Alright I think it's time to tell everyone exactly how Bradley and I met and fell in love:) It's kind of weird because we both grew up only about 10 miles away from each other our whole lives. Who would have ever thought?
Be prepared because it is reallllllly long, but it's a good story I promise! :)
So we "officially" met in high school. Yep, we are both Mountain Crest Mustangs, and no we are not high school sweethearts! The timing just wasn't there I guess. I always tell him it was because he had too many girlfriends and I was just a little sophomore while he was the hott, cool, athletic senior super star. Here's us from our high school days...
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| He played football and baseball and I was cool and played soccer:) |
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| Graduation...the bottom picture is when I went to his graduation...yep that's when he was really cool and I wasn't haha. |
Well after Brad graduated he played around until it was time for him to head off for his mission! He served in the Brussels, Belgium Netherlands mission. Yes he speaks french and yes I do love it;) While he was on his mission I may have wrote him a couple times. Then I received a scholarship for soccer to play at Iowa Western. It was scary leaving home for the first time, but was one of the best things I did with my life. I had the great opportunity of going with my best friends Amber, Sheb and Meesh. I secretly still always miss Iowa. Life was literally eat, sleep and play soccer.
Bradley came home from his mission while I was in Iowa, but he actually came home during my spring break and so I showed up at his homecoming just to say hi. We got a picture of that moment as well...don't get your hopes up though. That isn't when we started dating...although I was his first cuddle after his mission. How cute huh?
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| After his homecoming talk |
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| Originally invited to go fishing with Danny and Brad was there |
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| Brad's homecoming |
My last night home in Utah for spring break Brad and I cuddled on the tramp underneath the stars. It was very romantic and a little funny to think back on now because he was still kinda in his weird missionary mode. I was also the first girl he was completely alone with in a car cause I drove him home that night (he told his friends to go since we were having so much fun;)). It's weird to look back on that now because when we talk about it, both of us thought it was just kinda whatever. Although I did think about him a lot after that...we were both just at different levels in our life at that time. once again the timing just wasn't right...yet:)
Well I went back to Iowa, and we kept in touch but not much. We went on date when I came home for the summer. It was actually really fun...we went night fishing at wellsville dam, but the feelings just still weren't really there for either of us. So after that summer I headed back out to Iowa and we didn't really keep in touch at all.
The whole next part of the story has everything to do with "timing". Finally right? You thought the timing was never going to be perfect enough. haha. Well when I was in Iowa I tore my ACL mid season.
At that time I was completely devastated. All my future plans I had seemed to just disappear right in from of me. I was planning on staying in Iowa for the full two years to improve on my soccer and get a scholarship to play somewhere else and continue to do what I loved. Tearing my ACL was right at the time I needed to be speaking with other colleges and things just didn't work out for me. I figured out that I could graduate from Iowa a semester early and come home during christmas break and stay. So that's what I did.
I hated being home at that time. I wasn't ready for my adventure to end. I felt like Utah had nothing for me at that time. So I decided I wanted to be nanny and be away from Utah a little longer. It was perfect because I had no job, and I was too late to sign up for class at USU for spring. So my search began. I searched and searched for about a month.
During that month of just bummin' around trying to find a nanny job, I hung out with people and dated. I would go up to "the house"alot, which was where Brad, Danny, Ben, and Shane lived at the time. I wouldn't go up there to hang out with anyone in particular, but over time I started realizing how cute Bradley was. He still seemed untouchable to me because he just seemed to have everything together. I was still just that little girl that they all gave a hard time to haha. Well...I remember one night we made that eye contact that you know is different. Brad says he doesn't really remember, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. I went home that night and seriously couldn't sleep. I instantly liked Brad. Well I was still awake when it was really early in the morning and Danny got on facebook so I was talking to him telling him I couldn't sleep and eventually told him that I thought I liked Brad. Knowing that Danny would most likely tell Brad...my plan worked out perfect:) I got a text from Brad later that day, and our conversation ended with a date on our minds.
The first time we hung out was on a Sunday night and it was very chilled and relaxed. We talked a lot and cuddled. He reminded me of when we had first cuddled when he got home from his mission and we laughed at how funny that moment seemed now. Two days later we went on our first official date to Crystal Hot Springs. I fell for Brad instantly. I don't know what was so different about this time from all the other times our paths had crossed, but it was right and we both felt it. We literally hung out every single day from January to March.
The hard thing about those two months was that I found a nanny job probably three weeks into us dating. My start date was in the end of March. My feelings were so mixed up because I was seriously falling for Brad, but I had never thought I would get married so early. I had never felt so strong about someone before. As the months passed I realized that because I tore my ACL I came home and met Bradley with the most perfect timing. It was hard for me to decide if I should stay or go to New Jersey where I got my nanny job. I prayed a lot and always felt right about leaving, but I felt right about Brad and I also. I somehow knew that if I left him in March that we would still make things work. Brad had a hard time understanding why I chose to leave him.
As time got closer and closer we realized that Brad was going to California with all his buddies for spring break the week before I left for NJ. Which meant that I wouldn't see him for a whole week and then I would leave a couple days after he got home. We hated that thought, and Brad asked his friends if I could come along. It was really different for Brad to have a girl tag along, so it was kind of scary because I wasn't really sure what his friends would think...but they let me:) It was soooo much fun! We went to San Diego, California and then we spent a couple nights in Las Vegas. It was so perfect!
I fell even more in love with that kid and it was so hard saying good bye. Brad was supposed to go sell alarms in Texas through the summer, so I was thinking that we had to just make it through the summer and continue to take it one step at a time. It was a lot harder then either of us thought it would be. Time went by fast, but not fast enough. The family I was nannying for took me on their vacation to steamboat with them. I felt so lucky to be there. Steamboat is about a 7 hour drive from Cache Valley, and Brad told me that him and Danny were driving out there to visit me. I was amazed that he would drive all that way for me...he must really love me right? Well my nanny parents were nice enough to let both of them stay one night with us and they let me have a whole day to spend with Brad. I never thought Brad would do something like that for me. It meant so much!
The goodbyes just got harder and harder.
We skyped every night that we could, and when we skipped a day it was the worst.
One night I was just hanging out at my house in NJ and Brad called me and told me that he wasn't getting on his flight to Texas anymore (it was supposed to be leaving the next morning). I was so confused of why he decided to not sell anymore. Then he said that it was because he bought a plane ticket to fly to New York and sell pest control instead. I was in shock and so happy! No one ever in the whole world would have ever done that for me. He changed his whole summer plans just to be closer to me. Granted we were about 3 hours driving and an all day train ride apart it was so worth it. We had the most wonderful opportunity of falling even more in love in NYC.
We only got to see each other on the weekends, but we made the trip everytime. The money and time was well worth it. It took me a one hour bus ride, a few subways, and an hour and a half train ride just to get to him each weekend, but I would never take any of it back. I loved every second I got to see him. As I said the goodbyes only got harder. Brad had to leave because he was going to work in Alaska. Those days were really hard because we had a hard time getting our times to match up and talk...
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| Hayden and Griffin...my two boys in New Jersey. I miss them like crazy! |
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| Bradley in Alaska |
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| fishies |
I came home for vacation in August and got to spend a whole week with Brad! The last night that I was home Brad proposed to me. He proposed at about 11:00 at night on a canoe in Hyrum Dam. That place is very special to us because that is the first place he told me loved me and we would go there a lot when we were dating to just sit and talk. It was perfect. I had no idea at all that it was coming. it was a perfect night because the water was so smooth and the sky was so clear with a million stars. He was talking to me and then started looking behind me...so I looked behind me and the whole mountain was lit up and said "Bay Marry Me?" I then turned around he had the ring out! We were so happy in that moment and I was so excited to spend the rest of eternity with him!
You remember me saying it was about 11:00 at night right? Well I got on a plane back to NJ early that next morning. We only spent about 8 hours with each other being engaged before I had to be back. This was by far the hardest good bye.
I loved being in NJ, don't get me wrong. I learned so much and had so many fun experiences and got to take care of the best boys ever, but when I came back after Brad proposed it was different. It was a lot harder then I was thinking. I had originally planned on being done in NJ in December or January, but I realized that I would have a hard time getting into school and I would need to search for a job. So I spoke with my nanny mom and she agreed to let me come home at the end of september so I could take a phlebotomy course and get a job after that. I felt horrible leaving the boys, but it felt right to be back with Brad and plan a wedding:)
When I got home at the end of September I was at an ultimate high in my life. I knew that I didn't have to say goodbye to Bradley ever again. We spent every second we possibly could together. Looking back now, I don't understand how we survived with staying up so late and having to be to things early in the morning. I think we would just die if we did that now! Crazy what you'll do when you're in love :)
January 7, 2012 was the day we got sealed for eternity in the Salt Lake City LDS temple. Out of all the days it didn't snow that year...it decided to snow on our wedding! I was excited believe it or not. It turned out to be such a beautiful wedding day...although my hair got destroyed within the first moments of being outside. When you're in the moment you don't really care.
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| My mom made my wedding day everything I had ever hoped for and more! I couldn't have done it without her! She is one amazing person that I am SO proud to call my mom! |
Welp...from there we could finally breathe! It was so comforting to know that we did it! We were finally together forever! We went on our honeymoon on a cruise to Jamaica and the Bahamas. I very much recommend a cruise! It was so fun and relaxing!
Right now Brad is going to school to become a PA (physicans assistant) and I am currently in the nursing program at BATC. Brad works at USU as a physical therapy aide and I am a phlebotomist at Logan Regional hospital. Yes we are both extremely busy, but we love it! We still find time to do fun stuff and see our families as much as we can!
Looking back we realize how important timing is. All the things we were going through in our lives needed to happen before we could be together, and it all worked out perfect for us. I am grateful that I tore my ACL (i wish I wouldn't have, but...). It helped me realize that I had bigger and better things for me in my life. Soccer wasn't EVERYTHING although it does come close ;). I am so happy that Brad went out of his way to come see me in Steamboat and change his whole summer plans. He did all of it just for me, and everything paid off. We seriously couldn't be happier.
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| When my nephew Easton was born! |
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| Valentines Day! |
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| We love to snowboard! Can't wait for this season! |
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| Hiking and Camping! |
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| Visiting momma Carol down in St. George before one of my soccer tournaments! |
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| Brad and I in Las Vegas |
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| Camping! |
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| The 4th of July! |
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| Go Aggies!! |
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| Camping! |
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| Go Redskins! He has forced me to be a fan! :) |
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| Conference weekend! |
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| Fishing with Bradley's family! |
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| Fishing! |
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| Celebrating my birthday with my parents at Texas Roadhouse! |
Bay
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