LizNCO: June

I love June, it means summer is really here, and it happens to be when TJ and I first started dating, June 3rd to be exact. I had invited him along with a couple other guys I was interested in and a bunch of other people to a croquet party. I was throwing that weekend. TJ couldn't come and through a series of intermingling texts, I ended up accepting a dinner date with a guy, and agreeing to meet up with TJ for a concert with some friends that the date and I were going to go to after dinner, I had to decide, ditch my date who I knew really liked me and jump out on a limb for this guy that I didn't know if I had a chance with.
Quickly I asked my date if I could bring a guy along. He was mad and well as you can imagine he didn't show up for our "date".

After that first time we got together, we went out 3 more times before he left town for that weekend. He would send me texts and pictures and voice memos. At my croquet party I had undivided attention from the other two guys I really liked before I met TJ, but I just couldn't get TJ out of my head.

I'll have to back up a bit here though. I almost didn't go to class that day, I thought going home to take a nap would be a better idea, but than I realized that wasn't like me, well not for religion class anyway. In the door walked my twinkly eyed husband. The first time I saw TJ I knew he was for me, I wouldn't really think about it too much except for when I saw him and then I would be mesmerized. There was one time TJ walked into a large church meeting and my roommates and I were against the back wall in the last row, I couldn't stop starting at him. My roommates told me that I was obviously staring, to which I said "I'm going to marry him", to which they said, "you said that out loud", but I didn't care. I didn't think too much more about him. But the next time I saw him in our class "Teachings of Isaiah" I decided I should at least talk to him, although I had previously resorted to making him come to me. It was the last week of class, and I had been through so much heartbreak before, I thought, what do I have to loose. So I used the planned conversation from the first week I saw him, luckily he was wearing his highland rugby sweats again, so I could. Then I played my cards the best I ever had and said (in a southern accent, not really) "I'm not from around here, and I sure do like to hike, do you know any good hikes" to which he got my phone number. First and Last time I played my cards so well, I guess I was saving it for the right guy.

That night I went home and told my roommate, "institute boy got my number!" Then just as I put on my glasses to head to bed, I heard a knock on the door and my vibrant roommate yell "institute boy!" I popped my contacts back in and ran downstairs in my jammies, only to have him ask me on a date for his friend. My roommate was mortified and worried she had embarrassed me but as previously stated I could handle anything, and honestly I wasn't mad or uncomfortable in the least, so I thought maybe his friend is hot?

We went on a triple date, he had this bubbly blond cheerleader, I thought great they're going to go get married, live a perfect life, good for them! My date was kind of nerdy, kind of cute, but it didn't go anywhere. I managed to give TJ "the look" and moved on with my life.

Randomly TJ would call me now and then, I didn't know why, he had the blond bubbly cheerleader.

Finally I went home to visit my mom and run the Boulder Boulder , I decided I was going to join the Air Force, become a pilot and do something exciting with my life if I wasn't going to be a wife and mother like I really wanted to be. I prayed and told God all my feelings. I decided I was going to focus on my running and school and not give any guy much of a chance till I was where I wanted to be. I also decided I was going to move on and not long after that heartbreak that I let obliterate my soul for a year hurt me anymore, always hoping he was going to wake up and realize he wanted me as much as I wanted him. Just at that moment I got a text, I was certain it was from the one I loved, but it was from TJ, I didn't think much of it, I was in CO, he was in UT, not happening.

So then when I planned my croquet party I almost didn't invite him, I didn't want to be this older lady chasing after this younger guy, but you know what it worked and now look at us. More in love than we've ever been.

Here's an overdose of pics from dating . . .