7 Years

7 years ago today Chris and I made a promise, a covenant with each other and with God.

To celebrate this anniversary I wanted to look back on what came before (and get it recorded!)-specifically how we became engaged. So, settle in and enjoy!

Okay, this is Chris here. Leah asked me to write our engagement story, of course from my own point of view. He has a better memory than me, after being mommy brained 3 times. I hope she'll fill in her own thoughts later. Mine are in italics. Where to begin? I suppose at the point where we decided to get married. It was Christmas 2003. I was in Virginia with my folks and Leah was in Texas with hers. We had an instant message conversation that went something like this:

Me: How's it going?
Her: Fine. My family is giving me a hard time about you.
Me: Yeah, mine too. They keep pushing me for a date.
Her: A date for what?
Me: Uh, for our wedding.
Her: Oh my gosh!! You finally made up your mind! Actually, it was more like "what wedding? Are you proposing? You WANT to marry me?" I seriously thought that we would be breaking up when we got back from break-he was that unsure about the future when we left UT!

So once we had a mutual understanding, Leah wasted no time in setting an appointment at the temple (I wanted the sealing room at the top of the spiral staircase in the Manti temple-sealing room 7, btw), booking a photographer (I wanted a good one and she books up fast) and buying a wedding dress, all over Christmas break. There's no stopping her when she puts her mind to something! And has a family full of girls who would like nothing better than to plan for a wedding. And besides, when would we all be together again? At the wedding? And then the ball was in my court to put a ring on her finger. Now I'm usually a careful shopper when it comes to big-ticket items, but I knew the clock was ticking and I had to move quickly or she would begin to wonder if my feet were getting cold. So with some helpful advice from my future sister-in-law, I picked out an attractive setting and three diamonds that I was pretty sure she would love. (By the way, shopping for an engagement ring with a married woman was a little weird. No offense intended, Elise, and thanks for your help!)

I proposed on a cold Saturday, January 17th. We had a date to go to the Provo temple. Incidentally, it was the first time we had ever gone there together. I stopped by her apartment early that morning and dropped off some flowers and a box of her favorite cereal before she was awake. When I came out of my bedroom and found it there on the table I thought this is it, the ring is in the box or something. I looked around for him and searched the box of signs of being doctored but found nothing. It was just a box of cereal. Yes, my favorite kind (Wheat Chex for all you who are wondering), but still! I was a bit disappointed. We made it to the temple a little late because of a lost recommend (Yep that was me running around like a crazy person, seriously flipping out cause I didn't want to be late!), but no big deal (And Chris assures me that "no big deal" was NOT what he was thinking when I called to tell him that I couldn't find it!). The temple session was lovely. As we walked out the temple doors, my roommate pulled up in his Explorer and handed me the keys. Leah's jaw hit the ground 'cause she immediately knew what was up. I blindfolded her and handed her a tape recorder. I had recorded my journal entries about her--our first date, our first kiss, when I knew she was the one for me, and a lot of the spaces in between. She listened while I drove up Provo Canyon to Bridal Veil Falls, where we had gone previously on a memorable homecoming date. We walked up the path a ways to a spot where the frozen falls were framed by the bare tree branches overhead. Pretty, in a wintry sort of way. Then I took a knee and said, "I promise to be there for you, to treat you right, and love you forever." It was right about then that a handful of people walked by with their dog, who gave me a curious sniff. And of course the people wanted to spectate too! But I wasn't about to lose momentum. "Leah Abbott, will you marry me?" Of course she said yes. We kissed, and she put on the ring. And that was it. He left out the part about dressing me warmly in a combination of his and his roommates clothes so that I wouldn't freeze on this little jaunt. Turns out Jordan and I have the same size feet. Not sure to whom goes the insult and to whom the compliment!

We stopped for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and we called our family and friends to announce the news. I honestly don't remember anything about the rest of the day except how excited I was to marry the girl with whom I was so completely in love.

The last seven years have been wonderful, as good as I could have hoped for. Happy Anniversary, Love, and here's to many more!