My MTC companion tagged me with a couple questions. I think everyone knows the answers but I've never gone to the trouble of writing this down so this might be mostly for my own benefit.


1. How did you meet your husband?

Actually, the first time I ever saw David was a few minutes before he was to be set apart as a missionary. I was dating someone at the time and we were having dinner at some friends' apartment. David popped in for a second to say goodbye to everyone. I don't think he even came all the way in the door, just kind of poked his head in and I remember thinking, "gee, he's a lot taller than Stephen (his older brother) and doesn't look anything like him." I was in the same ward as Stephen and Rachel and I thought they were really cool and I tried (successfully) a few times to get myself invited over to their apartment.

Fast-forward to about 5 months later when I received my call to serve as a missionary in Thailand. At church, Stephen was like, "Dude, that's where my brother is!" This did not register with me as I didn't know David, but I felt vaguely comforted that another Oregonian (from my own home ward no less) would be in Thailand.

Three months after I arrived in Thailand was the second time I ever saw David. A bunch of missionaries were on a big bus going somewhere, I can't remember. But I do remember introducing myself to him and telling him how I knew Stephen and Rachel. It was fun to talk to someone who knew some of the same people I did. We talked for a total of maybe 30 seconds.

The third time I saw David was six months into my mission. I moved to a new area and found out that Elder Griffith was my zone leader. He didn't really talk to the Sisters and I remember even writing in my journal how I was bummed out and didn't Elder Griffith understand that you should have love for ALL people, even the Sisters and just because you talk to a missionary who happens to be a girl and give her encouragement doesn't necessarily mean that that kind of contact is inappropriate. I gave him a good scolding in my journal. I think it's just because I respected him so much and I'd had a good camaraderie with all of the other Elders I'd worked with, but he was different. Looking back, I respect him for that and it certainly makes it a lot easier to tell people that no, not only did we not flirt in the mission - we hardly said 5 words to each other.

Anyway, I even wrote to my family to tell them how impressed I was with my zone leader and that he was from Corvallis (my family tells me they knew all along that I was going to marry him. I don't know how they knew this. Apparently, Rachel and Stephen knew as well and practically forced David - to my everlasting gratitude - to make those first few phone calls after the mission). After four months, I moved from that area and David was called to be an Assistant. I saw him once or twice at zone conferences and we would have finished our missions on the same day, but I had asked to extend my mission.

So six weeks after David got home, I returned to Corvallis and started attending an Institute class. When I walked in, Brother Sherry (the Institute Director, and also the teacher) tapped David on the shoulder and said, "Look who's back." David turned around and I was astonished to see Elder Griffith wearing jeans! It was so awkward and wonderful at the same time. David says that that moment was the beginning of everything for him.

We got married 5 months later.

2. What happened next?

Hmm, I guess I already answered this. We just had our third anniversary in the country where we originally met. There are some important details I left out of this account but I figure it's better to put those into a journal (hopefully I will do it someday).