8th Day of Christmas Memories

The best memories I have of Christmas 1997 actually happened the week following the holiday.

In June of 1997, I graduated from high school. The spring during my senior year, I began working at my friend Angela's parents' company Mowin' Ranger. I continued to work there all summer until I left for college at SUU in Cedar City in August. Tremonton is on the northern tip of Utah, and Cedar City is on the southern end. I was excited to attend the college that I'd grown to love, and I couldn't wait to move to a city that was HOURS away from my home town!

Josh returned home to Salmon in May after his mission to England, and in June he moved to Tremonton to work for his cousins that owned Mowin' Ranger. My first encounter with him was one he still doesn't recall. I was leaving work one day, as he was arriving. I walked out the door as he walked in, and my whole inside became filled with butterflies. I instantly liked him! In August, we began dating each other--which was just 3 weeks before I left for college.

After I moved to Cedar City, we talked or emailed almost every day, and we visited each other occasionally on the weekends. Our love for each other grew rather rapidly, and we soon became tired of our long-distance relationship. I didn't know what to do about it--I had 2 full scholarships: one academic, and one theatric, and I didn't want to leave SUU where my schooling was completely paid for. Josh wasn't planning on moving to Cedar City; he liked his job in Tremonton, and he didn't want to leave Mowin' Ranger. We discussed marriage quite often, but what was the point of getting married if our living conditions would remain the same. The stress of being apart soon brought a lot of arguments and discord between us, and I began to doubt our relationship a lot. I wasn't sure if marriage between the two of us would be right. I prayed about it frequently, but I never received any answers...which was hard on our relationship, too.

In December of 1997, I came home to Tremonton for Christmas Break. Josh and I decided that after Christmas, he would take me to Salmon to stay with his family for New Year's. Christmas morning I spent at home with my family, minus Cody who was gone on his mission. My favorite gift I received that Christmas was the dozen red roses that Josh gave me. They were a wonderful surprise! I had never received a dozen red roses before, and they, along with a beautiful hand-written card from him, made me so happy!

Sometime during the week between Christmas and New Year's, he picked me up and took me to Salmon with him, where we stayed for four days. We spent the majority of our time during the days playing games: a lot of Rummikub, and a lot of Nintendo 64 with his younger brothers.

His older sister's in-laws also came, so there were a lot of extra people in the house. I remember sitting on the couch with him as the family opened late Christmas gifts, and I remember feeling like I belonged with his family. I remember sitting alone with him on New Year's, and seeing and hearing complete chaos all around us, but feeling peace inside.

After spending so many days in a row with him, and not being interrupted with schooling or curfews or work, I knew that I wanted to spend the remainder of my days on earth with him. New Year's 1997 was when I finally knew that I wanted to marry Josh. There wasn't a defining moment, but rather, a feeling inside of me that grew over the days we spent together between Christmas and New Years. And Josh had felt the exact same way. 

I will never forget the Christmas Break of 1997, and I reflect periodically back to that time spent with Josh that made our relationship grow and flourish. It was the first Christmas season of many that I shared with the love of my life.