ENGAGED. The story Pt. I: freshman year

I'm sitting down to type this blog post and I look down to see a ring on my finger. it's crazy! Not crazy that Gil is the one I'm marrying (I've only been hoping since our first date), but crazy that marriage is in the near future. The story of me and Mr. Gilbert goes all the way back to August 25th, 2010. So...everyone buckle up your seat-belts cause we are going back in time! (And if you happen to have any 3-d glasses..put those on too)

The day before I met Gil I was jumping up and down with joy....knowing that the next day I was going to officially be a college student. I felt so ready to move on into the next chapter of my life. (not that I didn't love the previous chapter, I was just ready for a new one). At BYU, they put all the freshman in "Y groups" during orientation. I met my group and wasn't too thrilled at the idea of spending the entire orientation with them. So naturally I wandered off and decided I was going to be super friendly and talk to whomever I felt like. GOOD THING I had that attitude. Because the first boy I talked to was Gil's roommate.

It wasn't love at first sight. (sorry...) but it was something I call "I am drawn to this group of boys" first sight. I instantly fell in love with their care-free freshman boy attitude. I wanted to hang out with them because I knew they would have fun with whatever they were doing.  As I continued to bump into them, I began to fall for the tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed, funny yet mild one. I don't even know why! At that point I hardly knew him! But I liked him. I liked him a lot a lot a lot.

I had hoped he would feel the same way too; however, one day he called me up on the phone to tell me about a girl he liked. instant heart sinking feeling.

Awesome gil. awesome that you are telling me about your girl problems. awesome that I was just officially friend-zoned...I don't even know why he told me. We had only known each other for like three weeks. I just remember tossing and turning all night long. I couldn't figure out why it bothered me so much that he didn't see me in that way. I kept saying, "SJ, he is going on a mission anyway...just forget about him!". Obviously that plan failed.

Luckily for me that girl and Gil lasted for like a week. loooong story short (cause I'm noticing how long "part 1" is taking) Gil's roommate told Gil I liked him. I was embarrassed for days and tried avoiding him, Gil seemed to not be freaked out, he would call me to hang out and do things like jump out of recycling bins and scare people. I fell harder and harder. He started coming to my house for dinner every week. He fit with my family better than I could have ever dreamed, and badda-bing-badda-boom he finally asked me out on a date for October 16.

The date was perfection. I seriously think they need to put it in a chick flick or something. We went to a cornmaze and it felt like we had been dating for years.

The rest of the semester I felt like I was floating across campus. I was happier than I had ever been before. Except for when I would think about the fact that he was leaving very soon for his mission.  We kept the mission a pretty common subject. I was his "Swedish teacher" and would give him homework every week. In return, he was my ping-pong trainer. When I think back to that semester I just think of "fun". We had no cares, we would talk for hours outside my dorm...even in the middle of December. And one of my favorite things about him was that our humors just matched up. He just got me. To be honest, we knew we liked each other, we loved being with each other. But we tried to base our relationship on our friendship. We knew he would be leaving soon, so we kept things very casual. I don't even think we ever had a "DTR". Personally, I was afraid it would jinx it.

I remember very clearly the Sunday before Gil left to go back home before his mission. I was kinda mad at him for something so he showed up at my doorstep with his pants tucked into his socks. I said, "Gil, why are your pants tucked into your socks" and he said, "It's because this is what people do when they are sorry". I melted.

He took me on a walk and that is when it officially hit me that he was leaving. I cried and cried and apologized for getting so attached. I honestly don't think he knew what to do, but he hugged me told me I was still beautiful when I cried and that was all I needed.

The rest of the semester I wrote him waaaay too much. So much so that on one of his letters I put a different name on the outside cause I was afraid he would get in trouble for having the same girl write him all the time. Maybe I was over reacting...I tried to keep it at once a week. but sometimes I had something reaaaaaaallllly important to tell him and didn't think I could wait a week. Also, someone please tell me how I ever managed to write someone 16 pages in one letter? I think I was a crazy freshman.

the end of part 1....

If you have any desire to peak more into freshman year with Gil you can read this this this this or this

Congratulations to who ever made it this far in the blog post!

To be continued...
p.s. I'm sorry for all the grammar errors...
p.p.s. Freshman year confession: I wrote down every text message conversation we had

{{Pictures from Freshman Year}}

 Before we barely knew each other my roommates and his roommates went on a motor home trip to Logan

He drove and I sat as close to him as possible without it being too obvious that I was obsessed.
I don't know if I succeeded.

We made a "Pre-Sweden" list of things we wanted to do before he left on his mission.

 (he is the one in all white) 

He and his roommates would snatch as many couches as they could 

in the dorms to provide "stadium seating" while watching movies

 At the Harry Potter premier. (Idk why he was so excited....haha he hasn't even read Harry Potter)

 Our first date after going a week without seeing each other due to Thanksgiving break

 Gilbert playing Santa for my little sister

 yikes

 

I came home on Valentine's day to find these on my bed. 

He was in the MTC at this point...so I think he found a little minion to do it.. 

 

One of my proudest moments. I sent him wendy's while he was in the 

MTC  for valentine's day.

speaking of Wendy's....today we went to Wendy's and our window girl was named Wendy.

Look! I have proof!