Our Story: Part 1

I suppose it's time for a major update. This may take a few days but my recent insomnia will aid this adventure. Where to start...

Lets rewind back to 2008 while I was in London so you get the full story..... Beware, it's full of my deepest personal thoughts on love and the pursuit of it. It is sappy and mushy but it is my history.

I went to church one day in September and saw a guy who I recognized was new in the ward. I made a plan to say "welcome" but didn't get to that day. The next weekend, I went to General Conference (a world wide broadcast of sermons from church leaders) and saw the same guy. I noticed that there was something about him that attracted me instantly. I wanted to follow through with my plan to introduce myself but backed out because he was cute.... until I noticed him talking to a girl that I despised. Word was spreading of people going out to eat after the broadcast to a restaurant called Wagamama's. I wondered if he had been invited. So, playing it cool, I walked over to this slag and played friendly. I told her we were going to Wagamam

a's and she should come... and this new friend. He accepted and the rest of the night we were inseparable. I almost lost him at the shuffle of seating arrangements at the restaurant but I gave myself a fierce mental pep talk to go after him!

The whole dinner we argued. I told him I loved Minus the Bear. He said Botch was better. I told him no one loved pizza like I did. He told me he started a pizza club and had a shirt. It was love. After dinner friends invited us to a house to watch the Goonies. That night it rained and I wasn't wearing the best shoes while we walked so I was very cold. I sat between Larissa and Josh to get warm and our host got me a blanket. The 3 of us sat VERY close... or should I say 2 of us did... (This picture was taken of us at Wagamama's the very first night we met.)

That night at the roomie "debriefing" with Larissa she said, "So... Josh...?" and I said, "Yeah! He's kind of a jerk! He is studying mysticism, he has all these strong opinions, he says he hates babies, and just... jerk! But... there's something about him.... there's something so intriguing..."

The next day I saw him at Conference. He came over to my flat afterwards for games and treats. We played the sleeping game which "necessitated" some cuddling. (The sleeping game is really a game. I wasn't just being a tart!)

The next day, Monday, he and I met up to go to the National Gallery but it closed so we wandered through Trafalgar Square to South Kensington. We stopped at parks, enjoyed the rain, enjoyed the trees, enjoyed the company. It went that way for months. We were always together. We saw each other every day. We explored museums, Soho, Stonehenge, Bath, Camden, markets, festivals, we even got lost wandering random London streets. He became my best friend quickly.

Earlier that year had my heart shattered and at times it was hard to believe that Josh was for real. I tested his integrity and probed into his history. I finally realized that I could trust him. He could be shy or put out a tough exterior at times but I slowly allowed myself to see the man he was. He cared intensely for his family and talked to them often. He waved and made faces at children on the tube. He was forever dependable and honorable. He shared his love of humanity and God in the humblest of ways. He was real.

By the time I realized all of this, time was running out. My visa was expiring and could not be extended. He was mid masters program and committed to stay for another 6 months. I felt at peace with things though. Finding love in London wasn't what I expected but it felt right. I didn't want to put pressure on anything so I said we should keep in touch and see what happens when he gets back to the states. I never felt so much pain and cried so many tears as I did when I left him at the Heathrow airport. Even security workers gave me a pat on the back as they checked my passport and I sobbed.... the ugly sob. I knew something was different.

I returned home to California. My grandparents are amazing and made me feel loved and wonderful. I missed my sisters like crazy and enjoyed getting to spend time with them. It took time to find a job and I desperately needed things to fill my time. I tried to get involved in my new ward and it just didn't fit. I got asked out by wonderful people but... they didn't have that spark. My heart had decided on Josh. No relationship or even friendship I ever had could compare to him. In May 2009, Josh gave me a choice. He said that he would finish his masters dissertation from America if I moved to Utah where he could do his research. I packed my bags for London... I was going to help move to America...

To be continued...