the story

Okay, so even though it's been about 8 weeks, I'm still whelmed by the amount of nagging I've had to publish the story. You know-- our story. The one about how I met Ames and then we started dating and then one day we got engaged. You want extensive? I'll give you extensive, but at least it's also adorable.

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Once upon a time, I was a dresser for Hale Center Theater Orem's lengthy production of Aida. For those of you not in "the know," all that means is I was on hand during some performances to tear clothes off of people and get them into different clothes so that they can make it back on stage on time, wearing shiny different clothes. For those of you who are wondering (which is most of you), no, I did not tear off Ames's clothes or put new clothes back on to him. Too bad, right, because that would have made a great story. Being around the cast, and already having some good friends in the production to start, lead me to hang with the cast after the show sometimes. Such was the case on a particular November evening (November 15, if you care to know-- not that I write down anything like this) when I went with some Aidakins to Sub-Zero, namely Jared, Janessa, Jeremiah, Alan, and Ames (we keep our names alphabetically categorized around here, nice and tidy). After some rocket science ice cream, and dancing in the parking lot, I was officially aware enough of Ames's existance that I added him on facebook.

It should be noted that this was not the first time we had hung out as part of the same group. In fact, we sat directly next to each other at Applebees one night (which may or may not have been November 1, you don't know), though I confess, I actually remember more from that night about Jared Keetch, who was sitting across from me. There, I said it. To his credit, Ames more or less got me back by not accepting my friend request for a few days, leaving me hanging and wondering. So we're even.

So Aida ended, and I went to Applebees with the cast after their closing night, where I almost kissed him. It sounds scandalous, but it's not, especially because I didn't kiss him which is probably better because there would have been baggage between us if I had, and then there would have been insecurity and weirdness and maybe he wouldn't have even wanted to date me, even though I felt really dumb that night for not having kissed him because he is, frankly, adorable and what girl in her right mind would pass up the chance to kiss an adorable boy? Me, apparently.

Anywayyyyyy, we talked on facebook a few times about how he was moving to Provo and how we'd have to go to every Japanese restaurant in Provo/Orem to discover the very best one (because there are 12987598347 Japanese restaurants in this area), and discussed upcoming All Shook Up auditions for HCTO, in which, I'm not sure he remembers, we were determined to play opposite each other. At callbacks we hung out and practiced all our 8 billion sides together and Ames wowed everyone in the room by doing the splits during the dance sequence. I was not cast (wah waaaaaaaaah) but Ames WAS, and who cares if I wasn't because it's all thanks to callbacks that our interests were piqued anyway. So thank you, Hales/Swensons/Johnsons/etc. Oh, it was also after callbacks that I stole his phone number from Nina.

On December 27 (or something like that because who knows what day it was I seriously don't keep track seriously), Jeremiah popped into town to attend about 8,000 wedding receptions in one day, and asked me to go along with him. Note: This is where the story gets juicy. For better or worse, part of the day included a generous hour and a half during which time he had to attend a sealing in the Salt Lake Temple, which I could not attend. In talking to Ames on facebook that morning, while I was sitting at the back desk at HCTO, he suggested he meet me on Temple Square to keep me company for a while until Jeremiah was finished and then we could all meet up with some Aida folks for dinner at the Gateway, as previously arranged. That's when we went to the LDS Church History Museum and he was reading a book about auditions and he put it in my bag so he wouldn't have to carry it.

We went to Tuchanos:
And then to Mack's to watch a movie, and then I promise it wasn't even on purpose, but I ended up taking Ames's book home with me. So he texted me Sunday about it-- and then maybe we texted the entire rest of the day and his texts made up 48% of my inbox. (The reason I remember this is because to this day, any time I go to text "it." my predictive text makes it say "48%" and I have to scroll through until it says "it.")

He moved to Provo the very next day, and we hung out that night up at my parents' house just talking and talking and talking. And honest to goodness, I knew that I'd be seeing a lot of him after that.

Wow this is seriously long already. I'll pick up the pace.

December 31-- I got my hair cut, he helped to decorate cupcakes at Julie's house for our New Year's Party, he helped to set up/tear down the New Year's Party, I felt all jumbly inside when we danced.
Remainder of Christmas Break-- We spent every day together, ran into the Johnsons at the movies, I wanted him to hold my hand SO BADLY but he did not until...
January 17-- ...when we saw Room Service and hung out at Kyle's.
January 21-- I first entertained the idea that I could very well marry this boy.
January 23-- I thought he might be falling in love withe me.
February 14-- He made me a bracelet for Valentine's Day.
March 7-- I knew he loves me.
March 20-- He sang a solo concert, was crowned the King of Midvale, and I sang with him a song from Little Women about marriage and it was mildly embarrassing because everyone in the audience-- especially Julie in the third row-- knew that I meant it.
March 28-- ...when we went to the Holi Festival of Colors, and then ate Japanese food with one of his mission campanions and we discovered that I had known him in the MTC, and we mentioned the M-Word for the first time. He was single cast in Singin' in the Rain the next day and I was sad, only because I wouldn't be able to spend my whole summer with him.
April 4-- ...when we went to Midvale for General Conference weekend.

--And now, everything you wanted to know about The Proposal--

Prepare to be somewhat disappointed, everybody, because it's not as exciting as you might have expected. Well, what I mean is, it's just not super gooey and romantisch, because it was a Declaration, not a Proposal.

April 5-- On the way back to Provo after Conference, I was all dizzy from all the marriage consideration on top of the likelihood that I wouldn't see Ames very much this summer because of school, work, etc. So I wanted to know basically how I was going to fit into his life. What a silly, unfair, put-you-on-the-spot girl question for me to ask! But he said some things about seeing me whenever he could and then paused before saying,

I want to marry you.

And then I said,

I want you to marry me.

And then we spent the next four hours talking about it, and being excited, and naming the dog that we will someday own (Hippo, if you wanted to know). He spoke to my parents the next day and got the A-OK, and Tuesday we got a little silver ring for me to wear until we could find The Perfect Ring together, which we did find almost by accident on Saturday. After we found The Ring at a little antique store in Orem called Planted Earth, we got in the car, and it was raining, and he asked, "Do you want to wear a pretty ring now?" Ta da. Thus ends The Declaration Story.

We're getting married August 21 (78 days from now) in the Salt Lake Temple, and we'll have our reception that night at my church building in Provo. Plans are coming along nicely. I'm having my dress made by my dear friend Heidi and it's going to be PERFECT. Our colors are dark red, ivory, and pale yellow. Our pictures are being taken by Alli Easley (and she's brill). Mackenzie is making our cake. Join our facebook fan club (Ames + Emily = 4evuh) or send me an email with your address if you'd like an Official Invitation to our reception.
Love love love.