Eleven

Joe and I have been married for eleven years now. In recognition of that big milestone I decided to write about eleven things that I feel were pivotal to us getting married.

1. Taxi Fare

Joe and I both served our missions in Santiago Chile. My first transfer happened when I had only been in the country a few months and still had no idea of currency. We took taxis from our old areas to the church of our new area to meet our companions. Joe was at the church waiting for his companion when I arrived. I tried to pay for my taxi with the highest denomination in Chile. Of course the driver couldn't make change and I didn't have anything smaller. Joe came over and rescued me. That's how me met. (He's been rescuing me ever since.)

2. Moving To Apartment #142

Joe and I reconnected in Provo after we had both been home from our missions for a while. He lived at the Glenwood and I would see him now and then. That summer he moved into the Raintree where I lived. (He happened to know someone who was looking for a room mate. He did not move there because of me.) Provo gets pretty empty during the summer and at one point it was just Joe and a poor Russian kid who were paying rent on the apartment. Not that they were the only ones living there. Every couch, every bed, and most floor space was taken up. Joe took them all in. People love and trust Joe. This really impressed me. And it is at the Raintree, I really came to know Joe.

3. Sitting on the hill

Between two of the apartment buildings at Raintree was a hill. I'm not sure how many hours my friends and I spent just sitting there talking. Someone was always on that hill. OK, it really wasn't a hill, more like a bump. Juston used to sit on the "hill" and play his guitar. Mostly, people would just talk. Those are some great memories. Joe and I had loads of serious talks on the hill. Not about "us", because "we" didn't exist, but just about everything else. Once, we were talking about who we imagined we would end up with. I explained what the future spouse of Noel would be like and Joe said something that stuck. He said, "I don't think you know what you really want." He was right.

4. The hair cut

After the mission when Joe and I became reacquainted he had long hair. Joe has great hair, but it doesn't look good long. Even ask him, he'll tell you it's true. So anyway, the truth is I'm not sure I would have started to date him, if he didn't get it cut. What that says about me?

5. The tip

For our first official date, Joe took me to a Mexican Resturant called Los Hermanos. It is on the corner of University and Main Street in Provo and they have the best chips and salsa.

For whatever reason, (He was probably smitten by the very act of being in my presence) he didn't leave a tip. I remember thinking of how cheap he must be. A few days later I found out from a friend that he realized he forgot to tip, went back the next day and left a tip for our server. About a year later I got a job at that Mexican resturant and they told that story in training. I was very awed that he was willing to make an extra effort to right a wrong. Most people, including myself, would have just let it slide with an "Oops, I forgot. I'll remember next time." Not Joe.

6. The Walk

Joe and I spent the summer together. We'd go for long walks around the Provo and through the BYU stadium area, hang out, talk, and talk some more. We were always together. I felt really lucky to have such a great friend. And that's all it was for me.

Then one Sunday Joe was acting really weird. (Weirder than normal) He wouldn't look at me, didn't talk to me, and sat by my friend Heather instead of me. I thought something was up. He asked me to go for a walk with him that evening. We did this a lot so I didn't think anything of it. As we were walking he told me that it was really hard for him to be my friend because he loved me. I got really mad, yelled at him, and ran away. I just left him standing there in the parking lot of the Bread Store. It made me mad that things were going to change. I didn't want that. Looking back I realize if he won't have been brave enough to tell me things would never have changed and we won't be where we are today.

7. Moab

A bunch of us from Raintree went camping in Moab. At this point, I was still on the fence about Joe. There was a girl, Amy, who lived downstairs from us who wasn't on the fence about Joe. (She liked him.) They do say that you always want what others want and I think that is what happened here. (Don't judge me, you do it too, I'm just more honest.) It was during this trip that saw Joe in a new light. He really took care of others on the trip. He went in the back of the hiking group to make sure everyone was OK. He started all the fires and just watched out for everyone.

8. The Little Black Bird

I have some issues. But in my defense, everyone has issues. I think I broke up with Joe like a million times when we were dating. (Yes, I do exaggerate for effect.) Every time we would start to get closer I would freak out and pull away. Well one morning after a very nice night, Joe shows up at my apartment with this little stuffed black bird. I was still in bed so he brings it in my room, gives it to me, and says, "Don't fly away." How sweet is that? It melted my heart. We still have the bird. Matthew sleeps with it at night.

9. Joe's Rock

At the mouth of Provo Canyon there is a big rock that overlooks Utah Valley. Joe and I used to sit there and talk. Everyone called it Joe's Rock. He took me up there to aks me to marry him the first time. We had a lot of really meaningful conversations there. I gained alot of insight into him while looking down at our world.

10. My Roommates

While Joe and I were dating I had the best roommates in the world. Heather, Johanna, and Sonja all really liked Joe and that meant something to me. Whenever I had doubts about us one of them would tell me something great about him. They stood by me through all the ups and downs of our dating relationship, without ever thrashing him. I knew he must be a good guy if they all liked him.

11. The Song

Joe hates to admit it, but it saved us. The first time Joe asked me to marry him I said I didn't know. That was pretty much the end of it for him. He took off to Salt Lake to visit Sven and I couldn't find him. At that point I knew that I had pushed too far and I paniced, so I bought him a CD, wrapped it up, and left it on his bed. After he listened to it, he called me and we got back together. What is this magical song you ask? How Do I Live. Yes that all time cheesy song is Joe and my song.

There it is 11 monumental moments in what would become the saga of Joe and Noel.
Happy Anniversary Joe. I'm lucky to be your wife.