Ten Days That Changed Our Lives

I first laid eyes on this hunka hunka ten years ago today. I first noticed him the day before at a church activity- he was the scrawny guy with the awful orange t-shirt. He doesn't remember me from that night at all. Should have worn an uglier shirt.

The next day was the first day of class in our first year of college. Sean had missed our orientation, so our Freshmen Academy leader was showing him around. I didn't know that many people myself, it being the beginning of the year and all, so I sat in the cafeteria by myself for lunch. The Freshmen Academy leader spotted me and sat across, with Sean in tow.

He sat kitty-corner from me. I came away from the encounter with the impression that he blinks a lot (I've since learned that when he's in a newer situation or when he's thinking hard, the blinks they start a'comin). And was pretty cute.

A couple days later, I ended up sitting next to him in our physics class (we were in the same physics and religion class AND the same ward. We would have met one way or another). He totally remembered my name and I asked him to remind me of his (I thought it was Sean, but you don't want to be wrong, right?). Lame-o. But still, after the professor brought up our outside-of-class labs, Sean asked me to be his lab buddy (after a lot of hemming and hawing back and forth, let me tell you).

After sitting next to my phone for an hour once I returned to the dorm (in between we separately attended the inauguration of BYU's new President, Cecil O. Samuelson), Sean called me up and we set up a lab time. Upon getting to the Eyring Science Center, it took us 20 minutes to get to the room, as Sean tinkered around with all the displays around the building. Then it took us twice as long to complete the lab when Sean would get distracted by other experiments in the room. I looooved how curious and intelligent he was. He kept making me smile.

Over the next couple days, we'd study in the library together. He tried to impress me with his card tricks and it worked- not in a blow-me-away kind of way (though they did, he's a dang good prestidigitator!) but in a you're-so-cute-and-adorable kind of way.

He invited me to go to the special campus-wide family home evening with the Samuelsons, though it didn't really feel like a date. Beforehand, we had our cafeteria dinner together- later, a friend told me she thought things weren't going well because we weren't talking much when she saw us. Really, we were trying to eat fast to get to the event. Plus, neither of us mind a little silence. It's nice that we're similar that way.

So we get to the family home evening. But all I remember from the night was our hands. We were happily watching the presentation when I thought, "oh, maybe I should make my hand available. Sean's hand is available, maybe mine should be, too." So I rested it on my leg. I have no recollection of the amount of time that then transpired because all my available synapses were arrested by this next event: his pinky touched mine. Truly, all I can remember is that soft touch compared to the explosion of excitement and happiness in my core. None of my other sensations mattered. In fact, visually, all I recall is the color blue.

Then his pinky curled over mine. Then his whole hand curled over my hand. Then he nudged my hand around and interlocked fingers. It was divinely divine. Truly one of the happiest moments of my life. We kept holding hands and smiling through the rest of the event, during an extra walk after, and until he dropped me off at the dorm.

We'd meet up over the next few days but never as a date, really. We'd just go for a walk after class or sit and talk somewhere. We took a turn through the Museum of Art once but he suddenly became really ill and had to go back to his room. My roommate wondered, "what if he's one of those sickies? Someone who's sick all the time." And I was like, "well, he does blink a lot..." Luckily, he's not a sicky.

Finally, finally! he asked me on a real date- the Fall Fling. Or was it Fest? Hmm. There was dancing and activities and food and such, but we mostly just walked around, holding hands. We ended up back by the Museum of Art, admiring an art installation outside. We stood there for ages, our heads tilting together. And slowly, slowly our head would turn in, until he finally kissed me. Ah, that kiss, it was perfect.

From September 2nd to September 12th, ten days that formed the rest of our lives. Ten days that have given me ten years of the happiest happy. Bless you September 2nd and the Freshmen Academy leader who inadvertently played matchmater!

(this was fun, I'm going to have to write more of these)