Love of My Life

As young girls we all have fantasies of the type of guy we are going to marry. In Young Women's (church youth group) we all remember the list we made of what we are looking for in a husband. I'm sure my list was really good with tons of spiritual qualities and personality traits. As a young 20 year old girl though, I apparently had a different list in my head.

My best friend roped me into a blind date in June of 2001 because another guy, who already had a blind date lined up, was trying to back out with the excuse that he couldn't drive up to South Jordan, Utah from Provo because of some sand that got in his eye from working construction. My best friend told me she would line me up with someone if I would drive up with this guy who of course was Zane. (I'm really not sure how driving up with him helped with the sand in his eye...still a mystery.) Zane showed up at my doorstep and during the 45 minute drive up I made some pretty harsh judgments (please don't judge me for my immaturity.) He told me he served a state side mission for our church (apparently I was only impressed if you went foreign), wanted to be a seminary teacher (didn't every return missionary want to be a seminary teacher until they realize how hard it is to actually become one?), went to UVSC, now UVU, (I apparently had the opinion that UVSC wasn't as good as BYU), and he was definitely going to go bald in the future. I immediately wrote Zane off as someone I wouldn't like to get to know further and anticipated the blind date.

Once we got to my friend's house, Zane went with his date and I went with mine. Unfortunately for my date, Zane was funnier and the life of the party. We were always laughing at the same things and I became intrigued. We said goodnight to our dates and then drove back to Provo together. On the drive home we talked non stop. (Zane is a fabulous listener and if you know me well, you know I love to talk.) When we got back to Provo, Zane suggested we finish our conversation over pie at Village Inn, the only restaurant open that late. Three hours later and a sore voice, he took me home.

The next day I learned that a very bad tropical storm had hit the city I'm from. The emails coming in from family were all about riding in boats to get around the neighborhood and service projects gutting out flooded houses. I didn't pay attention to much though because I was on cloud nine where the weather was wonderful happily anticipating my first real date with Zane that next weekend. Thank goodness I got over my shallow, immature side and realized Zane was everything I always hoped I would find in a husband.

Thanks for eight wonderful years sweetie and thanks for planning a much needed little get away last week to celebrate our anniversary!