How it all began...

On February 14th Dave and I not only celebrated Valentines day, but we also celebrated 6 years since we were engaged. It is always fun to have the day dedicated to love also be the day we dedicated our love to each other!

It all started that Friday just 6 short years ago. Dave and I had discussed marriage and shared our feeling about each other previously. We decided to take a weekend trip down to Farmington, NM where I grew up so that he could do the officially meeting of the parents/ family. I suspected that Dave might ask my dad for permission to marry me while we were down there so I gave my dad a little bit of a pre-warning. It was a very quick trip. We left that Friday (Valentines Day) and returned on Monday to Utah.

Friday evening Dave asked my dad if they could "talk". My dad then announced that they were going to go get ice cream at Cold Stone for everyone and that they would be back soon. My brother (who was 9) began to whine and complain because he wanted to go with them. My dad thankful made him stay home. Before they left Dave asked me if we could go to a park and exchange Valentines when he got home. In the car ride over to get ice cream my dad said Dave was as stiff as a board and wouldn't hardly say a word (we still laugh about it). The entire time they were gone I was in a complete panic because I hadn't gotten him anything for valentines day (what a good girlfriend I was, huh). My friend had come by to visit and she helped me make him a card while my mom ran to Chili's to get a gift card to put in it. I finally told him this part of the story about 3 years ago. I was too embarrassed to tell him before, but we just laugh about it now. When they came home, Dave and I went to a park right down the road from my house. What would follow, I was certainly not expecting...

We sat on a bench as we gave each other our Valentines. I handed over my lousy card with a gift card and he gave me the most adorable hand-made Valentine (the old fashion way), with a box of candy conversation hearts and a red rose. Now you have to understand that those nasty Valentines conversation hearts that the rest of the world seems to hate, just so happen to be my all time favorite candy! I gave him and hug and a kiss and told him thank you. He then asked..."aren't you going to eat some of your hearts". I became slightly suspicious at his comment, but I proceeded to open the box up and dump a few into my hand. On the second dump out came a beautiful ring with a candy heart tied to it with a little red string. That candy heart read, "Marry Me". Instantly every part of my body began to shake as he dropped to one knee and asked me those sweet, precious words, "will you merry me?" I think I squeaked out some form of a yes!

The next few moments were filled with more emotions than I had ever been faced with. I wanted to cry, scream, and laugh all at the same time. I think the predominate emotion was laughter. We walked around the park for several minutes just talking as I tried to compose my emotions before we went home to make the announcement to my family! It was a wonderful day, a day that I will never forget. It was perfect that I could go home and tell my family rather than to have to call them because I lived away from home. I was not expecting it to happen that weekend, but deep down it was when I wanted it would.

So every Valentines day we are reminded not only of our LOVE for each other, but for how it all began.