Happy Anniversary to us!

  

This is the guy I married 17 years ago today.... 

The picture was taken about a year after we were married.  Look how skinny he is! I used to be skinny too. you could say we've... um... Grown together.... Yeah, that's it!

We celebrated by going to dinner at one of our favorite out of the way places.... "Daltons" in Payson.  They have great homemade bread w/dinner, served with a yummy herb butter and a sweet honey butter, dinner salads with almonds and craisins  & great dressings that taste homemade.  Their onion rings are the best!  They usually have live music on week-ends but sadly for us, the guy was just wrapping up his guitar chords when we came in and sat down and we were there early... around 5.  Thought that was odd. 

They are a little pricier than say "Olive garden" but lucky us... we had a gift certificate to use.  We went all out... drinks, appetizer, steaks, Mark even got dessert.  We had the gift certificate you see. 

Mark said "It's nice being Patty and Paul".  These were good friends from our early married days in California that we used to go to dinner with a lot.  They always ordered everything and a side of som'in extra to go with it.  For drinks they ordered a soda AND a shake.  We didn't get quite that crazy tonight...

But we did feel indulgent as we got whatever the heck we wanted without a care to the downturn in the economy ......  Did I mention we had a gift certificate?

We talked about the kids and life and work and how we'd marry each other all over again.  (...and this year we meant it!)

I know I tried to be extra nice to him & unselfish all day when we were together and I felt like he was trying to do the same.  At dinner,  Mark listened better than usual.  Not once did I see the vacant, glazed, "Oh crap is she ever gonna stop talking?" look come into his eyes.  I know his cell phone buzzed a time or two and he DIDNT answer it.  

so, no big gifts... no big plans....just a quiet dinner & us.  

Couples survey....

How long did you know each other before you started dating?

Met him briefly when I was 14 (he was 17) at a stake youth conference. Thought he was funny and nice but did not know I just spent a couple of hours with my future husband! We met again when I was 19, just graduated from Ricks College with my Associate's degree. We knew each other about 6 weeks before we started dating.

How long did you date before you got married?

10 months

Who asked who out?

Kind of ambiguous. He was hanging out with a good friend of mine and we were all hanging out together with my sister and doing group activities. One night it happened just the 2 of us could go and then it was just the 2 of us the rest of the summer and on to forever....

How old were each of you?

When we met: I was 19, he 22. When we married: 20 and 23

What about pets?

None. We happily agree there never will be. There was a brief stint with some hermit crabs...

Did you go to the same school?

Not unless you count that at different times we both went to Yucca Valley High School but not at the same time. His family moved from Yucca Valley the same summer my family moved there.

Are you from the same home town?

Yes! Yucca Valley, CA but as I mentioned above; not at the same time but met through a mutual Yucca Vallian. Thanks David!

Who is the smartest?

It's even I think. Booksmart: me , Street smart: Mark, computers :Mark People: Mark

Who is the most sensitive?

ME, all the way. 

Where do you eat out most as a couple?

Olive Garden, The Broiler Grill, Cafe Rio, Los Hermanos, Tucanos

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

We were in Hawaii together, got engaged there but did not travel together.....

Minnesota twice: Walker; Leech Lake area

San Francisco: honeymoon

We traveled to Atlanta Georgia for a chemDry Convention sans kids, except Samantha who was in utero...

Who has the worst temper?

Me. He is very calm. Never yells but is frustratingly logical....

Who does the cooking?

Me generally but he loves to cook and does our Thanksgiving Turkey most years and likes smoking, grilling and most of all Dutch Oven cookoing. He's good at cooking for large groups and has had a lot of practice with boy scouts and church youth group activities.

Who is the neat-freak?

HIM!!!!!! don't get me wrong I like a clean house but definitely HIM!!!

Who is the most stubborn?

wow. big toss-up. pretty equal. Mine is pretty passive aggressive stubbornness and there's no budging him when he thinks he's right but he will listen (I love that about him) and if I can show him he's wrong he changes in an instant so maybe it's me because I'm not as good at letting go, even if I become aware I'm wrong.

Who wakes up earlier?

Mark. He is such a happy morning guy.

Where was your first date?

In Palm Springs. We went to a movie at the mall. "Dying Young" with Julia Roberts. We didn't really like it. Then he took me to a "real haunted house" where some atrocious crimes happened. I dont' know if it was his storytelling or what but he really had me freaked out as we walked around the house. I think it was all a ruse to get me to hold on to him tighter. Then he took me to a gay bar called Daddy Warbucks. I thought they'd card me as I was only 19 but he said they weren't worried about me.... It was quite a sight! Big bike-looking dudes clad in leather dancing cheek to cheek. We didn't stay long. He just thought it would be funny to go and it was.....

Who has the bigger family?

me. 6 kids in my family. 3 in his.

How long did it take to get serious?

We thought we had the perfect summer fling. Neither of us wanted to get serious. We had other goals/plans than getting married. When I left at the end of the summer to go to college in HAwaii it got serious really fast. We wrote letters every day, I called him collect (he asked me to) every night from my dorm. (his phone bill was crazy, around $6-700 a month: pre cell phone and competitive phone rates) He flew over in October and proposed. I said yes. He came back for Thanksgiving. His sister had lived in Hawaii for years and commented "I've been trying to get him to come visit for years! you're here 6 weeks and here he is!"

Who eats more?

HIM!!!!! How many of y'all have seen that man eat???

Who does the laundry?

Me.

Who’s better with the computer?

When we got our first computer I knew more. That quickly changed. He is willing to put in the time and I just get frustrated. He solves all my problems. I love that he's willing to do it so I dont' have to.

Who drives when you are together?

Always him. I have no issues with that.

Where were you married?

The Las Vegas Nevada LDS Temple