Lazy Post

I've got an awful head cold, but I feel the need to do something besides lay on the couch and watch CMT. Yet, at the same time, my drug-induced state of mind is not really conducive to original thought. Instead, I will answer Denedu's tag about relationships.

Plantboy and Science Teacher Mommy



Where did you meet?

The old Conoco at 4th North in Logan. I say “old” because there is a Conoco station now in front of Smiths, but they tore down the actual building. Now, before you think that we were just pumping gas and then picked each other up, we were both working there. There is something so romantic about beer (but not on Sunday) and cigarettes. We have some hilarious memories from that place. Like the time the UPS guy caught us kissing in the cooler . . . the scavenger hunt people who were looking for two people to kiss and without any warning, Plantboy dipped me and really smooched me while they pulled out their video camera. . . . all the cute girls that Plantboy told were too pretty to smoke . . . the teenagers who pulled the sink off the wall in the bathroom . . . .


What was the first thought that went through your head when you met?

My first memory of Plantboy is that he was very sweet but kind of dense, and that he had beautiful elevator eyes. I had kissed and/or dated every guy that worked at the gas station (I was getting over a really serious relationship and bad break-up), and my roommates joked that he was just next on the list. They nick-named me the “Cono-ho.”

Do you remember what he was wearing?

Nope. But I’m sure he had on cargo pants because that was all he owned when I met him. That summer I had the cutest pair of SIZE 4 Calvin Klein jeans that Plantboy definitely remembers. I was probably wearing those.

Where did you go for your first date?

He had only been at the store for a few weeks when he was scheduled to close on his own. I had worked with him earlier and told him I’d come back later to help. Remember? Cute, but dense. Anyway, after I helped he said he “owed me dinner.” A few days later he invited me over to his apartment, because he had COOKED for me. I’d never had a guy do this before. I couldn’t decide if he was incredibly cheap or just really sweet. Well, he wasn’t cheap. We had salmon and wild rice and baby red potatoes and candy carrots and broccoli . . . everything was cooked perfectly and he’d even gotten rid of his roommates. It was fantastic. He later played the guitar for me and sang “All I Want Is You.” He claimed it was the only song he knew, but there was something about he way he looked right at me when he sang that made my toes curl. We talked about our missions and backpacking in Glacier National Park. I didn’t want to leave even though I had to work so early the next morning.

Where was the first time you kissed this person?


I think this is a funny question. My first thought was “on the lips.” As far as where we were at . . . we were hiking in the Wellsvilles. Those of you familiar with the south end of the valley will know that hunter’s parking area and trail that is just a mile or two before you get into the valley. We hiked up through there for an hour or so and I got slightly ahead of him. All of sudden, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I wanted to kiss him. So I stopped, grabbed his flannel shirt and planted one on him. We didn’t hike much further that afternoon. The other great memory from that day is when he screamed like a girl at the doe that startled us.


When was the first time you realized that you liked this person?

After that first kiss (just days after our first date), things accelerated really quickly and I told him that I wanted a moratorium on all kissing for two weeks. I just had to work out in my head what I really wanted. During that time we took a ride up the canyon one cold night in September. We lay in the bed of his truck, cuddled up in a sleeping bag, but we did nothing but talk for two hours as we looked at the stars. I'd never done anything more natural or perfect in my life and, though it was a month or two later that I told him, I fell in love with him that night. It was like I could see in my mind that our paths had merged and there was no way I would be able to escape that oneness, not without leaving behind too much of myself. I didn't (and don't) believe in "one and onlys" but that day I came to see that he'd been placed in my life for a reason--and vice versa. I felt that we had been given to one another.

How long did you know this person before you became a couple?

Hm . . . it is hard to say. We saw each other a lot from the time of our very first date. We’d only been going out a week when we started kissing and acting really coupley. I’d never jumped into a relationship that fast. In fact, it kind of bothered me (he was calling like three and four times a day and we were spending hours every day together) and I asked him to back off. When I didn’t hear from him for two days, I called him on the phone and asked him to spend the weekend with me at my parents’ house. After that, there was never any talk of “needing more space.”


How did this person propose to you?

It was the day before New Year’s eve in 1998. He invited me to his apartment and made the me the same dinner he had on our first date. This time, there was an enormous bouquet of daisies and baby irises on the table. He wore his fabulous navy blue velour shirt (still one of my favorites) and got on one knee. I hugged him and cried. He had tried to keep the whole thing a big surprise, but he cannot keep secrets from me, so I knew it was coming. I had just taken a job in Layton and was going to have to move to another city to live with my parents just a few days later. Less than a year earlier, I’d had an engagement break off. Even though we knew that we couldn’t get married until my school let out (early June), he didn’t want me to move away not being engaged because I had a lot of security issues. I’d never wanted a long engagement, but he didn’t want me to wonder how committed he was.

Do you and this person have kids together?

Three boys (7, nearly 4 and 18 months). In spite of, or maybe because of?, that we are still crazy about one another. I love that when we got out as a family, I am always with the four best-looking boys in the room.



Have you ever broken the law with this person?

Yes. A few times. Some of those I won’t tell you about because this a G (or maybe PG) rated blog, but another time is very funny and worth retelling. The February after we got engaged, I had a former roommate who was leaving on a mission from Moab. Several of us road-tripped down for the farewell. It was cold, but there was a full moon one of the nights we were there. We all decided that we wanted to hike to Delicate Arch in the moonlight. It is one of the coolest hikes I’ve ever taken. Unknown to the girls, the boys had decided that they wanted to dance NAKED under the arch. When we got to the top, the boys asked us to wait at the rim and they walked around the slippery sandstone to get as close to the arch as they could. A few minutes later, one of the girls in our group said, “Omygosh! Are they doing what I think they are?” Those lily-white butts were obvious to everyone. And lest you think I’m making this up, there is a very embarrassing picture to prove it. So no felonies together, but I’m sure that indecent exposure at a national monument is a misdemeanor.

Do you trust this person?

This question’s answer should be “duh,” but I can see why it is on the list. The first guy I was engaged to had been a real player. There was a lot in his past that didn’t sit comfortably with me and I was never convinced he was being totally honest. I entered an engagement with him, truly thinking in the back of my mind, that he was the kind of man that would one day cheat. It wasn’t me that broke off the engagement. The fact that I can trust Plantboy gives me incredible peace of mind.

Do you see him as your partner in your future?

Oh,yes. (This is a joke with us; I accidentally said this instead of “yes” when we were doing sealings one day in the temple while we were engaged. I had it inscribed on his ring; he tried to get me to say it over the altar even.)

What is the best gift he gave you?

Hm . . . today I’m cuddling in an incredibly soft set of Victoria Secret flannel jammies that he gave me the first year we got married. All of Plantboy’s gifts are wonderful, but this is the one I’m appreciating right now.

What is one thing he does that gets on your nerves?

It is hard to say. He is so laid back and mellow and lovable that even things that used to bug me really don’t anymore. But maybe that is it—he is so laid back that he is often disorganized. This sometimes leads to disagreement and frustration.

Where do you see each other 15 years from now?

Our current pet dream is to both be teaching school (possibly university?) and taking every summer off to travel around the country with our Air Stream trailer.

What causes the most arguments?

Me. Plantboy doesn’t argue. If tempers are lost (more often me than him, but this is pretty rare), then apologies usually come within about five minutes and we don’t nurse arguments or grudges one day to the next.

How long have you been together?

We met ten years ago last August and June 5th will be our 10th anniversary.

Who Do you Tag?

Whomever needs a blog idea and an excuse to gush about their fabulous spouse.