I cannot believe that I have started a blog.... I gave in to the pressure. "Everyone's doing it," they would say.... well, now I am too.
A bit about Chris and I... we have been happily married for just over 14 months - the time has flown by and I wonder where it went. We lived in a basement apartment for one year, then moved into our cute little condo in Salt Lake a month ago. We do miss the ward we were in and the wonderful friends we made, but we love it here. We have friends in the ward, and the ward itself has welcomed us with open arms, for which we are grateful. We recently were called to be primary teachers - YIKES! - which we will start at the first of the year. Chris is soooo excited. I taught primary - 5 year olds - in our last ward.... for all those that have taught 5 year olds might understand when I say I will have to warm up to the idea. I am very grateful to be able to serve though, and as much as I say it might be tough, I was crying when I left those darling little 5 year olds.
Chris grew up this area, attended Olympus high school, and Olympus junior high. He is happy to be back. I grew up in Sandy, and attended Jordan high school. That's right, good ol' beetdiggers. Gotta love the beets. Anyway, I am quickly warming up to the area... I think it is wonderful, but it is hard getting around when you don't know exactly where you're going. I'm glad at least one of us does. :)
Quick story about how we met.... I realize this may be boring, but I guess this is what you do on blogs - introduce yourself before jumping into all the exciting events of your life.... maybe I'm wrong.
Anyhow, My aunt Pixie owned a share on a houseboat and the Lewis family was in her ward. She invited them to come to Lake Powell with us one year. It was the summer after my 8th grade year. Boy, was I in love. Chris likes to pretend that he liked me too, for my sake. But we all know the truth.... 14 year old girl. Ew. Cooties. Yeah, I tried to put on the charm, but how much charm can an innocent little 14 year old girl put on before looking like she is desperate? I am sure it was quite obvious to everyone else on the boat that I was in love - but that wasn't changing Chris. Dramatic, isn't it? Well, if that wasn't, the next part will be.
That houseboat - the same that I fell in love with my dear Chris - Blew up. Luckily, nobody was hurt. Nobody was even on the boat when it happened. When I heard about this upsetting news, I was shocked. As tragic as that was, did I feel bad because of all the years of wonderful summers and fun times on the houseboat? I have to admit, no (okay, a little bit).... it was because I imagined never seeing Chris again. That was the tragic part for me. Over the next few years, there was a new houseboat being built in my parents' back yard. It seemed that every Saturday, when the weather was nice, someone would come by to look at its progress. And every time, I would hope that it was him. I never saw him there. This all sounds so..... what's the word.... pathetic? But these are the things I seriously went through... I've never really even told anyone the extended version. Not even Chris. You lucky people reading this blog!
Anyway, our family had a couple of family barbeques with the Lewis family there, and of course, I was too shy to even talk to him. And, of course, our families kept making fun of us. Typical. My 9th grade year notebooks were filled with "I love Chris" and the notes I passed to my friends went on and on about him. But after my 9th grade year, high school started - and though he was in the back of my mind, and I thought about him sometimes, the crush kind of dwindled. I actually saw him a couple of times from a distance at the Warped Tour, but didn't have the guts to say hi. I know what you're thinking - "How can this happen? It was love from the beginning." I know, I know. But don't worry, the story gets better.
Fast forward a few years later. Chris is on his mission in Venezuela. I am just out of high school, and the new houseboat is finished. The Lewis family came with us a couple of years, and I really got to be good buddies with little William - Chris's little brother. He was 10 at the time. :) I grew closer to the Lewis family and visited them about once a month. I never wrote Chris on his mission, and his parents never mentioned me ever coming by, though I always wondered what he would think if he heard about me.
Chris retured home from his mission in April 2004, and started dating the girl he dated before he left for his mission. They dated for a couple of months, and though their relationship was kind of on the rocks, he invited her to Lake Powell, thinking it would help salvage the relationship. I remember finding out that the Lewis's were coming to lake Powell. It was the 4th of July, and the teasing began from my brothers and sisters (big surprise). "Maybe he's the one, Heidi"....."I bet he's excited to see you." Even my dad. He had been loading things up at the Lewis's, getting ready for the trip. He told me Chris was a stud. At this time in my life, I had sworn off boys... I was totally against marriage, and I wasn't afraid to announce this to the world. "Relationships ruin everything!" was a common saying of mine. But I couldn't help thinking about Chris or what Lake Powell could really be like. I was a little anxious going to bed that night, knowing the next morning he would be coming over early with his family for us all to head down.
The next morning, I had kind of high hopes - maybe it would be good, I thought. And, truth be told, probably deep down inside, when I heard about Chris coming to Powell with us weeks before, I did my best to look good. I lost weight, and tried to make myself cute. But I will never forget the feeling I had when I saw Chris - and his girlfriend, that I knew nothing of, making their way down the driveway. He was with his 2 brothers, Aaron and Geoff, who also had their girlfriends with them. My exact thought was (pardon my language), "Well, this trip's gonna suck." I thought about my cousin Karson who also came, and I was so grateful that I had someone to hang out with and have fun with - because clearly, that was not going to happen with Chris. And all my work in trying to look cute was a waste. All the way down to the lake, I couldn't stop thinking that it was true. Relationships really did ruin everything.
Lake Powell wasn't dreadfully horrible. I mean, I was at Lake Powell. That's fabulous in itself. I did get some good talks in with Nephi, Chris's father, about my future - which included a mission (which I was already thinking about), traveling, and opening up my own travel agency. Things which I dreamed of doing at the time. I played with William and Aubri, Chris's youngest siblings. And, of course, it was wonderful to be at Powell with my family, my favorite trip we take every summer. But, I couldn't help but look at Chris and his girlfriend. I was intimidated by her, actually, so I didn't talk to Chris much. They weren't together very often, and I think I saw them be intimate only once - she kissed him on the cheek for a picture. Later in the week, Chris decided to end the relationship (what an opportuned time, I know), and broke up with her there at the Lake. No worries - they had to travel home together the next day. Kind of weird. But, still to this day, he claims it was the best time to do it. He tried to make things work and he thought a trip together would work - it did not.
Before leaving the lake, Chris had mentioned the Warped Tour coming up the next week, and mentioned us going together. He knew I was planning to go with my dad, and he thought maybe we could all go toether. I thought, "yeah right, that will never happen" in my mind, but I gave him a cheerful "sure" and he seemed excited. That Sunday, his brother Geoff was opening his mission call. I happened to be there because Chris's brother Aaron rode home with my cousins and I. Chris looked so good. I couldn't help but smile when I saw him. He was just so cute. :) There was no where to sit in the living room, so Chris conveniently asked me to sit on his lap. I didn't complain. He asked me if I wanted to go get Warped Tour tickets the next day with him. I told him I could do that, and thought it would be fun. We actually would be going to Warped Tour together. The next day I picked him up and we had a fun night. We went to get the tickets, then went to a store to buy me a cowboy hat for a concert I had coming up. Then we went to dinner at a Venezuelan restaurant for dinner. We casually talked about relationships, friends, family, and life. And I will never forget the first pickup line he ever used on me..."I could get lost in your eyes." Cheesy as it was, I ate it up. He talked me into watching a movie, and of course it had to be scary. He asked me to watch "The Ring." Yuck. I don't watch scary movies. But, cuddling up on the couch, I couldn't resist the way it was just so easy being with him. I kept thinking, "Chris Lewis. I can't believe it." After I introduced you to 14 year old me, you would understand why I would have been fainting if I was her at this moment. It was a fun night.
The fun didn't stop from there... we continued to date, pretty exclusively with only a couple of exceptions. Chris wasn't exactly fond of serious commitments at that time, truth be told.... so one weekend he told me he wasn't ready for a relationship. As hard as that was, I accepted it and knew that we would still be good friends.
The next Sunday, I was sitting in sacrament meeting with my parents and my previous bishop walked up to talk to me. He informed me that he put my name down on the temple prep class, in case I ever thought about going on a mission. I was shocked. I looked at him, doubtfully, and tried to pay attention to the meeting after that. It suddenly hit me that I should indeed go on a mission... and that was the path I was supposed to take. I could not stop the tears from coming. Not out of happiness, but because I was upset. How was I supposed to leave now? My friends were getting married, my sisters were having kids, and I wasn't sure I wanted to miss all of that. I knew it was right, though. What great timing the Lord has - the very weekend Chris decided to take a break. I received my mission papers the next Tuesday, and began filling them out over the next 3 weeks. Meanwhile, Chris and I saw eachother here and there. Pretty soon we were dating again, and then were inseperable. It was a tough decision to make - serving a mission. Leaving when our relationship was strong and we loved eachother. But, as many times as I doubted going, the Lord provided me with the same amount of confirmations. I received my mission call in November, and left for the MTC in January. I served in the California Fresno mission, and loved every minute of it. Chris and I wrote regularly throughout the 18 months, and he was waiting for me when I returned home in July of 2006.
It took me a few days to warm up, but he had me wrapped around his finger 3 weeks later when he popped the question. It was wonderful, and so right. We were married on October 20th, 2006, just 3 and a half months after I got home. And it has been wonderful ever since! We have started trying to start our family, and we are excited about that. I will keep you posted.
Wow.... that really wasn't quick at all... but now you know the full story. I really don't think I left anything out. I am sorry to bore you... but I am slowly realizing how much this blog will be mostly for me. A chance to write our story down - it actually is a great idea... fancy that!
