Tara's # 7: The Story of Us

First, this is a long post, so I forgive you for skimming or skipping out on this one, but I just felt like writing and couldn't resist making this my longest post yet. Second, I know, I skipped Dave but this week is our five year anniversary and since our rapid fire posting ended up being a bit slow-paced, I didn't want to miss the perfect opportunity to tell The Story of Us.

"We" started in NYC and without the Big City I don't know how the two of us could have found each other. After being introduced by Dave's roommates and enduring countless singles activities together, Dave finally asked me out. Our first date was to a rodeo in Queens. Dave's choice, not mine. I am not sure where I stand on rodeo's but I wanted to get to know Dave so much, that I threw my reservations to the wind and went. After bonding while mastering the mechanical bull together, we were off to a solid start.

Although our first date occurred in November of 2000, we didn't get married until May 24, 2003, so the solid start got a little shaky, at least for a bit. I must admit that most of the shakiness was due to me trying to figure out that it really was the best thing to marry my best friend. In all of my vacillations, Dave was a pretty remarkable. He was constant, but not clingy, sure, but also a bit mysterious. Best of it all, in our "breaks" he moved on (but, not really). In May of 2002, I took a vacation with some girlfriends to California while Dave and I were on one of our "breaks". While it wasn't meant to be a romantic discovery mission for me, it became just that. I returned with a firm resolve that this time we must date, really date and figure the whole marriage thing out.

I was worried when I returned that Dave wouldn't be as enthusiastic as me about my new resolve, considering that on our last heart to heart I had told him that it was never going to happen and to move on. Undaunted, I determined to talk to him about it that very night. I called him when I got back and asked if he wanted to go to the movies. After, we walked home to my apartment and on the steps I was trying to muster all my courage to ask him to date me again and then, he did it. He asked me. Dave looked me in the eyes and said, "Tara, let's date. I mean really date." The Lord had been pulling some major strings for me behind the scenes. Dave felt that he needed to ask me again, but was also convinced that it wasn't going to happen. When I responded "okay", Dave looked at me with this perplexed look on his face and asked, "Why?". After all my vacillations, I had to do some convincing that I was really into it this time. And I was.

After I made my decision to really date Dave, it came easy. A couple weeks later, I wandered into church late and as usual didn't have my glasses with me (What, you say, Tara wears glasses? Well, I'm supposed too, but rarely do and am blind as a bat without them). The meeting had started and had gotten pretty solemn, but I stood in the door and continued to scan the crowd for Dave when all of a sudden I saw him across the congregation stand up and wave to me with both arms above his head. It sounds crazy, but at that instant I was filled with such a rush of love for him that it was shocking. I knew it. He was the one for me. Not only was he looking out for me when I didn't know it, he was even willing to make a clown of himself on my behalf and then when I sat down next to him he gave me such a winning smile that I knew I had to marry this guy.

We got engaged along the East Side River in February 2003. The infamous site of our almost first kiss, that Dave just calls a short electric shock as our lips just brushed, followed by the shove off and a "Let's talk". After we went to dinner—where we went on our first dinner date—at an Indian restaurant in the Village, Baluchi's. New Yorkers will laugh at this because at the time we thought we had found the most authentic, unique Indian place in town. Years later, we realized that Baluchi's dot the map of Manhattan, and while the food is delish, it's quite commercial. While there, Dave read me excepts from his journal while we were dating—first impressions, first time he knew he was in love, first time he knew he was going to marry me. The night was perfect. When I got home I celebrated with the roomies, so loudly that the neighbors called the police (Not the first time, mind you, they liked to do that sort of thing for any celebration , particularly birthday parties).

Four months later we were sealed for time and all eternity in the Oakland temple. It was an incredible day and my face still hurts thinking of all the grinning I did. I still can't believe all the wonderful support we had from NYC friends. Meredith, Lillian, Laura, Noelle, Lisa Farr, Lisa DeSpain, Brent, Mike, Jen, Heidi, Barrett and many more made the trip to the West Coast to see our day. I knew that I loved Dave when I married him, but I was totally unprepared for the surge of love I felt for him right after sealing the deal. My love for him increased ten fold in one day and has kept growing ever since. Maybe not so dramatically as that day, but incrementally it creeps up on me and every once in awhile it shakes me up to think that I almost didn't choose him.

So five years later, and one little wee with us, I just want to thank Dave again for sticking with it and being mine. I can't wait to know him in 20 years, 40 years, 60 years and forever.