How we met (by Brandon)

I met Sherry while attending BYU in January of 1994. I had just returned from my mission one year earlier and had begun my second semester at BYU since returning. At the time, I had already “decided” that I would get serious about dating and marriage in the fall semester of 1994. But that was before I met Sherry, the girl of my dreams.

I was staying in a condo called Chatsworth on the south side of campus. One of my roommates announced that he had a date coming up, and that the girl (Sherry) was really smart and talented and that he needed a good date idea. I was working the night of the date at Magleby’s (a nice restaurant in Provo) and could not make use of a basketball game ticket. One of my other roommates, Kurtis Parker, could not use his ticket either, and since both tickets were for adjacent seats, we gave our roommate our tickets to the BYU basketball game (vs. Air Force). Our apartment had also just acquired a big screen TV (a big deal at the time), so we also suggested to our roommate that after the game he bring his date back to the apartment and watch a movie together.

I went to work and came home tired. When I arrived, the movie was underway and that is when I first saw Sherry. I went upstairs to change and shower and then sat down to watch the movie with everyone (no one invited me, but it was a communal TV). After the movie ended the light came up and we all began to talk. I became very interested in Sherry. It wasn’t long before Sherry and I were talking with each other exclusively, leaving my roommate, Sherry’s date, out of the conversation. He eventually left the room and went into the kitchen to do the dishes. Finally he came back out and offered to drive Sherry home. I went to bed that night very impressed with Sherry and wanting to see her again.

The next morning I asked my roommate if he planned to ask Sherry out again. He said no, citing that Sherry and I clearly had more in common. He gave me Sherry’s phone number. I called Sherry and asked her out on a date. We dated for about a month or two and things were going great. I knew I loved Sherry, but I started to get cold feet. One night I told Sherry that maybe we should date other people for a while. That began what we now call “The Two Week Lull.” We did date other people, but Sherry did more dating than me, which of course made me jealous and helped me realize how much she meant to me (during that time I was the recipient of a delicious mint chocolate ice cream pie from a girl in my ward that Sherry and I still laugh about).

After two weeks of dating other people, I came to my senses and realized that Sherry was the girl for me. One weekend evening I tried to call Sherry, only to learn that she was on a date. I waited for her to come home, then went over to her house. We talked late that evening, and it was then that I told Sherry that I was thinking about marriage. We began to date each other exclusively. One of our dates was to the Provo temple. We were asked to be the witness couple. We told the officiator that we were not married, and he responded that “The Lord wants you to be a couple.” That was a sign to both of us that we were meant for each other. In the celestial room Sherry told me that she loved me for the first time.

I proposed to Sherry at a park in Provo near the end of the semester (the muffler fell off my car on the way to the park and after the proposal I pointed out to Sherry a dead duck floating in the nearby pond). We were married in the Portland temple on June 17, 1994, just about 5 months after we met. We are still happily married and Sherry is still the girl of my dreams more than ever. I love you Sherry!!!!

How We Met By Sherry

Brandon and I met in January 1994.I was on a first date with his roommate Eric after a BYU basketball game. We were watching a movie at his place when Brandon came home from work. Brandon and I immediately recognized that we had a few things in common as we casually talked about engineering, Philadelphia, and running track. Brandon asked me out on a date the following week because his roommate and I didn’t click. Brandon and I went to Magelby’s restaurant for dinner. He was really fun to talk to and I admired his good looks and broad shoulders. Our friendship continued to develop as we found time to run, study, and hang out. By February, I was ready to date exclusively. But, Brandon dumped me claiming he wasn’t ready for a commitment because he “hadn’t tasted all the flavors of ice cream yet.”Fine - I moved on. Brandon continued to drive by my apartment and call. But, I wasn’t there because I was dating other people. A few weeks later we went on a date to the temple and had an amazing spiritual experience. It was like the Lord was hitting us both on the head with a frying pan and saying “you are meant for one another!!” After that spiritual confirmation we both had to decide if we were ready to abandon my opportunity to attend Northwestern for graduate school and his opportunity for an internship in Japan. As we spent more time together it became very obvious that were in madly in love. So, we made a commitment to put our relationship before our interests and got married in the Portland, Oregon temple in June 1994. Sixteen years and three kids later, I can still say with absolute surety that falling in love with Brandon is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

David and Kami - Kami's point of view

David and I met in October 2004. I had just broken off a relationship with someone else, and my sister Mindy asked me if she could set me up with someone. She had this friend Sherry who was really cute, and Sherry had a brother in my area. All she knew about him was that he was a computer science major, he played volleyball, and he came from a big family. I agreed, thinking that this guy must be a total nerd if his sister was setting him up from two states away. I was dating A LOT at the time (three different David’s at one time actually), but I figured one date wouldn’t hurt and it would make my sister happy…

Apparently David had tried my home phone a few times, but I never answered it and he wouldn’t leave a message. So Mindy gave him my work number, and he finally got a hold of me there. I had him call me back on my cell that night. I was at the hospital with my friend and her grandma, but I went into the waiting room to coordinate details of the date for that Saturday night.

I didn’t really give the date much thought after that. I had ZERO expectations. When David picked me up, he was a little late. He had gone to the house next door by accident, but they pointed him in the right direction. My first impression was that he was a bit of a geek: old white tennis shoes, t-shirt, jeans. But he was nice and outgoing and had a cute smile. Then we walked to his car, and I was very impressed. (Side note: I wrote my version before I read David’s. And, I actually wore a solid black ¾ length sleeved shirt with a white camisole underneath, and grey jeans and black boots. I do know the red shirt that he was referring to, which I wore on later dates, but not that one. But nice try David!)

Then he admitted that we would have to go back to his apartment because he had left his wallet at home. He kept saying that he never does that (and looking back now I can appreciate how rare that really is), but I wasn’t bothered—I thought it was pretty funny. I met a few of his roommates and got to see where he lived. Then, he had me choose where to eat dinner, but he gave me three options: Red Robin, Hacientos, or some Italian restaurant (I can’t remember—Macaroni Grill?). I LOVED that—total bonus points. I picked Red Robin.

We had a bit of a wait, so we sat on a bench in the mall and talked. He told me how he just got a cell phone for the first time because the bishop in his ward made him get one for his calling (executive secretary). After dinner, he had me choose the activity—haunted house or ice skating. I picked the haunted house because it was something seasonal, but then he drove to the ice skating rink anyway and said we could do both. Fortunately I had taken an ice skating class at BYU, so I was pretty comfortable on the ice. I was also pretty impressed with David—he said he used to play hockey. We skated around, and I told him all about my upcoming Europe backpacking trip the next year and he told me about his accident and how bad his leg got hurt. It was funny to me because all these stories of stuff he did weren’t really adding up to the big geek I originally thought he was.

After skating, we drove up to SLC and went to a haunted house. I remember commenting to David how comfortable he looked in his car—the seat was as far back as it could go, and he had cruise control on so his legs were totally stretched out. When we pulled into the parking lot, someone directing traffic stopped David and told him he had a sweet car. It was awesome. It had been raining all night and the line to get in was out the door, but David walked us straight up the VIP line and paid extra to get us inside right away. Very smooth! The haunted house was really fun. The funny thing was that he kept holding my hand or putting his arm around me, like I was scared. I figured he was just using it as an excuse to touch me.

On the way home we talked pretty easily, but I was seriously tired and fighting sleep (he didn’t know that though). It had been a long night and a long date for that matter. I had had fun, but I’m not a night owl. He dropped me off at home and walked me to the door. We probably hugged or something—I actually can’t remember. But after I got to my room, I sent him a text thanking him for the date and saying I had a good time. Apparently, that sealed the deal for David.

We talked and texted a bit after that. He invited me to play volleyball with his friends a few days later, and we went out the next weekend (Halloween) and the next and the next. I spent Thanksgiving dinner with the Schultz family, and he held my hand that weekend for the first time. Then he kissed me a few weeks later, in December. I liked him, but I was still dating other guys as well. It wasn’t until just before I left for home over Christmas that I decided to buckle down and commit. We were skiing and I told him that I was going to be his girlfriend and just date him, or something along those lines. Anyhow, ever since that day I was hooked. We dated for almost a year when he proposed, and got married the following December.

The story of Chris and Heidi meeting, by Heidi

It was summer time in Provo and my neighbor was best friends with Chris. On a simple Friday night I arranged a game night at my apartment and two hours into the “party” Chris came walking in my apartment. The night went late with many games of cards (NERTS) which were very competitive. During the night of cards and games I couldn’t keep my eyes off this cute guy. We even played footsey under the table during cards

At the end of the night only Tim and Chris were left. It was Memorial Day weekend and the family was playing volleyball the next morning, so I invited both Tim and Chris to play. That night, I couldn’t sleep. It was if I had been shocked with energy. The next morning, only a few hours later, I was delighted to see Chris banging on Tim’s door as I was driving to play volleyball. During the game, Chris asked me out on a date for that night. The best thing about the volleyball game is that Chris really had no idea that all but one person was family on the court. Jeannie even came riding up on her bike during the game and he had no idea that we were all family. He didn’t really understand how big our family was until Sunday night dinner and games.

Kami and David – David’s point of view

I think it was September of 2004 when I got a random phone call from Sherry, who I talk to only on the phone maybe once a year. I was like, I wonder why Sherry is calling. She started with a question of “Are you dating anyone?” My answer was “Yes, I’m dating lots of people.” And I was. I was in my prime dating scene, at least 2 per week. I then asked why she wanted to know my dating life and she said “I have someone for you to go out with.” I immediately thought to myself, how would my sister who I barely talk to know a girl that I would want to go out with. So I said, “Well, tell me about this girl, why would I like her?” She said, “I don’t really know, I’ve never met her.” After that comment I just sat there like…. Uhhhh what? She then said that she was neighbors with her sister and that her sister was cute and fun. I just thought to myself, oh brother. Here I am a full dating machine meeting new girls like crazy and I’m supposed to go out with a girl that has to have her sisters neighbor set her up?

Well, I didn’t call Kami, but after about 3 weeks of Sherry nagging me to call I finally gave in just to get Sherry off my back. So I called Kami and no answer, well no there was no way I was going to leave a message. “Hi, I’m David and my sister who knows your sister told me to call… so you want to go out?” Yeah right. After another week or so I called back and talked with Kami and introduced myself and asked if I could take her out. She said yes and I asked what some of her interests were and she told me about Color Me Mine, a place to go make and paint pottery. Here I was again thinking… oh great some artsy girl, I don’t want to do that. So I said I knew the place and said I’ll set something up. We set up a time and she gave me her address.

The first date.
It was a week before Halloween and on the way over to pick up Kami I was just about there when I realized that I had forgotten my wallet at my apartment. In the hundreds of dates I had ever been on and still to this day I have only forgotten my wallet once, and it was my first date with Kami. I knocked on the door and a girl opened the door and immediately the first thought that went through my head was, “Please don’t be the roommate, please don’t be the roommate.” This girl was smoking hot. She was in this red shirt with white stripes down the shoulders and sleeves, it was very attractive. I introduced myself and she introduced herself as Kami and I was like YES! It wasn’t the roommate. So we got in the car and I admitted to her that I had forgotten my wallet for the first time ever on a date. So we headed back to my place and made out the rest of the night… JUST KIDDING! We got my wallet and headed to dinner at Red Robin, little did I know that I had onion breath the rest of the night from my tasty burger. Sorry Kami! My plan was to go ice skating with her after dinner, and if the night was going well to either hit movie or if I was having a blast to go hit a haunted house because then she’d have to hang on to me for being scared, I loved haunted houses for dating for that reason. So we went ice skating and then headed up to Salt Lake to go to a haunted house. The conversation was great the whole night was wonderful. And unlike the rest of you we did not kiss on the first date. In fact it took until December to kiss. And after we kissed I don’t think I dated anyone else really, I think maybe a couple of dates here or there. We got married a year later in December 2005.

Todd & Kathy (from Kathy's point of view)

Todd and I met at Nu Skin when we both worked there. A girl on his team wanted to set us up so she told Todd that I could help him with something (I think it was some email thing). So he called me and then came over to my desk. He wasn't exactly sure where I sat so he said "is there a Traci over here?" I knew he was looking for me and was totally bugged he would forget my name but I told him he was looking for me. There wasn't a lot I could actually do to help him so I just pointed him in the right direction and that was that.

Then Becky (his co-worker) kept on pushing it so over IM he asked me if I wanted to go to lunch with him. Sure why not? So we went on a lunch date to Yamato's (a Japanese place) and I drove because his car was broken down. He didn't like his food very much so he just played around with it and ate a few bites. I'm pretty sure I ate more than him on our first date....oops! After that we started chatting A LOT over instant messenger and he asked me out again. This time we were going to a concert at UVSC and then dinner. I told him I had to go to step aerobics first so we were totally late and only made it for about 30 minutes of the concert. Then we went to dinner at Chevy's (another place he didn't like very much). I don't think we've ever been back to either of the places we went on our first 2 dates. After our first "real" date he came back to my apartment and we hung out watching tv....and yes we kissed on our first date. We met and started dating in July and were married in December of the same year.

The first time he met the family was hilarious. He asked me if I would drive him up to the airport and since I was going up to mom & dad's house in SLC I agreed. So Heidi and I went to pick him up at about 7:00 am. I knocked on his apartment door for what seems an eternity and his roommate answered the door and told me Todd was asleep and no wonder his alarm had been going off all morning. Within a few minutes Todd shows up with a pair of basketball shorts in hand ready to go. We got almost all the way to the freeway before I asked him if he had his wallet with his driver's license. Nope. So we hurried back to his place for him to get it. Heidi and I waited in the car and he was inside for SO LONG (seriously at least 15 minutes). When he came back out he had showered and put on some cologne and picked up his wallet of course. He still only had a pair of basketball shorts in his hand and we were amazed that was all he was taking on his trip. He said he didn't need anything else since he was driving home 1 1/2 days later. We were really late by this point and needless to say he missed his flight. So he ended up coming with us since the next flight to Twin Falls wasn't for about 3 hours. My parents house was a little crazy that morning since George and his family were visiting and Danny and Emily were in the process of moving out that day. Todd just sat right down at the kitchen table with everyone and had his first buckwheat pancakes.