And Then He Kissed Me! Part 14/Flashback Friday

The weekend had finally arrived after a long week of work and anxiously waiting to spend every waking moment with "plumber guy". We decided to go to a movie that night and after checking my hair and makeup in the bathroom mirror, we walked hand in hand across the street to the movie theater.

I loved the location of my "bacherlorette pad". It was a mere hop, skip, and a jump, across the street from the movie theater and the mall. What more could a girl want?



"Plumber guy" was abnormally quiet and seemed to be deep in thought, as we walked.



He finally broke his silence, as we approached the other side of the street, and asked me, "So how is your money situation? W-w-well, I mean, do you have any money in savings? Are you okay financially?"



I was taken back by his question and I was sure he could tell by the quizzical look on my face.



"Ummmm. Well, I do live by myself and my hours were cut in half for a little while, you know?"



I felt a little defensive and began to defend all of my expenditures and reasons for them.



"Well I have $35 in savings and I hope to build it up, once I am more financially stable. What else do you want to know?" I asked him.



"Do you have any debt?" he replied.



"Ug! The "d" word," I thought. "My car is paid for but I have some debt on one credit card," I said. "Oh please, please, please, don't ask me how much is on my card?" I thought to myself. Although it wasn't an outrageous amount, I was worried about what he would think of me. If he thought I was too irresponsible.



"Why do you want to know about my financial status?" I asked him.



"Well, I just need to know for when we get married and when we start planning the wedding."



"What!" I thought to myself. "Did I just hear him right?" I stopped dead in my tracks and my mouth dropped to the ground.



"What did you just say?" I asked, while trying to contain the excitement that was building up.



"You heard me!" he said with an enormous smile on his face. "Now, this isn't the official engagement. I just wanted to talk to you about getting married," he continued to say.

I wanted to scream with excitement and jump into his arms and cover his face in sweet kisses. "He does want to marry me! He does want to marry me!"

"I knew it! I knew you wanted to marry me!" I yelled.

We then embraced one another and kissed. It was a good kiss. A kiss that was semi passionate, yet sweet. It was our first kiss as an engaged couple.

"I love you," I told "plumber guy".

"I love you too," he said.

We began to walk towards to the theater again, but this time I was holding his hand tightly. "I'm getting married!" I thought to myself. "I'm getting married! I can't believe I'm getting married!" I kept repeating these words to myself, as if I needed to convince myself that "plumber guy" had actually broke his silence about the "m" word.

It was hard to concentrate on the movie, due to "plumber guy" finally muttering those sweet, sweet words to me... "when we get married." I immediately began to plan the wedding in my mind, during the movie. "Okay. We can get married in April and I want to get married in the Bountiful Temple. I want tons of flowers and I don't want a long reception line," I planned.

I really never gave it much thought of what temple I wanted to get married in. I grew to fall in love with the Bountiful Temple. When I was unable to fall asleep or I felt a little lonely, I would look out my bedroom window, from my old apartment, and gaze upon the Bountiful Temple, radiating on the hillside in the dark. From my window, it appeared as a small squarish building, but it glowed like a beacon. It would often bring me comfort and peace during those times when I needed the comfort the most. I couldn't wait til we were married for time and eternity.

Once the movie was finished we walked back to my apartment. We immediately pulled out a calendar and began to look at dates.

"I don't want a long engagement," plumber guy said.

"So how about April?" I asked.

"April! That's way too long," he said. "There's no way I can wait til April! I was thinking about a two month long engagement," he said.

"What! Uh, you know that that's gonna be hard trying to plan the wedding, and two receptions here and in Wyoming," I replied. But then again, I couldn't wait to be "plumber guy's" wife. I couldn't wait to decorate our home together, to wear a wedding ring, to be called "Mrs." and especially, to go on a honeymoon with my future husband.

I decided that "plumber guy" was right and that it probably was best to have a short engagement, due to the growing passion between us. We narrowed it down to a Friday in January. January 19th, 1996 was going to be the day that I was to be sealed to my eternal companion, in the Bountiful Temple.

Before we knew it, it was 1:00 a.m. and we had both fallen asleep in each other's arms on my couch.

"I had better go home," "plumber guy" said, as he we slowly woke up.

I walked him to the apartment door and we performed our "goodbye ritual" that we had performed countless times before. We gave each other a long kiss on the lips, professed our un-dying love for each other, then I watched him from the top of the stair well, until I could no longer see him.

As soon as I shut the door I ran to my bedroom and jumped on to my bed. As I was jumping up and down with exhilaration, I began to yell, " I'm getting married! Ahhhhhhhh! I'm getting married!"

I didn't care if I woke up my neighbors from their deep slumbers. I couldn't contain my happiness.

After a few minutes, I was able to calm down and I got ready for bed. My cheeks began to ache from the smile that I was unable to erase from my face. I lay under my covers and began to think of how this relationship was perfect. Everything about it was perfect. There was not one moment that I had ever questioned whether "plumber guy" was right for me. As I said my prayers that night, a warm peace enveloped me and I knew it in my bones that Steve was the one for me. The one for me for all time and eternity.