A Special Day to Be Grateful

I keep meaning to start this, our family blog, with an entry describing what I am most thankful for. I thought I'd do that today, but focus on just one single point I would have shared. Today is a special day to me, and it feels most appropriate to focus on why: Today is the three year anniversary of the day I started on the journey together with the love of my life. On November 4, 2005, Torie and I went on our first date.

To be honest, at that time, for various reasons, I had given up on love and dating. Sometimes, Heavenly Father doesn't bless us with things in our lives until we give up trying to force things. Sometimes we just have to put things in his hands.

Then Torie came into my life. We met at the Institute. I hadn't done more than initially notice her. We danced at the Institute dance in October. Admittedly, I hadn't thought much more than that of her. Then she requested I be her friend on the social networking site MySpace. After agreeing, I noticed from her profile that she used AOL Instant Messenger. I sent her an e-mail saying that if she was ever bored she should message me, since I was always online. I can only attribute it to a prompting that lead me to do that, which is something I'm forever grateful for.

I'll spare the embarrassing details, other than to note on our first conversation I didn't get the hints Torie was giving. I blame it on me giving up on dating. All that matters is on November 1, 2005, Torie asked me out for our first date for that Friday.

I was nervous. I picked Torie up at her house and met almost her entire family on that first date. I was so nervous, I can't remember if I even told her how beautiful she was, even though I remember thinking it.

We went to a movie, Elizabethtown. After I opened her door and we started towards the theatre, Torie reached for my hand. My heart lept at that moment as I reached to meet hers. In my heart, I hope we never stop holding hands.

We talked quietly to each other through the entire movie. Our love began to unfold, as it became obvious our hearts and lives were meant to be intertwined. We had so much in common.

Torie and I are simple people. We are easy to please and don't need fancy things. Even from that first date, all that mattered is we had time to be together, to hold hands, and to be able to talk. After the movie, we went to McDonald's and had a little bit to eat. When we were done eating, there was still time before she had to be home, so the only place we could think of going where we could just walk around and talk was Wal-mart. So we went and wandered around Wal-mart and just talked.

Admittedly, I was slow. I was excited but I don't think I realized what had happened that night. I was so excited and knew I was going to be extra busy for work the next week, so I asked her out the next morning for that afternoon. We just wandered around the mall, holding hands, and talking. We went back to my apartment and tried to watch a movie on the portable DVD player that Torie brought. We were so involved in just talking with one another, I still haven't seen Harry Potter 3.

When I got home that night, I called my sister and told her, "I think I have a girlfriend." Obviously, I did. And Torie's and my love just continued to grow from there.

I love you Torie. I am so thankful for these 3 years and look forward to all of the years ahead of us. Heavenly Father showed me how much he loved me when he brought you into my life. You are my soulmate, my lover, my friend, my everything. I know you were meant for me and are the one to be by my side through the tough times, through the joyous times. I hope I can and will be the same for you.

I hope we are dancing together, in love, forever.