The Story of Us

Within in the past several months I started two different blog postings, but never finished them.  Consistency is one of the most important things about being a blogger.  If you’re not consistent than people will most likely stop reading your blog.  Opps . . .

Within the past five months a lot has happened.  Remember that one guy that I went hiking up Badger Mt. with?  (If not take a look at my last post).  Well turns out that a Summer Fling turned into an Eternal Commitment. 

This is the Story of Us According to Me 

It all started Sunday August 5, 2012 when, after a little over four months of being home I reported to the high council.  I walked into the same building that my parents met in twenty-five years before.  The first thing I remember about Christopher Christensen was his big smile.  I could totally tell he was excited that I would be reporting with him.  He was smitten before I even said hi to him.  It took me a little longer to warm up to him.  Like a week.  After our first date he had won my friendship.

Why Chris won my friendship:

He loves to smile

He loves to see other people smile

He’s got a big heart

He loves his family

He loved his mission

If you had told me on that warm August day that Chris was going to ask me on date in the same room my parents met in, I would have believed you.  If you had told me that in less than a month I would have gone on several dates with this guy because I liked him, that I would have kissed him, and was beginning to fall in love with him, I would have laughed at you.  Further, if you would have told me that he would follow me down to Rexburg, buy a ring and propose to me, I would have called an insane asylum and had you carted off.

How Chris won by love:

He cares about me more than himself

He shows me he loves me

He came down to Rexburg for me (although that was before he knew anything about Rexburg ;)

He was, and is always there for me

He puts up with my mood swings

He is a Glass Full of Lemonade

Let’s back up.  I didn’t fall in love with him overnight. 

I was used to going on dates RMs when Chris asked me on our first day.  What I wasn’t used to was RM’s asking me on a second, third, and even forth date.   After our first date, which consisted of mini-golf, The Lorax in a park, and walking by the Columbia River, I realized Chris had taken me on the best date I had been on since my mission.  I quickly came to the conclusion that I would know immediately who my future husband was going to be when he took me on a better date than Chris did. 

That never happened.

By the end of August I realized Chris was falling in love with me, and I was falling in love with him.   Big no-no.  I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with him.  I was supposed to go back to Rexburg, graduate, then go to BYU to get my teaching certificate.  Nowhere in my plans was marriage, or even seriously dating someone. Heavenly Father invited me to explore a different path than the one I had planned for myself. 

He even came to my mission reunion

When I went back to school in September I ran into our old seminary teacher, Brother Peck.  After informing him that Chris and I were dating I could see the wheals in his head turning, “How did Chris Christensen and Amanda Ostler end up together?”  He, like others, couldn’t figure it out, and neither could I.  Chris wasn’t anything I had planned on dating, let alone marrying.  He was into football hard-core, well any sport for that matter, he ate more than I could cook, was a party animal, and listened to loud music.  On the other hand he is cute, a gentleman, a faithful, good missionary, humble, knew his Savior, loved the gospel, lived the gospel, was a life-long missionary, and he loved his family.  I realized it was okay to fall in love with him and start a story with him when I realized he made life exciting, funny, and enjoyable—he was the sugar that made my life sweet, something I had been looking for since coming home from my mission. 

Two long weeks after arriving in Rexburg, and after many prayers, and miracles that only God could preform, Chris showed up on my doorstep.  He was there to stay.  Hugging him in the parking lot, I recognized I loved him more than I did when I said good-bye to him.

At Idaho Falls

Our first weekend back together we went to Olive Garden, walked by Idaho Falls, where Chris first discovered why the place was called Idaho Falls (yes Chris, there is a waterfall there!) and saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir preform. (WOW!)  The next couple of weeks were only slightly stressful.  I kept asking myself if I really wanted to marry this guy.  Could I commit to something this big?  The answer was “Yes.”   

As it is for some Mormon couples the proposal happened fast.  And it was perfect. 

Only Chris would propose to me on a Thursday night.  Only Chris would propose spontaneously.  Even he didn’t know that he was going to ask me to marry him that night until right before it happened (although he may tell you otherwise.  But remember this is our story according me).

I can’t remember what I had dreamed my proposal would be like.  I do know that I wanted there to be flowers, a tear shed, a kiss, a hug, and some pictures.

When I picked Chris up that evening he had a whole bouquet of origami roses.  Flowers, check.  After having dinner with some of my old roommates, Chris wanted to show me something at Porter Park, the park by campus.  We parked in front of an occupied bench.

“Darn it!” Chris said.

“What?”

“Well the best place too see this thing is on that bench.”  A couple was sitting on the bench.

To tell you the truth I just wanted to go home and go to bed. 

So I quickly listed off the options he had. 

1.     We could come back tomorrow (please say that one even though I would feel bad).

2.     We could ask them to move for a minute so he could show me whatever he wanted to show me.

3.     We could sit on the bench with them and make new friends.  (It’s BYU-I, you can do that here).

For some reason Chris was having a hard time deciding, which was not like him.  I thought maybe something was up, especially when he told me to wait in the car while he asked the couple if we could sit on the bench.  We usually do everything together, like go ask random couples to share their bench with us. 

            Chris talked with them for about 10 seconds before they jumped up like the bench had sprouted spikes.  “That was weird,” I thought 

            “Do you know what this place is?” Chris asked me as he put his jacket around me.

            “Yeah, it’s the bench where we had our first real conversation in Rexburg.”

            He reached into his back pocket, and my heart did a cartwheel of anticipation.  He pulled out . . . a piece of paper.  Okay, so he wasn’t going to propose tonight. If I was more awake and more willing to believe that he was about to propose I would have caught on quicker.

            The paper was a poem

            a poem he wrote

            a poem he wrote for me.

            He read the poem he wrote for me

            it was a rhyming poem.

            I usually don’t like rhyming poems

            but I liked this one

            because of what happened

            at the end.

            The poem instructed him to get down on one knee and say, “Will you marry me.”  Which he did, reaching into his coat pocket, that I was wearing.  He pulled out a little white box.  It held the ring I had picked out three days before. 

            I said, “Yes.”

            He slipped the ring on my finger, gave me a hug (check) and a kiss (check).

            The proposal was perfect.  So perfect that we attempted to take pictures (check), which didn’t really work in the dark.

The night he proposed 

            Thankfully our mom’s took care of the wedding stuff.  All I had to do was pick out a dress, pick out colors, pick a date, and show up. 

           

            December 20, 2012 was a very sacred day. 

            The reception was a “hit”, thanks to Janet, Jackie, Cheri, and all of my mom’s other friends who put so much work into it.  Pictures were fun, and being with family was amazing, but the thing that I loved the most was the feelings that came when I was sealed to my best friend. 

            I am so thankful that Chris and I served missions at the same time, that we met when we did and how we did (it was love at first testimony), that he was brave enough to ask me on a date, and I was smart enough to say yes, again, and again, and again.  I’m so thankful he stuck around through all the hard times I went through, and I’m thankful I stuck around for the hard times he went through.  I’m so grateful that Heavenly Father prepared both of us for each other.  Through the tears, laughs, frustrations, doubts, dates, smiles and faith, Heavenly Father let me figure out that I was going to, and that I wanted to marry Christopher Christensen. 

Happily Ever After

 Life gave me Lemonade, and sometimes I can’t imagine why J