our story

Michael and I met in April 2010 thanks to his sister Alexis, who was in my ward at the time. She told both of us she had the perfect person for us (she couldn't have been more right!). Our first date was definitely one of the most unique, and fun, dates I had ever been on. We went to Outback (our favorite!) and then "fished" for goldfish in his parents' pool. A couple days later, he invited me to Arizona with him and a friend. Feeling up for an adventure, I jumped in the car with the boys early the next morning and off we went for an incredible trip, the one that started it all :)

I went home for the summer and before I knew it, Michael came to visit me in California! But with school starting, trying to get settled down, and a few extra distractions in the way, we just remained good friends.

Time went by and in January 2011, I realized I was falling in love with him. Of course, he hadn't realized this just yet :) While we were always drawn to each other, things continued coming between us and holding us back. More than once, I thought I'd never talk to him again. However, we somehow always kept finding our way back to each other. For some reason, even though we weren't dating, in the back of my mind I just knew he was the one I was going to marry. It was the perfect opportunity for me to develop patience and trust in the Lord's timing.

The end of September came and Michael invited me on a Lake Powell trip. Thanks to a talk with his uncle Shawn, something happened to him on the trip and a "lightbulb" went off, he said. He realized the girl he wanted to spend forever with had been right in front of him the whole time. I'll never be able to thank Shawn enough! But because nothing had been happening between us, I was dating someone else.

But Michael continued to be Prince Charming during October and on Halloween, told me he wanted to marry me. I dragged my feet a little, torn between the incredible guy I was dating, and the love of my life (we joke it was payback for making me wait a year!) but I knew, just like I had since January, I was suppose to marry him. We were blessed to have a couple special experiences that confirmed it was right and that gave me the courage to take the leap of faith.

We flew to my house in California and rode quads with my family to the tallest mountain on our ranch (a place we had been over a year before). At sunset, he got down on his knees and "officially" asked me to marry him. It was the perfect day!

I married my best friend in the Draper LDS Temple on January 12, 2012. It was a long road to get there, but we learned important lessons through it all that we will carry with us forever. We wouldn't change it for anything. He was definitely worth the wait!

You can read more about our engagement here and see some of our wedding pictures here and read more about our fairy tale here.