Becoming the Mister and Lady

We are always getting asked how we met considering that we were born and raised an ocean apart.

Literally.

It was September of 2009 and a very good friend of mine coined the phrase

"I'm going to find your husband for you."

This friend felt that since he knew my family and had known me for years he

"knew what I needed."

And he reminded me often.

One day, I was sitting in the cubicle I worked in on Brigham Young University campus when the cubicle walls started to shake.

I could hear the thundering footsteps of Jamie James (my own, personal matchmaker).

He burst through the cubicle opening and said, grinning ear to ear

"I found him.  He's coming to meet you in 30 minutes."

I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry.

I tried to be discreet as I glanced to the full length mirror.

My hair was unusually frizzy that day.

Perfect.

I asked Jamie who this mystery man was and told myself that there was 

NO POSSIBLE WAY

that this international-student-coming-upstairs-to-meet-me-after-a-photo-shoot-of-international-students

was my future husband.

I decided that it was just fine that my hair was extra frizzy.

Thirty minutes later a dark European walked into my cubicle.

Jamie introduced us and then VERY AWKWARDLY stated that he would "give us some time to get to know each other" and told everyone to get out of the cubicle.

I got lost in his green eyes and his very subtle accent.

And then I caught another glance of myself in the full-length mirror and remembered that 

I had frizzy hair 

and that he was a foreigner 

and that it wasn't going to work out anyway.

After a few minutes, he left.

And he never asked for my number.

I did my best to forget him.

The following Tuesday, I was standing in the produce section of Smith's at 11:15 in the morning when I looked up from the navel oranges and saw him.

Without even thinking, I rushed over to him and 

HUGGED HIM.

What?

Followed by my word stumble that went something like: 

"I'm so sorry. I don't know why I hugged you.  I don't even know you."

We chatted for a minute and then he said

"Hey, I failed to get your number the other day, could I have it?"

I gave it to him

(and found out later that he already HAD my number, he was just pretending.)

Thus began 4 weeks of turning him down on dates.

He had gotten it in his mind that he wanted to take me Salsa dancing.

I'm a dancer, but I dance 

on a stage

by myself.

I was horrified that if I went with him, he would think I was a horrible salsa dancer and would never want to see me again.

I used excuses like 

"I have to go to the gym"

and

"My trainer can only meet with me at 10 pm on Thursdays (at the same time as salsa dancing)"

and

"I'm slammed with homework."

Four weeks later, I was sitting at CPK with my family and I received another text asking me to go with him that week.
(I later found out that he had decided that this was the last time he would ask.  If I said "no"...he was outta there.)

I told my parents and brother and they asked me what I had to lose?
(What did I have to lose?!?!  I was risking public humiliation here, people.)

"Maybe he'll stop asking if you just go with him."

So, I did. 

I frantically looked up Youtube videos that teach how to salsa dance

and borrowed my roommates strappy heels that were too big for me

and I met him at the salsa club.

He took my hand and walked me out onto the dance floor and said
"if you were so nervous about coming, you could have just done some YouTube videos"
and then he laughed...like it was a joke.
I followed up with an awkward giggle to which he responded
"you did YouTube videos, didn't you?"
"Um...yep...three."
I was ready to shove the heel of the shoe that was too big for me down my windpipe to put me out of my misery but then he started dancing.
And I got lost in his eyes and made a fool of myself.

The date ended at 12:30 am and I called my mom to tell her 

"that was the most romantic date I have ever been on."

I was pretty horrible at salsa dancing, but he didn't seem to mind.

We both continued to date the 3-4 people we were regularly seeing and at night, 

after our dates with other people,

we would meet at my apartment and talk about what we did and how they went.

And sometimes, we would kiss each other.

We became best friends,

finally got the courage to ditch the other folks,

and one year later, we became the Mister and Lady.

And we still salsa dance in the kitchen.