thought choir might also be a fun way to make friends and practice my flirting skills to use on cute guys in my classes at BYU.
I liked Matthew, of course. Everyone liked him. He was so cheerful, enthusiastic, humble, and easy-going. He was always patient with the choir (and with the dazzlingly beautiful though rather clumsy pianist) and very diligent in his calling. He seemed a little less proficient than our previous director when it came to musical knowledge, however, and when I found out he couldn't play the piano or read music specifically, I offered to go over some songs with him so he could get the conducting down. Though he insists that I must have been trying to tell him I liked him at this point, I was actually interested in two other guys at the time and only thought of Matt as a nice guy who I'd like to be friends with and get to know a little better.
It took until September for someone to make the next move, which Matthew did when he asked me for my phone number so he could contact me about getting together for that, um, music business-related thingy. I was surprised and excited that he was returning my gesture of friendship, especially when I noticed his hand shaking (he, of course, claims not to remember any such thing) as he wrote down my number.
Things got steadily better and better. Matt started things off by sending me a few texts over the week. Once I figured out how to text (believe it or not, I had probably sent fewer than ten texts in my life before meeting Matt, and had only needed to re-charge my phone maybe once a month. I really couldn't believe that I was turning into one of those people who kept their phones turned on and at their side all day!), I began to text him back regularly. We chatted about school, church, and work, but neither one of us made a move to advance the friendship further. I was becoming more and more interested in him, though. I knew he was funny and interesting and nice, and I decided that I would definitely go out with him if he asked. But would he ask? And if we did go out, what then?
Well, I didn't have to wait long to find out. After texting him about needing a break from endless amounts of schoolwork one evening, I was surprised when Matt offered to take me out to a movie the next night. Being a fan of movies and cute guys, I said yes without hesitation, and so we went to see "Knight and Day" at the dollar theater. I was nervous the whole day before, because I had made a rather impulsive decision that if we seemed to have chemistry and to be getting along well (in the brief time that we would have, consisting of the drive to the theater and the time we would spend ordering and eating ice cream beforehand), I was going to ask him to hold my hand.
I know what you're thinking (Probably something like this: RUTH, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?!??!? ASKING A GUY TO HOLD HANDS ON THE FIRST DATE!!!!???? ARE YOU INSANE!!!!????!?!?!?). I was pretty nervous about it myself, but being the reckless whirlwind of romantic chaos I am, I ultimately decided to throw caution to the winds. I really don't know why I became fixated on the idea of asking him to hold hands. I had never kissed or held hands with a guy before in my life, but my usual wariness seemed for some reason to not apply in this instance. I just knew that I was going to do it if it felt right.
Matthew came to pick me up for our date, and my first thought upon seeing him was that of pleasant satisfaction when I realized that he was actually taller and more muscular-looking than I had remembered. He had such an adorable smile and was very gentlemanly in opening my door and complimenting my appearance. Maybe I was already twitterpated by that point, but I thought the date was going exceptionally well before we had even arrived at the theater!
We had no trouble at all talking to each other, and I became more and more confident as we devoured our ice cream and the moment of truth approached. Finally, when we were seated in the theater, about half-way through the movie (at a slow part, obviously), after a series of unsuccessful attempts to force him to notice my available hand next to his, I took a deep breath, leaned over, and asked him if he wanted to hold hands. Probably the scariest thing I've ever done in my life.
He thought about it for maybe two seconds and then shrugged and said, "Sure."
Well, I'll just say that neither one of us was able to think much about the movie after that. Except that it was the BEST. MOVIE. EVER.
The very next day, Matt and I attended a ward activity that involved riding the ski lift at Sundance. We got on a lift alone and spent the whole night talking to each other (and holding hands - hey, it was cold and I had conveniently forgotten my gloves, ha ha ha). When we got back to the rest of our group, neither one of us let go, and it dawned on me at that point that we were really dating.
Somehow the weekend just kept getting better and better. We got together on Saturday to go to the gym (both of us had been going alone, but liked having the motivation of another person), and then spent Sunday together as well at church. We texted each other throughout the week and planned to get together whenever we could in the evenings to take walks, play games, watch movies, and just talk. Eventually Matthew changed his Facebook status to say that we were in a relationship and told me he wanted me to be his girlfriend. Of course, I said yes.
After only a few weeks of dating, Matthew told me he loved me. I was a little unsure about how I felt towards him. I worried about his schooling and our financial situation as well as how a relationship would affect my own circumstances (I was just about to graduate and was considering moving out of state for good for graduate school), but I knew I liked him and that I was happier than I had ever been and that I wanted to keep dating him for the next day, and the next week, and the next month, and so on. Then one weekend, we had an eventful experience together which involved riding bikes up the Provo Canyon and nearly wasting an hour trying to crack my broken bike lock before giving up and calling Matthew's brother to come up and cut it for us. I was cold, tired, and rather stressed out during the ordeal, but Matt was calm and reassuring. I was so impressed by his thoughtfulness and attentiveness to me that I decided to tell him the next day that I loved him. After I made up my mind that I loved him, my worries seemed to settle down. Things began to fall into place, and I realized that we could make anything work if we put our minds to it.
Matthew, of course, was way ahead of me when it came to thinking about marriage. He had told me early on that he wouldn't want us to wait a long time before getting married, and I had hesitantly agreed to consider a wedding at the end of 2011 (after he rejected the idea of getting married after he got a bachelor's degree and I finished grad school. Ha ha ha). However, as we spent more and more time together and our feelings for each other became stronger, I soon changed my mind and agreed that I wanted us to get married as soon as we could. Pretty soon, we had moved the wedding from December to August, then from August to July, then finally from July to May 28 (which will be five days after the 8-month anniversary of our first date, September 23).
He proposed in February (back when we were still planning an August wedding) in a very cute way: He drove up to my house (which I rent with four other girls in Sandy) on a Wednesday night, took me out to dinner at the Outback Steakhouse, and then, as we sat in my car, showed me his version of our favorite dates (a sample includes going to the gym, going to the temple, seeing the Scarlet Pimpernel at the Hale Theater, riding the Sundance ski lift ride, going to Wendy's, etc.) which he had recorded in his mission journal. He had also cut and pasted pictures of us in the journal. It was so sweet. After I read it, he got out of the car and knelt down in the snow and pulled out the ring. It was a very quiet and special moment for the two of us.
Of course, things got hectic quickly when we announced the news to our families, and then subsequently announced that we were moving the date up to May. Still, both of our families have been wonderfully supportive and encouraging, and we are very blessed to have a great number of friends and relatives that we can count on to give us help and advice during the wonderful yet frenzied time of engagement. After getting married, we are planning to live in Provo as Matthew works in Provo and attends school at UVU, and I attend graduate school and work in Provo.
