Friday the Thirteenth

Hi friends, I'm still here. When we didn't have a baby, I was starting to think today would be great. I was born on Friday the Thirteenth and my sister calls me every Friday the Thirteenth like it's an extra birthday for me. Lizzy was born on Father's Day, so I thought this might be a good idea.
I wouldn't hold your breath, though. Today's trip to the doctor didn't really encourage me; though we are more than a week overdue.

This post is about to get a bit long. It's time for the "how I met and married my husband" story.

Today is part I: Meeting

In the summer of 2003 I landed my first real job and moved to Salt Lake City. I met lots of people in my new ward. Early on the ward choir sang in sacrament meeting, and in a student ward the choir often just stays in the choir seats. Clinton sat up there taking notes on the talk being given. I thought he looked interesting, and somebody mentioned that he had served a mission in Bulgaria, and I determined to meet him and compare Eastern Europe experiences.

Accordingly, I got introduced and asked him a bit about his mission. I discovered that he had returned from his mission only the previous year, which meant he had left about the time I returned... and at best he would be more than 3 years younger than me. "Ah well," I told myself, "we can still be friends." He seemed pleasant, amiable, and worth knowing.

The summer and fall passed and we talked often enough at church functions about language, missions, and other things too. I started getting more interested as winter approached, and pretty soon he topped my list of interesting fellows. He was, meanwhile, head over heels ga-ga for some girl in Institute Choir that ignored him.

He was the Sunday School President, so he could be in any class, and I stopped gravitating to a single class. I started strategizing to get myself next to him in ward council meetings, and wouldn't pick a Sunday School class until he had. If he didn't show up to a Ward Prayer or Family Home Evening, I'd head home pretty early; but if he was there I'd stay as long as he stayed. Not willing to be more obvious, I also talked to other people and even went out on a few dates with another fellow, one of Clint's friends, Brian Call. He comes up again.

When the ward Christmas dinner and white elephant exchange came around, I was ready to throw caution to the wind and be ridiculously reckless. Which is to say that I made no pretense of talking to other people and just stuck to Clinton in line for food and on to the dinner tables. As the white elephants passed around, I took it as a sign that Clinton and I unwrapped two halfs of the same poster paint set.

The ward was set to go to Temple Square and enjoy the lights; but some people were talking about going to see one of the Lord of the Rings movies that was being re-screened at a local theater in preparation for the next one that was coming out that week. I made no choice until he did, and when Clinton and Brian volunteered to go get the movie tickets, I volunteered to join them.

I was feeling a bit of guilt being so brazen (for me) in pursuit of Clinton when I'd been out with Brian twice. Brian cleared up all my guilt in one instant when, walking toward the theater, he called me Melinda. I was ecstatic. No feelings to hurt; he didn't even really know my name.

The movie was sold out. Master and Commader was playing, and both Clinton and I were interested in seeing it and suggested that would be a reasonable substitute. Brian also suggested that the party move to his house since he had the Lord of the Rings movie on DVD. After conferring with the rest of the gang, all agreed to go to Brian's, and I spent the night sitting right next to Clinton with my knee about 1/4 inch from his and my hand available. He later told me that he nearly took my hand, but didn't have the courage for it.

The following Sunday Clinton invited me to join most of the same group to see the newest Lord of the Rings movie. I was leaving the following day for my father's wedding and declined. I didn't realize that he was asking for a date, just thought he was spreading the word about a group going to the movie. Alas! I spent my New Year in Missouri for Dad's wedding.

Upon my return from Missouri, we met for a memorable Family Home Evening. It was pretty crowded and I positioned myself next to Clinton for the game. We small-talked and chatted, he asked about my dad's wedding. I asked whether he'd yet seen Master and Commander, and he hadn't. I felt like I was bullying him into asking me out, but he assures me that he meant to do it anyway. The long and short of it is, we planned to go see Master and Commander that Friday.

Next - Chapter 2: Dating and interruptions