One Year Ago...

I met Alan one year ago today....

 A few weeks before, my good friend from high school...Angelie, randomly wrote me on Facebook. Maybe it wasn't so random for her because later she told me she had been wanting to set up Alan and I for years. She had looked me up a few years back and I was serving my LDS mission in Brazil. Anyway....as most of us aren't super excited to be set up on blind dates, I quickly and happily agreed and told her to give him my number. 

I was living in Salt Lake City, Utah at the time and Alan was in Idaho Falls, my hometown! I had only lived in Salt Lake a couple years at this point...Angelie suggested we try to make something work the next time I was in town. Alan eventually called me and we chatted on the phone a bit. We set up a date for the weekend of the 4th of July since I would be in town. July 3rd of last year, Alan picked me up at my parents house. I remember so well him pulling up in his big black truck. We hugged, he opened my door, and we headed to the river for what was probably my longest first date ever. We were on the river about 9 hours. We fished and relaxed and had a steak dinner off the shore. Angelie and her husband Derek came with us. I had a good time but I did feel a little out of my comfort zone. Alan is an avid fisherman and I hadn't seen Angelie in years so It was like catching up with her and meeting this new guy all in one. I'm not so good with that sort of stuff. That first date, they would all tell you that I was super quiet haha. Even after the river we weren't done then. We stopped for frozen yogurt at Orange Leaf off the highway up there in Ririe. After that date I was certain I wanted to go out with him again. I could tell he was a great guy and I liked that he was outdoorsy. Also that he opened all my doors. hehe.

^^I snapped this photo of Alan on that first date. 

I enjoyed the rest of my 4th of July weekend with my friends and family then headed back to Salt Lake. Alan and I continued texting. We flirted a lot! We were always sending each other gifs. We both discovered we liked Parks and Rec so they were often related to the show hehe. A couple weeks later I was finally like, "when am I going to see you again?" He mentioned he had some friends he would like to visit and could come that weekend! haha. So he came down and we went to the Rodeo at the Delta Center. (It's not called that anymore but I still like to call it the Delta Center.) We had dinner at Cafe Rio then rode the train into the city to the Delta Center. After the Rodeo which was a lot of fun....We walked back to Cafe Rio. It was maybe 5 blocks or so. I remember so well Alan making me walk on the inside of the sidewalk because that was the gentlemanly thing to do. We walked and talked and it was just the best ever! I got home from that date, called my parents, and told them I was certain this is the guy I was going to marry....I text Alan and thanked him for our date. We chatted a bit and I think I had asked him if he had a good time. He sent me back a Parks and Rec gif.... This one:

So I sent him something like this:

And it was all uphill from there! We got together a few weeks later in Idaho...We spent an entire week together everyday. Funny story on this trip. That Monday we were celebrating my moms birthday. Since we were going to have everyone together, we decided to have family photos. Well, I invited Alan to come...He came right in the nick of time when we were about to have our photos taken. My dad, you gotta know him to understand this next part....He's a goof. He's like, "Why don't you two take a photo together then if it doesn't work out you can just tear it up..." hahah. Yeah, wanna see the photo? Here it is... Our first family photo. As we were dating...even in the beginning, Alan called it our engagement photo. This was the 4th time we had ever even hung out. Hadn't even barely touched each other besides a hug at the end of the evening. I just remember the photographer was like "Alan you sit there, now Brandi, you sit between his legs." I'm like "where do I put my hands." It was delightfully awkward haha.

 Then a couple weeks later, we met in Malad and camped with his family. 

That weekend was when we held hands for the first time (Just after this photo actually!) and later that night had our first kiss. 

We had a few fun adventures and made the long distance work.

In October we had the test of me going on a month long trip to Brazil. I had purchased my tickets like 5 months before. I was on the fence about going but knew it was what I wanted to do. We kept in touch. I wrote him a letter where I told him I was falling in love with him and gave it to him when he dropped me off at the airport. The reunion coming back was sooooooo good and eventually he told me he loved me not too long after I got back. It was all just too good to be true for me.

 In December Alan went to Seattle, Washington for work. I decided to be sponaneous...Got a plane ticket and met him there. We explored the Olympic Peninsula and just had the most enjoyable spontaneous weekend together.

We spent the Christmas and New Years holidays together with our families...

 In January I got the guts to ask Alan if we were serious enough I needed to move to Idaho. He was all for it. I moved, we talked about when we would want to get married just days after. We decided sooner rather than later. 

February 28th we got engaged...

 He proposed to me outside of the Logan LDS temple where we planned to be married. It was simple and sweet and romantic.... exactly what I would have ever wanted. 

 It was just the happiest time and somehow it just keeps getting better and better!! 

Love my Alan. So happy we met a year ago and now get to spend the rest of eternity together....

xoxo