You can get parts one and two here
I continued walking home after getting Stephan's voicemail, telling myself that I WOULD NOT call him. When I got back to my apartment, Jenny (the roommate who set us up) was there. "Guess who left a message on my phone?" I said.
"Stephan?" she said.
"Yeah, but I don't want to call him back," I said.
She was surprised, "Why not?!"
"I don't like him!" was my excuse.
The next day, I chatted with some people about it, and one asked, "Well, what was the worst thing you found out about Stephan?"
I thought about it, and said, "He doesn't talk very much."
"Well," he said. "if that's the worst thing about him, then he deserves a phone call!"
With that, I called him back, and I could tell that he was very happy to hear from me. We had a very pleasant conversation (to my great surprise), and he asked if he could see me again sometime. I answered in the affirmative.
Our next date wasn't until the week before finals. That day, there was a big snowstorm. And I mean big. Stephan had only recently gotten his driver's license and didn't have snow-driving experience. To tell a long story short, I met my father-in-law on the second date.
Thankfully, my father-in-law didn't come with us on the date itself--I would have never given Stephan another chance after that. Besides the "chauffeur" it was a good date. We had lunch at Brick Oven, in case you are wondering. He talked A LOT on this date. After lunch, his dad drove us back to my apartment complex, and Stephan walked me to my door. Since it was just before Christmas break and I was going home for a few weeks, he asked me for my e-mail address. It must have been divine intervention, because I gave him mine. When I got inside, my roommates were sitting at the kitchen table, and they told me I was glowing (I denied this of course).
We e-mailed a bit over the break, and on my birthday, he sent me a "Merry Christmas" e-mail in the morning (I thought he forgot my birthday, so I reminded him) and then in the evening, he sent me a "Happy Birthday" e-mail along with a picture of a Star Wars birthday cake. I later found out that he remembered me telling him how my family celebrated my birthday, and he used that to time the e-mails. Brilliant.
After I got back from Houston, we were still e-mailing, and one evening, he directly told me that he wanted to ask me out again, but didn't know what to do. He asked me what I liked and disliked, and when I was available. I appreciated his honesty, and wrote him back with the information he wanted. With that information, he planned our next date...
To be continued...
Showing posts with label our story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label our story. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The Stephan and Laura Story: Part II
It took a while for our first date to happen. Sometimes I wondered if it would ever happen. I think it took about five weeks for it to happen, after I decided that I would meet him.
I knew very little about Stephan going into all of this. Well, I knew a lot more about him than he did about me, which isn't saying much. I knew (from what Jenny and Andrew had told me) that he apparently looked like he could be my brother, was tall, played video games, was recently home from his mission, and he had a motorcycle. So from all this, I imagined a shy, dark-haired, dark-eyed, tall, skinny nerdy guy with glasses who wore a leather jacket.
Boy, was I dead on.
The date finally happened on November 8, 2008. It wound up being a double date with Jenny and Andrew (not the Andrew I dated, mind you), because Stephan had been too shy to call me. I didn't really have high hopes at this point, but for some reason, I was very anxious about my appearance that night. I think I changed clothes three times, and fussed with my hair too much.
Andrew and Stephan were late, but we did manage to get to the De Jong concert hall on time (we went to a BYU Men's and Women's Chorus concert). Before the concert started, I made some conversation with Stephan. I found out that he was born in Logan, was studying Math at UVU, had served a mission in Everett, Washington, and had been back for a year. From that, I assumed that he was about a year older than me.
Then, right as the concert was starting, something in me said, "Guess what? You're marrying this guy!" I was confused, and thought, "What?! I barely know him!" I shrugged it off and went on with the evening.
After the concert, we went in search of ice cream. That was a fun trip because in Provo, just about every place closes at nine. I tried to make more conversation with Stephan, but he wasn't really being conversational, which annoyed me.
We finally found a gelato place on Center Street that was open after nine. We had to park a little far away and walk there. While walking to Maestro's (the gelato place), I think the subject of birthdays came up. His was July 30.
"Oh," I said. "you're 22 then!"
"Actually," he said. "I'm 21." This meant he was younger than me, but not by much.
I tried to do the math. He had been home from his mission a year, and yet he was only 21? Huh?
He then told me that he had come on an honorable medical release for depression, but that he was fine now.
"I like seeing the look on people's faces when they try to figure out the math," he added.
I was thinking, "Oh great, not another Andrew." My opinions on early returned missionaries would drastically change as my relationship with Stephan became serious. In fact, my opinions on missionary service in general.
By the end of the date, I had decided that I never wanted to see Stephan again because he OBVIOUSLY wasn't interested in me, since he didn't speak to me very much. But to my surprise, he asked for my phone number when the date ended. I gave it to him, thinking that he would be too chicken to ever call me.
Jenny and I went inside, where Amy and Jessica were, and they proceeded to ask about the date. I basically said that I didn't like him, didn't want to go on another date with him, and that I was sure he would never call back. Of course, they teased me about it, because Jenny went on about how we were so right for each other and all that.
I went about the next several days, convinced that Stephan would never call and that I didn't like him at all. But just over a week after the date, I was checking my phone as I was leaving orchestra and noticed that I had a voicemail, so I called it.
"Hi Laura, this is Stephan...." said a nervous, but familiar voice in the voicemail.
My thoughts were, "NOOOO!!! He was supposed to chicken out! Maybe he won't leave his number..."
He left his number in the message. This meant I had no excuse to NOT call him back. But I was determined not to.
The date finally happened on November 8, 2008. It wound up being a double date with Jenny and Andrew (not the Andrew I dated, mind you), because Stephan had been too shy to call me. I didn't really have high hopes at this point, but for some reason, I was very anxious about my appearance that night. I think I changed clothes three times, and fussed with my hair too much.
Andrew and Stephan were late, but we did manage to get to the De Jong concert hall on time (we went to a BYU Men's and Women's Chorus concert). Before the concert started, I made some conversation with Stephan. I found out that he was born in Logan, was studying Math at UVU, had served a mission in Everett, Washington, and had been back for a year. From that, I assumed that he was about a year older than me.
Then, right as the concert was starting, something in me said, "Guess what? You're marrying this guy!" I was confused, and thought, "What?! I barely know him!" I shrugged it off and went on with the evening.
After the concert, we went in search of ice cream. That was a fun trip because in Provo, just about every place closes at nine. I tried to make more conversation with Stephan, but he wasn't really being conversational, which annoyed me.
We finally found a gelato place on Center Street that was open after nine. We had to park a little far away and walk there. While walking to Maestro's (the gelato place), I think the subject of birthdays came up. His was July 30.
"Oh," I said. "you're 22 then!"
"Actually," he said. "I'm 21." This meant he was younger than me, but not by much.
I tried to do the math. He had been home from his mission a year, and yet he was only 21? Huh?
He then told me that he had come on an honorable medical release for depression, but that he was fine now.
"I like seeing the look on people's faces when they try to figure out the math," he added.
I was thinking, "Oh great, not another Andrew." My opinions on early returned missionaries would drastically change as my relationship with Stephan became serious. In fact, my opinions on missionary service in general.
By the end of the date, I had decided that I never wanted to see Stephan again because he OBVIOUSLY wasn't interested in me, since he didn't speak to me very much. But to my surprise, he asked for my phone number when the date ended. I gave it to him, thinking that he would be too chicken to ever call me.
Jenny and I went inside, where Amy and Jessica were, and they proceeded to ask about the date. I basically said that I didn't like him, didn't want to go on another date with him, and that I was sure he would never call back. Of course, they teased me about it, because Jenny went on about how we were so right for each other and all that.
I went about the next several days, convinced that Stephan would never call and that I didn't like him at all. But just over a week after the date, I was checking my phone as I was leaving orchestra and noticed that I had a voicemail, so I called it.
"Hi Laura, this is Stephan...." said a nervous, but familiar voice in the voicemail.
My thoughts were, "NOOOO!!! He was supposed to chicken out! Maybe he won't leave his number..."
He left his number in the message. This meant I had no excuse to NOT call him back. But I was determined not to.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The Stephan and Laura Story Part I
I got this idea from another blogger who chronicled her courtship and eventual marriage to her husband. And since we just celebrated our one-year anniversary, I thought this would be appropriate.
Most of the time when people ask us how we met, we tell them, "Blind date." Occasionally I'll add that my roommate and a guy in his ward set us up. Even our wedding website only gives the Cliff's Notes version of it.
If you hate long blog posts, I suggest you stop right here.
Still reading? Okay, but you can't stop now ;)
Our "how we met" story wouldn't be complete if I didn't include the story of Andrew. I met Andrew my freshman year of college in the non-audition orchestra at BYU. We became good friends, and I soon developed a major crush on him. It wasn't reciprocated, which was okay because he was going on a two-year mission for our church. While he was on his mission, I wrote him friendly letters and sent him a few things to cheer him up whenever he was having a hard time. But just nine months after he left for his mission, he suddenly was home for medical reasons. I had little contact with him when he came home, and I decided that since he wasn't exactly trying to contact me much, that it was definitely time to move on with my life. There was also a passage in my Patriarchal Blessing that I thought indicated that I wasn't to marry an early returned missionary. It said that my future husband would have "fulfilled" a full-time mission, and I took that to mean all 24 months.
Six months after not hearing from Andrew, I randomly ran into him. He kept talking about how we needed to do things together and he got my phone number (he had lost it). I fully meant to be friends with him only, but over the summer, he seemed to want more. He called me a lot, came over to visit, and took me to events with him. These are things that guys do when they're interested in a girl...or so I thought. I started liking him again, even though I had a very deep, sick feeling about him that I couldn't put my finger on.
At the end of the summer, I went home for a couple of weeks and then moved into my new apartment in Provo before fall semester started. This is when things started to unravel with the dear boy. He started calling less, for one. Deep inside, something was telling me to end everything with him, but I was denying it. I no longer had issues with the fact he came home from his mission early; I decided that he had completed the mission that he could complete.
With the new apartment, I had brand new roommates. They were all wonderful. One of them would be instrumental in my meeting Stephan. Her name was Jenny, and she was casually dating a guy named Andrew (not the same one). One Saturday evening, she went up to his single's ward activity up in Pleasant Grove. That's where she met Stephan, and determined that he was perfect for me. She and Andrew approached me with the opportunity to meet him, but I declined because (a) I was "dating" Andrew, even though I knew deep down that it was about to end and (b) I wanted to be the one person in my family who didn't need a blind date to meet my spouse.
Jenny did essentially try to talk me into breaking it off with Andrew. She told me that I deserved someone who would be crazy about me and who I wouldn't have to worry about not calling me. My other roommates, Jessica and Amy, pretty much said the same thing. I could tell that they didn't think highly of him.
Not long after I declined Jenny and Andrew's offer, they amicably stopped dating. And not long after that, I told Andrew that I wasn't dating for the heck of it anymore. He admitted that he wasn't interested in dating me...he was just being friendly and didn't realize that what he was doing could be leading me on! Yes, he was clueless. His parents had to tell him that he was leading me on. I've often thought about sending his parents a thank-you note for that.
We stopped going on dates (well, he thought we were just hanging out), but he wanted to stay friends and I agreed (I was too emotionally shot to say no). I sulked about it for a week, and I feel sorry for my roommates who had to put up with it. Even though I sulked, that sick feeling had gone away and I was at peace again.
The week after my break-up was General Conference and we roommates spent part of it with Jenny's family in South Jordan. As we were driving back Sunday evening, I half-jokingly said to Jenny, "Gee, it's too bad you aren't dating Andrew anymore. You could set me up with Stephan!" Jenny said, "Actually, we're still friends. Do you want me to talk to him about it?" I told her yes, having decided that I had nothing to lose and that I wanted to get back in the dating scene. This was my chance to get started.
To be continued....
Most of the time when people ask us how we met, we tell them, "Blind date." Occasionally I'll add that my roommate and a guy in his ward set us up. Even our wedding website only gives the Cliff's Notes version of it.
If you hate long blog posts, I suggest you stop right here.
Still reading? Okay, but you can't stop now ;)
Our "how we met" story wouldn't be complete if I didn't include the story of Andrew. I met Andrew my freshman year of college in the non-audition orchestra at BYU. We became good friends, and I soon developed a major crush on him. It wasn't reciprocated, which was okay because he was going on a two-year mission for our church. While he was on his mission, I wrote him friendly letters and sent him a few things to cheer him up whenever he was having a hard time. But just nine months after he left for his mission, he suddenly was home for medical reasons. I had little contact with him when he came home, and I decided that since he wasn't exactly trying to contact me much, that it was definitely time to move on with my life. There was also a passage in my Patriarchal Blessing that I thought indicated that I wasn't to marry an early returned missionary. It said that my future husband would have "fulfilled" a full-time mission, and I took that to mean all 24 months.
Six months after not hearing from Andrew, I randomly ran into him. He kept talking about how we needed to do things together and he got my phone number (he had lost it). I fully meant to be friends with him only, but over the summer, he seemed to want more. He called me a lot, came over to visit, and took me to events with him. These are things that guys do when they're interested in a girl...or so I thought. I started liking him again, even though I had a very deep, sick feeling about him that I couldn't put my finger on.
At the end of the summer, I went home for a couple of weeks and then moved into my new apartment in Provo before fall semester started. This is when things started to unravel with the dear boy. He started calling less, for one. Deep inside, something was telling me to end everything with him, but I was denying it. I no longer had issues with the fact he came home from his mission early; I decided that he had completed the mission that he could complete.
With the new apartment, I had brand new roommates. They were all wonderful. One of them would be instrumental in my meeting Stephan. Her name was Jenny, and she was casually dating a guy named Andrew (not the same one). One Saturday evening, she went up to his single's ward activity up in Pleasant Grove. That's where she met Stephan, and determined that he was perfect for me. She and Andrew approached me with the opportunity to meet him, but I declined because (a) I was "dating" Andrew, even though I knew deep down that it was about to end and (b) I wanted to be the one person in my family who didn't need a blind date to meet my spouse.
Jenny did essentially try to talk me into breaking it off with Andrew. She told me that I deserved someone who would be crazy about me and who I wouldn't have to worry about not calling me. My other roommates, Jessica and Amy, pretty much said the same thing. I could tell that they didn't think highly of him.
Not long after I declined Jenny and Andrew's offer, they amicably stopped dating. And not long after that, I told Andrew that I wasn't dating for the heck of it anymore. He admitted that he wasn't interested in dating me...he was just being friendly and didn't realize that what he was doing could be leading me on! Yes, he was clueless. His parents had to tell him that he was leading me on. I've often thought about sending his parents a thank-you note for that.
We stopped going on dates (well, he thought we were just hanging out), but he wanted to stay friends and I agreed (I was too emotionally shot to say no). I sulked about it for a week, and I feel sorry for my roommates who had to put up with it. Even though I sulked, that sick feeling had gone away and I was at peace again.
The week after my break-up was General Conference and we roommates spent part of it with Jenny's family in South Jordan. As we were driving back Sunday evening, I half-jokingly said to Jenny, "Gee, it's too bad you aren't dating Andrew anymore. You could set me up with Stephan!" Jenny said, "Actually, we're still friends. Do you want me to talk to him about it?" I told her yes, having decided that I had nothing to lose and that I wanted to get back in the dating scene. This was my chance to get started.
To be continued....
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