....First Post As A Married Woman....

Since we got engaged, I have wanted to start a "married" blog. All of my friends do it and I told Dan, "It's marriage-life protocol!" I dont have any pictures back from the wedding day, or the honeymoon but I thought I would post about our courtship and engagement.

Dan and I met on January 19th, 2011 at Airborne Trampoline Arena. I was working there and this guy came up to the front desk and needed to buy 2 tickets. I saw that he was with 3 other people; his date, his friend, and his friends date.....yes, he was on a date! So he asked for his tickets and then noticed that there was a basketball game on TV. He asked me who was playing and I said, "The Jazz....but who cares about them, I am a Laker fan." Of course Dan, being a true Jazz fan, looked back at me and asked me why in the world I was a Laker's fan! I explained to him that being from California, it was a must. We talked a little but more, but nothing flirty, it was about sports for crying out loud! He was very interested because here was this girl who knew a lot about sports yet he was on a date that he wasnt super excited about.

Dan went home that night and couldnt stop thinking about this amazing girl he met at Airborne that he decided to look me up on Facebook. He had my name because while at Airborne he said "You look like someone I know, what is your name..(I told him)..and last name?" When he got on my profile he saw that I was "In a Relationship" so he send me a message instead of adding me as a friend. A few nights later I got on Facebook and I had a message from a Dan Richey. It said, "Airborne Sandy, UT......you were awfully flirty the other night for having a boyfriend." 3 or so weeks later (I had to try and figure out who this guy thought he was) I wrote him back and said," I was not flirting." He wrote back and said "hmm.....". So I sent him a message back and said, "I was not flirting, I HAD a boyfriend then." Dan, very interested, wrote back and said "What happened to the boyfriend?" I told him that we had broken up.

Then I didnt hear anything from him. I decided to write him another message a few days later and tell him that I was going to the Jazz/Laker game and he should be jealous.....or something stupid like that. He made a bet with me that is the losing team had to take the winning team for ice cream. I was fine with that, because either way I got to see him.

From our first date, I knew that I was going to marry him. The way he planned the date, picked me up, treated me, conversed with me, laughed with me---and at me, played arcade games with me, and talked with me about life I knew I wanted to get to know him more. He was so kind and generous, outgoing and playful, honest and caring, fun and funny, handsome and well taken care of. He was the man I had dreamed about meeting my whole life. I had such a great time that night, I even told my roommate I was in love!

The next three months would be filled with trips, dates, concerts, walks in the park, movie nights, firsts "I love you," meeting families, talking on the phone, and planing our lives together. We went on a sailing trip to Catalina Island, CA 2 weeks after meeting and right when we got back, we went ring shopping. It was a crazy fast but absolutely right courtship that, up until this point, only existed in movies I watched or books my friends read. (I don't read)

The day we got engaged was the greatest day of my whole life. I knew that my dreams had come true and this man was someone I was going to spend my eternity with. I loved every ounce of him and still find myself falling in love with him more and more each day.

Ok, enough of the gooey stuff. I love you Dan Richey and I am happy you asked me to marry you. My life has been changed for the better.