Going to the Chapel

So many of you know Rafe and I have been dating for a little over 10 months and its been a great 10 months with him, so its finally official; we are engaged. YAY for us! We are both really excited about spending our lives together and building our family.

We met right after I moved to Salt Lake two years ago, I was sitting in Sacrament and he was on the stand counting the attendance that day (he is the ward clerk) and he had caught my eye, in fact I think he caught me looking at him a few times during the meeting. We had only talked briefly a few time to discuss business like my membership records and tithing and such. He and I didn't have much interaction beyond that and shortly after I started attending a different ward. Almost a year later I finally transferred my records to the ward I had been attending and received an email from Rafe. He said he was sorry I wasn't in the ward anymore but maybe we could get together some time. I quickly replied back to him that I would love to do something sometime, and gave him my phone number. In the age of digital everything I was so impressed that he ACTUALLY called me to ask me out and not message me on facebook or text to ask for a date, he won major points right off the bat for that one.

Our first date was great, we had dinner and laughed so much, we knew we would be fast friends because we both had snarky remarks to make about the awkward Jazz fan who asked for a picture of Andrei Kirilenko while he was eating with his family. After dinner we went back to his house and played a couple rounds of ping pong, I thought I held my own but he still beat me. Come to find out just a couple weeks ago when we were playing ping pong he brought up the fact that on our first date I was serving incorrectly but he didn't want to let me know because he liked me (what a gentleman).

I was definitely excited to have made at least at that moment a new friend, but luck was on my side and he asked me out for another date and we've been together since.

Rafe is so great in many ways, he has the kindest heart and is never one to turn his nose up at serving anyone in his ward. Since I've known him he has moved probably seven or eight people, made countless runs to the airport to drop off or pick someone up, and many other selfless acts. I'm not surprised at the number of friends he has, he is so willing to help out a friend at any time. He has a great sense of humor and you can always count on him for a quickwitted comeback.

We always have a great time together and I always laugh when I'm with him, he thinks I'm pretty funny too which I can't argue with. I've become a Ute fan, Brewers, and Jazz fan all because of Rafe. I have come to appreciate tv shows like Top Gear and he has even got me to watch one of his favorite movies Hot Rod; although I still can't get on board with Burn Notice. He has learned to tolerate watching Project Runway with me, but won't budge and give Glee a chance.

He lets it slide when I make noise when tasting my food or smelling it before I eat it and perhaps finds it a little endearing when my body temp ranges from extreme hypothermia to heat stroke at any given moment. He patiently waits for me to finish laughing before I can tell a story or joke because I think its so funny I can't stop laughing long enough to deliver the punch line. He is a wonderful person and I am lucky to have found him. He was so supportive and patient with me when my mom suddenly passed away and gives me comfort when I'm feeling sad and missing her. He made the trek in blizzard conditions up to Idaho to spend Easter with me and my family and survived meeting all of the extended family. He spent the weekend camping with my family and happily set up and took down mine and Laura's tent, played horseshoes, indulged me and played games with us and sat around smokey campfires. We made road trips together to San Diego and Phoenix and still wanted to date after we got back home.

I am very grateful that we have been able to come together as a couple and now make the transition to husband and wife. It will be an exciting journey.