Brittanys version of how we met and got engaged

This is the story of how Marshall and I met, and got engaged.


Our story starts with my friend getting me a job at a car dealership as an evening receptionist. I was grateful for the job, I was living on my own and was trying my best to meet nice guys and have fun. Each day I would come to work and have to clock in so I would go through the service drive of the car dealership. Marshall and his brother both worked there. All the people in the drive would help me and were very nice. After a few months my friend got a promotion and that meant I got a promotion to the day shift receptionist. This was wonderful. I had regular hours and I could now socialize.

My interactions with Marshall became more frequent and I really thought he was good looking. I made sure that I looked nice everyday. I made efforts to stop in and say “hi”. It was some time at the beginning of January. Marshall had a customer that had an issue and had to talk with a manager about it. I spied him across the room most of the day as he came in and out. Well that night I went back to my apartment and told my roommates that I thought he was so cute. I really wanted to date him, but I was not going to make the first move. I had already done that with all the other people I had been on dates with, and that didn’t work out to well for me. The next day at lunch I received a phone call. The person on the other end asked if I knew who this was. (please don’t ever ask receptionist if they know who is calling I had no clue and I guessed, so dumb) when he explained that it was Marshall from service, I was so excited I was glad I was sitting down, I might have fallen. He asked me if he could take me out for the evening to dinner and games. I said ”YES”.

Around that time I had been having a hard time going on dates with guys. I felt uncomfortable and usually cancelled 1 hour before the date because of fear. Well work ended up lasting longer than usual, my replacement came really late. I did not have enough time to get scared and nervous just enough to get ready before he would show up. When I walked in the door from work to get ready, my roommates were there, I told them that Marshall had asked me out on a date. They about fell off their chairs because only the night before I had told them I liked him. We ate at ottavio’s in Provo, an expensive place, I ordered baked ziti and didn’t eat much because we spent the entire evening talking. It was the best first date I had ever had. I fell hard and fast. We did not go out the next night, his family was having a birthday dinner for his mom. But every night after that except Sundays we spent together.

We did not want to tell anyone at work that we were dating we did not want any pressure of being pushed. We tried to be very secretive about it. We would talk on the phone, and he would hang out after work. I usually made dinner for him every night. He loved my food. We talked about everything and anything. I liked having someone who cared. He helped me jump my car one morning (that was a tough one to try to keep secret). We talked about getting married after 3 weeks. We got engaged on Valentine’s weekend. We had spent the entire day together we had gone and gotten massages at the massage school, after which he dropped me off at my place to get ready for dinner. Well when he came back to pick me up he was a little quiet which at that time was unusual. When we got to his apt, it was empty, but there were rose petals leading to the kitchen. I thought what a nice valentines dinner. We ate Café Rio salad and listened to an album by Sam Cooke. He asked me to dance; this so far was one of the only times he has danced with me. The song “cupid” came on and he got on 1 knee and proposed. I was shocked, speechless and excited. He got me a ring that was beautiful just what I had been dreaming about. We were so happy. We went and showed off our engagement ring to both our parents. The best part was showing up to work Monday morning. To see the look on everyone’s faces when we told them we were getting married. We had several people not believe us. I am grateful that Marshall called me, and asked me out. My life is better because he is part of it.

after thought, I was looking at the photos I had scrapbooked and realized how young we look.  Funny enough I was 22 almost 23 and Marshall had just turned 22.  Boy we look young, thin, and naive.

the long and the short of Marshall

Finally done! I really, really, wish that I had never stopped going to school in the first place. To finish school after we already had a house, Libby, and a lifestyle that we didn't want to give up was very difficult to say the least! I wish that we would have just settled for the "poor college student" stage of life and done it when we first got married, instead of doing it all backwards. We bought cars, a four wheeler, a house, camp trailer, and really were not too smart with our money. Then when Libby came and we already had the house, working part time to focus on school was not an option. So it is great to finally be done, I feel too old to just be finishing up. If I had started right after my mission and never stopped then I could have my Master's already instead of just starting.

Everyone asks that since I majored in psychology if I have everyone "figured out" or know what's wrong with people, and I have no idea. I am a little disappointed in the degree that I have because I feel that I don't know that much more than I did two years ago. However, the critical thinking and problem solving skills that I picked up on the way are what will make the difference. And the determination to finish. I feel like finishing school is my biggest accomplishment and what I have worked hardest for.

In the next two weeks I hope to be accepted by Villanova University to be in their Masters of Human Resource Development Program. It will take two more years, but it will be a lot more laid back than the last two years we have had. Classes are only one night a week for 2 hours, over the internet. It is a live class that the students can still participate in thru microphones and chat. Each class will be 8 weeks long. But it will cost a fortune so we will have to take our first student loans, which is a bummer. Thankfully USSynthetic is the bomb and will cover 50% of the tuition costs. With that degree I hope that with the growth at USSynthetic that there will be availability in the HR department as well. They are just starting construction on a building that will be done in the next two years and will require a lot more people to be employed to use it.

 

It has been great the last month since finishing school to actually be able to come home at night, see Britt, play with Libby, actually use my Xbox, and watch Jazz games on the day they actually played! I have also been able to play basketball twice a week, and workout daily. It is great and I am trying to take advantage of it before I start school again in March. I am on my third week of P90X and have lost nearly 10 pounds already.

I am really looking forward to this summer of being able to actually go play in the evenings and weekends and have a life again, I think that is when not having school full time will really hit me.

These are a few of my NEW favorite things

A little more, about me.

Marshall gave me a beautiful bedspread for Christmas this year. I think he was tired of the one I made when we first got married. I don’t blame him I was getting bored too. Well it was really bulky, and I thought that if I wash and dry it, maybe it will flatten just a bit. So I did, but sadly it only made the batting stick or rather melt together. So instead of cryin, I fixed it. I unstitched the stitching holding the batting in place and pulled it all out. I turned it into a duvet. I like at a lot more now, because I can keep it out all year long now. It only took about 1 hour to fix.

We have been invited to play a few new games this past month. We found that we have a new favorite game,‘A Ticket to Ride’. We absolutely love this game. It is fast and fun and you can talk while playing and not mess up. Who knew we would find a game we liked as much as ‘hand and foot’. It is on our birthday wish list.

I have a new goal this year. I plan to read the Doctrine and Convents, Pearl of Great Price, Old Testament, and New Testament, this year. I have been working hard to read everyday, and I have to read a lot at the beginning to make the Bible manageable. I am learning a lot and am grateful that this was my goal.

Last year my doctors told me that I needed to be doing 3 things: eating healthy, exercising, and sleeping well. I was only doing the sleeping thing well. So I decided to start weight watchers. Not to lose weigh, but to learn how to eat better. I have loved what I have learned. I make better choices and am much happy because of it. I hope that what I have learned will be installed in my family. That as they grow, they start making good choices, and not the fast food choices that I love so much.

Everyone has a show that they just absolutely love to watch. I have a few I love: Dinner Impossible, Chuck, How I met your Mother, and What Not to Wear. The last show has been prety inspiring to me lately. I started watching it about 4 months ago, and it has changed my outlook on myself. I learned that first, my wardrobe sucks. Really I have been wearing the same style since high school and that was 10 years ago. Second, I have a shape and I should be dressing my shape to look the best it can. Third, with a bit of make up done right you can look amazing once you are all put together. So I studied and learned how to put on make-up and followed what they did. Small change, but I like it. Second I figured out what style or shape of clothing looks best for my body, who knew a v-neck shirt was the best. I have been trying to cover myself for the past 15 years, instead of flattering myself in a good way the assets I have. Now I am working on my wardrobe. I have replaced a few shirts and a pair of jeans and some shoes. I hope that I can have a few items that really make me feel amazing (since that is the goal on the TV show). Already I feel good about myself, just in the small changes that I have made. Instead of being stagnant I am being proactive. Proactive is the way to happiness. You have to make things happen for them to happen.

So I know that life doesn’t fall into place, you have to make the effort, do the work and find what works for you. Otherwise life will be boring and unproductive.

Christmas and New Years

Christmas Morning

On Christmas Eve we put out a plate for Santa with goodies that Libby came up with. There was a cinnamon bun, already eaten carrots and chocolate chips, and a chocolate dessert with a cup of milk. She helped compose a letter that said she was a good girls and safe and warm. I think she got lots of hints from mom and dad on what to say. She went to bed very well and slept until 8:15. We opened presents with Brittany’s family. Libby had a lot of fun opening presents. She was excited for the movies and the chair from Santa and the doll house people. She could care less about the clothes but she enjoyed opening gifts. Marshall surprised me with a new Bedspread this year. I was very surprised and he picked really well. He also surprised me with a Wii. I was shocked. He figured if he gifted it to me I couldn’t be mad about it. He was right. After we ate our breakfast of cereal (Brittany’s parents give it as a gift, everyone gets their own box) we headed out to visit Marshalls family. So off we went to meet up at Marshall’s grandma’s house for our Christmas lunch we usually see family and give her, her gifts. Then off to Marshall’s moms we went to give them their gift. After spending time with the family we were glad to make it home and relax for the rest of the evening. This time of year is always fun when we get to see all our family. But next year we decided that opening presents at home will be a lot easier and less stressful. Thanks for the advice grandpa! Also thanks to the 1 fast food place opened on Christmas day in Payson so I did not have to make dinner at 7 pm when we finally made it home.

New year

We welcomed in the New Year asleep. Well at least Brittany was a sleep Marshall was awake playing madden. We played games with some friends and relaxed the New year away. We love relaxing days. They need to come more often.