How We Met:
I guess I should start way back when I was 14 and headed to EFY at BYU with my friend Monica. The first day, we met two awesome girls (Bryn and her cousin Shelby) and completely hit it off. The four of us became really close and kept in contact even after EFY ended. Bryn and I got even closer despite the fact that she lived in Colorado and I lived in Utah. We went back to EFY together the next year, and the next, and the next. We'd also fly to each other's home towns and visit for weeks at a time. One time when we were 15, Bryn told me a story about some boys from her ward who made fun of her for something really embarrassing she did (I won't post that part). Well they made up a song about her embarrassing story, and I have to admit it was really funny. As Bryn and I were laughing about this funny experience, I didn't have a clue she was talking to me about my future husband... While visiting Colorado for New Years Eve in 2008, I met Ashley and between the three of us, a real friendship formed. When we turned 18, we decided to all go to BYU together and be roomies! I also made friendships with a lot of other people from Bryn and Ashley's hometown who came to BYU, and they would tell me all about their friend Sean Beardsley (he was on his mission in San Antonio at the time) and how excited they were for him to come home! Well, a couple days after Sean got home from his mission he came out to Utah to visit his family and attend an old mission companion's wedding. A few of his (and my) friends were meeting him for dinner at Zupa's and I decided to tag along. We'd both like to say there were sparks when we first saw each other, but there definitely was a lack of 'spark'. I thought he was really rude, and he thought I was a snob. In all reality, I didn't realize he was just being funny and teasing everyone, and he didn't realize that I was just being reserved and shy. Well, from there I'm ashamed to say I didn't have any interest in him. I'd come home from dates and find him at my apartment hanging out with Bryn and Ashley but I never said more than a couple words to him. One time he was at our place and he was being his usual, silly self and put on tons of layers of Bryn's clothes. He came into my room to show me and I just bust up laughing. He was the weirdest, funniest guy I'd ever met.
He added me on facebook, and that same day a good friend of mine got his mission call to Sean's mission. I wrote on his facebook wall that my friend just got called to the San Antonio Texas mission (when I look back, I have no idea what provoked me writing on his wall for something so insignificant, but I'm so thankful I did). He wrote me back and we talked a little bit then he got my phone number. The next day he texted me and from that point on, we texted almost everyday for hours. Texting... romantic right? Well, it almost... kind of was. We really got to know each other. I found myself telling him things most my friends and family didn't even know. He told me things he had never told anyone before either. We'd play this game where one of us would list a bunch of random facts about ourselves, then the next person would go. We'd do that for hours. He started school at BYU-I but we continued texting constantly. I was too embarrassed to tell Ashley and Bryn that I was talking to THEIR friend a lot more than they were, so they didn't have a clue how close Sean and I were becoming. I also had a friend who wrote him his whole mission and liked him, and I was currently doing the whole 'long distance thing' with another guy. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt these two people, so I really fought my feelings for Sean for months. (Side Note: This girl is married to someone else now and is very happy, and this guy is serving an LDS mission and is also very happy, so things turned out for the best). Sean would visit Utah often to see his friends and family. It was weird seeing him, because I felt like I knew him so well, but no one else understood how close we were becoming. One night we had Sean and his friend over at our apartment to watch King-Kong. It was a tough night for me because my uncle had just passed away from cancer. Throughout the entire movie, Sean made jokes that were so hilarious. He was making me laugh during such a hard time in my life. I really felt myself falling in love with him.
Our First Date:
Whew! This is becoming such a long post. Sorry.
In April, Sean asked me out for our first date. We still fight about how this happened, but I'll tell you my side. Sean texted me saying "We should go out sometime." And I responded "Maybe, you're going to have to call me up and ask me out like a man." Well he called me up and asked me out on a date. I said yes. I couldn't hide this from Bryn and Ashley any longer. I finally told them Sean and I were going on a date, and they were very surprised. Pleasantly surprised? I'm not sure. But they didn't have negative feelings either. It was just a little weird for them, but they were excited for me. Sean and I had plans to go out on a Friday night and he was picking me up at 7. I got home from work at 5, and was completely exhausted from a horrible night of camping in the snow without a tent with some friends the night before (that's a long story). So I came home from work and passed out on the couch, setting my phone alarm for 6:30 so I could have a half hour to freshen up for our date. Next thing I know, it's 7:30 and Sean is in my apartment hanging out with Ashley. I must have been really tired. I slept through my alarm, Sean knocking on the door, Sean calling me a couple times, and Ashley letting him in our apartment. Sean told me much later on he thought I was standing him up. I totally wasn't. I jumped off the couch, ran to the bathroom, got ready and we left on our date. It was an extremely awkward beginning to our first date. I felt awful, but I was also humiliated I slept through everything. Things got better, we went mini-golfing at Trafalga. We were finally alone and able to have our 'texting conversations' in person. It was really nice. I felt like I'd known him for years. We went and got ice cream after, then sat in his car in front of my apartment for hours... literally hours... talking about everything you can possibly imagine. I shared things with him that amazed me. He made me feel so comfortable. It was at this point that I realized he became my best friend. He knew me better than anyone. At one point of our conversation we were talking about eye color (like I said, we talked about everything). I told him how jealous I was of his blue eyes. I've always wanted blue eyes. He said "Your eyes are pretty. You're my brown eyed girl. Uh! I mean THE brown eyed girl." Now, one of our many songs is "Brown Eyed Girl". Finally we went into my apartment and watched Transformers while he fell asleep with his head on my lap. I was smitten.
How We Grew Apart:
After our first date, we spent a lot of time together. We went to a foam pit with a few of his friends, sister, and brother in law. I was extremely intimidated that he was introducing me to family already, but that's just how Sean has always been. His family comes first. If they didn't like me, he wouldn't have spent another second of his time with me.
After the foam pit, we all went to In-N-Out Burger to eat. A guy came up to me and asked me out right in front of Sean. I knew I liked Sean but I still wasn't sure how he felt, so I had no idea what to do. I kindly turned him down and told him I wasn't interested. After seeing the relief on Sean's face, I became really glad I said no. While he was in Utah, we also went 80's dancing with Ashley and one of his friends. When we got there, we found out they only took cash and all I had was my card. I had cash in my car but Sean paid for me and I payed him back as soon as we were done. While walking out of the club, we were handed weird fliers about a 'girls night' that Sean made fun of. The next day, I climbed into my car to go to school, and I found the cash I paid him back with and the weird 'girls night' flyer on the ceiling of my car in the sun roof. It really made me smile.
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| 80's dancing! I promise Sean wasn't high. |
Over time, we didn't really move forward, things came to a standstill. Then in May we started to grow apart. We both got busy with school, he found a couple girls at BYU Idaho, I kept writing and skyping my 'long distance guy'. I guess we didn't necessarily grow apart, but we just got busy. We still texted here and there, but things just didn't move forward. Then one day, he asked me, Ashley and Chloe (another good friend of ours) to visit him in Idaho. We went in the beginning of June and had a really good time. I felt like I was back with my best friend; things were completely normal. We went go-carting and played at an arcade. That's when Sean first saw my love for arcades. Now he takes me almost weekly.
Anyways, when it came time for us to leave Idaho, we said goodbye and got in our car. Sean ran after me, pulled me aside and said "I'm coming to Utah tomorrow, can I take you on a date?" I got really excited, but I played it cool and said "Sure". The drive home I felt like I was floating. Ash and Chloe were teasing me, but I couldn't even hear what they were saying.
The next day we had our first kiss...
To be continued... (because I have things to do).
YAY!!!! I LOVE THIS!!!!!!! I love that my name is in the first sentence of your love story. Not to be creepy. But I just love it. :)
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