Here are Our Stories for those who were wondering, which are also being used for the ring ceremony that our Branch President, Darryl Jorgensen will be officiating. I am excited!
Randy & Megan
Megan’s Version:
Randy and I first met on a Sunday at the Grand Prairie Branch. Randy had just returned from his mission in El Salvador. He had been asked to stand up and share his testimony and mission stories with the congregation. The first thing I noticed was his smile, a little cliché, but true. He had a big smile and eyes that lit up with a sparkle. He was interesting, had an accent, and I could tell that he had enjoyed his two year mission and the people he had served.
In fact to this day I still love it when he shares stories about El Salvador and the people. He loves traveling, experiencing different cultures and visiting with the people. It is one of the things I love about him and I hope we can go back together and see the places he has visited and the people he met.
I was never going to get enough courage to talk to him, but I had noticed his last name was “Meyers” and I wondered if he was related to my friend, Amber Meyers, who was on a mission in Japan at the time.
Later that same day, Randy came up to me and introduced himself. We started talking and I got up enough courage to ask him if he was related to Amber, which he was, and we both left with an understanding that we would talk some more Monday night at Family Home Evening. It was a Family Home Evening that neither of us made it to, but Randy made sure there was another opportunity for us to meet and talk. Months later I found out that Randy knew exactly who I was and wanted to get to know me because he had seen pictures of me through Facebook and he thought that “I had a nice face.”
A week after our first meeting I received a phone call from Randy’s sister, Chantel. I knew Chantel from visiting Amber at her home before Amber left on her mission. Chantel offered an invitation for me to attend her son, Travey’s baptism. Chantel did not mention Randy, but I was told that Travey had wanted me to be invited since Amber could not be there for him and I needed to step in her place while she was gone. At the baptism Randy made multiple attempts to get my attention, but I took my duty for filling Amber’s place very seriously and was quite oblivious to the fact that this handsome man was interested in me. He even tried to invite me to the family party after the baptism, but kindly informed him that, “Thanks. Chantel already invited me.” Randy had about given up until he was made to sit by me at the family dinner party during which he made one more attempt to talk with me. His efforts paid off and he walked away that night with a smile on his face and my phone number on a Reese’s candy wrapper. The following week brought hours talking on the phone and we both finally made it to Family Home Evening and spent time together afterwards. After we started dating I found out that while Travey had wanted me to be there at his baptism, it was Randy who had asked Chantel to ask me to the baptism so he could get to know me.
The night he held my hand for the first time we went to a Christmas concert and it was snowing. It was a beautiful, magical night. He whispered in my ear, “I think I am really starting to feel something for you.” I felt the same way and I was ecstatic, although I didn’t tell him that for a long time. He even said, “I love you” just a week later. I made him wait to hear those 3 little words, about 6 months I made him wait, till I was absolutely sure. A ridiculously long time to make a guy wait, but he was very patient and understanding. He never pushed me to say, “I love you” and when I finally did it was very special to him. That’s how I knew he was right for me. No matter how long I made him wait, he was still there at the end of the day. He told me later, that even though I never said those words he always knew it because I showed it and he was willing to wait because I was the only girl for him. Well good thing, because I have found he’s the only guy for me! ~ Megan <3
Randy’s Version:
I first saw Megan as a "you may know this person" on Facebook. She looked very photogenic and the pictures of her had an artistic quality. I had recently returned from serving a mission and was getting to know people and making friends. She was different to me. I like things and people that are not like the majority. We are different, her and I, but I believe we appreciate what things we can learn from one another. Well, I was still on a confidence high of talking and connecting to strangers on the mission, so I wasn't afraid to unabashedly pursue her. I kind of knew at the time that this confidence perhaps wouldn't last forever so I moved fast in making friends with her. She is awesome. Truly the person I want to be with, spend time with. And that is really what I was looking for; something deeper than anything I had felt in relationships that obviously hadn't lasted or panned out yet in my life. I have found that in her and more. I'm very, very glad.
In a sneaky way I was able to start to get to know her. I found she had been my niece, Amber’s roommate at college, and that she had once stayed at my older sister, Chantel’s house while visiting her. She was quiet and I could not tell, and I wanted to see if she liked me so I had Chantel call her and say how my little nephew, Travey had remembered her as Amber’s friend visiting, and wanted her to come to his baptism (which he had graciously wanted to wait for me to come home to have) which he had said!- I just used it to get her to come. anyway I just wanted to talk to her and see who she was, I didn't want to ask her out if she didn't like me, and if initiated the whole thing at the singles branch, it would make people ask me if we were "official" or when I was going to get married, but being a more private person I kept it safe just testing the waters to see if she liked me or thought I was annoying. So she was there and I was going to just happen to sit by her, but at last moment, ah! Someone took the seat! (You know who you are!) So I stood and watched the baptism. There was cookies handed out afterward and seeing opportunity and potential use, I took one to offer her. She looked up, and said disinterestedly,
“Oh, I already have one."
“What a mistake,” I thought. I'm being obvious, I should've noticed. . . So judging the lack of any smile or any little sparkles in her eyes that I had seen from others because I was returned missionary, I thought that showed me she wasn't interested. “Hmm, ok,” I thought. But I'll try once more. So when people were all leaving it was my last chance,( that day anyway,) I felt I wasn't going to put up with no progress at all at the end of day, after all the attempt and getting her there in the first place, (remembering this, I say, it was good fun, battling 2 feelings inside; 1 of uncertainty of success, potential, or futility of the endeavor, another of the Need to attempt, and to do it as soon as possible ) so I walked up to her and told her, clumsily I think, that my family and everyone was going to dinner and she is invited. To which she said,
"Oh, Chantel already invited me."
Which I thought meant she was trying to give me the blunt hint that she wasn't interested in me and that if she went it was because someone else, not me, had invited her! So I said,
“Oh, ok,” and went to leave.
I had tried. She doesn’t want me to think to try to pursue friendship or anything with her, but being resilient I was taken back but ok in the end, kind of disappointed. Anyway I somehow sat by her at the restaurant and she did talk to me. I was a still feeling a little surprised by the bluntness of her showing of how uninterested she was in me, but we talked, I cut her off a lot. I was a fast talker just coming off speaking Spanish all the time and I had hoped I hadn't messed up the fact that now we were at least talking. Afterward I felt that feeling again, "you got do something! Now! Progress! Move forward!”
I think now; maybe it was the missionary habit of always setting a next appointment or leaving an assignment or something. I thought on my feet and ended the conversation by saying,
“Hey, have you ever seen the movie White Christmas?"
She said, smiling, “I would watch it every year with roommates and Amber."
I believe I knew this, and asked if she wanted to watch it with me. She said she would and we talked schedules and set a Wednesday I think, AND- how could we make sure schedules didn't change without phone numbers? So walking out the door to leave I said those immortal words, (quickly, like it wasn't as important as it really was to me)
"Hey, uh, what's your phone number?"
She seemed happy and fumbled for a paper. I think I had a receipt in my pocket, which although not put there for this purpose specifically, I had thought of this being its potential use when talking with her.
She muttered, " Oh, I need a piece of . . . pencil. . . "
It did not make sense and was funny. I repeated what she had said, smiling, I hoped she didn't think I was making fun of her. It was cute. One of her word blunders.
The day I first held her hand was the first snow of winter 2008. The first time I had seen snow in 2 years, so it was kind of magical. There will be many more stories to follow. :) ~ Randy
