All because two people fell in love! The story of how we met, fell in love, and became a family.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
How we met...
How we met…
Looking back, our love story seems pretty tame. At the time it happened though, it was full of highs and lows, lots of laughter, a few tears, but most of all friendship. We actually met at church. We were both attending a single’s ward – a congregation for unmarried members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first Sunday Jason attended that church, Diana was speaking. He was immediately intrigued by her. Diana was caught up in theater at the time and wasn’t particularly interested in dating. So instead of starting any kind of romantic relationship we became friends.
We were paired up to be in charge of a family home evening group that met once a week. Since we were both in charge of a group we got to know one another even better than before. Jason seemed like a nice, laid back kind of guy. Diana was a busy, outgoing kind of girl. One night we were playing a game with a large group of people called “Questions only”. The rules of the game require you to only ask questions – if you answer a question, don’t say anything, or laugh you are automatically out. Diana was killing everyone at the game and Jason decided to eliminate Diana by showing his true crazy self. The next time a question was asked to him, he turned to Diana and with a completely serious expression asked, “Do these pants make my butt look big?”, while motioning to his butt. Diana was speechless. Who was this guy? Apparently there was more to him than she originally thought. He was the only one to kick her out of the game and that won her respect.
From that point on we started learning more about one another. Jason kept finding ways to spend time with Diana and Diana kept finding ways to keep things as “Just friends”. Although Diana wasn’t interested in a romantic involvement with him she was so impressed with the kind of person he was. He was so considerate of others and always trying to find ways to help people. When Diana’s car broke down over an hour away Jason immediately volunteered to come pick her up. He also befriended her younger brother and won his approval very quickly. Meanwhile Jason was impressed by Diana’s vitality and talent. He went to see her plays and musicals and was awed by her singing ability. He thought she was pretty cute too.
Eventually the time came for Diana to spread her wings and try to fulfill her dreams. She and a great friend decided to spend the summer in New York City. She packed up at the beginning of the summer and drove away. Diana had told everyone to make sure they called her and to keep in touch. A few hours into the drive Diana got a phone call from Jason. He merely told her she had said to keep in touch and so he was. That started a trend for the rest of the summer. We talked on the phone a lot and every time something exciting happened, Jason was one of the first people that Diana would call. Anne, Diana’s friend, even mentioned that she could see the two of them hooking up – to which Diana denied. Soon it was time to return home to Utah. Again the first person Diana talked to was Jason. We saw each other the night she returned and suddenly our friendship started to take a turn in a different direction.
Looking back, our love story seems pretty tame. At the time it happened though, it was full of highs and lows, lots of laughter, a few tears, but most of all friendship. We actually met at church. We were both attending a single’s ward – a congregation for unmarried members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first Sunday Jason attended that church, Diana was speaking. He was immediately intrigued by her. Diana was caught up in theater at the time and wasn’t particularly interested in dating. So instead of starting any kind of romantic relationship we became friends.
We were paired up to be in charge of a family home evening group that met once a week. Since we were both in charge of a group we got to know one another even better than before. Jason seemed like a nice, laid back kind of guy. Diana was a busy, outgoing kind of girl. One night we were playing a game with a large group of people called “Questions only”. The rules of the game require you to only ask questions – if you answer a question, don’t say anything, or laugh you are automatically out. Diana was killing everyone at the game and Jason decided to eliminate Diana by showing his true crazy self. The next time a question was asked to him, he turned to Diana and with a completely serious expression asked, “Do these pants make my butt look big?”, while motioning to his butt. Diana was speechless. Who was this guy? Apparently there was more to him than she originally thought. He was the only one to kick her out of the game and that won her respect.
From that point on we started learning more about one another. Jason kept finding ways to spend time with Diana and Diana kept finding ways to keep things as “Just friends”. Although Diana wasn’t interested in a romantic involvement with him she was so impressed with the kind of person he was. He was so considerate of others and always trying to find ways to help people. When Diana’s car broke down over an hour away Jason immediately volunteered to come pick her up. He also befriended her younger brother and won his approval very quickly. Meanwhile Jason was impressed by Diana’s vitality and talent. He went to see her plays and musicals and was awed by her singing ability. He thought she was pretty cute too.
Eventually the time came for Diana to spread her wings and try to fulfill her dreams. She and a great friend decided to spend the summer in New York City. She packed up at the beginning of the summer and drove away. Diana had told everyone to make sure they called her and to keep in touch. A few hours into the drive Diana got a phone call from Jason. He merely told her she had said to keep in touch and so he was. That started a trend for the rest of the summer. We talked on the phone a lot and every time something exciting happened, Jason was one of the first people that Diana would call. Anne, Diana’s friend, even mentioned that she could see the two of them hooking up – to which Diana denied. Soon it was time to return home to Utah. Again the first person Diana talked to was Jason. We saw each other the night she returned and suddenly our friendship started to take a turn in a different direction.
Our first date...
Our first date…
We differ on what is our first date. Jason says that it was when he went to help Diana out at a play. Before Diana moved to New York she was attending college on a musical theater scholarship. In order to keep her musical theater scholarship Diana had to do a certain number of performances and other “jobs” with the theater department. One of these “jobs” was to be the house manager for one of the school’s plays. She needed people to help usher and so she asked at church if anyone was interested in helping out. Jason jumped at the chance to spend some time with Diana. He volunteered to help her out and we went out to eat before the play. Jason paid for the dinner so he considered this our first date – although Diana fought him on the paying thing. We did have a good time and while the play was going on we were out in the lobby talking the whole night.
Diana says that they had their first date after she returned home from New York. Jason picked her up at her parent’s home and they went and picked up dinner at Subway. Then they drove to the airport to a nice quiet area where you could watch the planes take off. It was a really nice area and we were able to sit on a blanket and enjoy the evening and sunset. It ended up being a bit of a comedy because when Jason opened Diana’s door his drink fell off the car and splattered all over. We laughed and enjoyed the evening together even with the mishaps.
We differ on what is our first date. Jason says that it was when he went to help Diana out at a play. Before Diana moved to New York she was attending college on a musical theater scholarship. In order to keep her musical theater scholarship Diana had to do a certain number of performances and other “jobs” with the theater department. One of these “jobs” was to be the house manager for one of the school’s plays. She needed people to help usher and so she asked at church if anyone was interested in helping out. Jason jumped at the chance to spend some time with Diana. He volunteered to help her out and we went out to eat before the play. Jason paid for the dinner so he considered this our first date – although Diana fought him on the paying thing. We did have a good time and while the play was going on we were out in the lobby talking the whole night.
Diana says that they had their first date after she returned home from New York. Jason picked her up at her parent’s home and they went and picked up dinner at Subway. Then they drove to the airport to a nice quiet area where you could watch the planes take off. It was a really nice area and we were able to sit on a blanket and enjoy the evening and sunset. It ended up being a bit of a comedy because when Jason opened Diana’s door his drink fell off the car and splattered all over. We laughed and enjoyed the evening together even with the mishaps.
How we fell in love...
How we fell in love…
Every night we would hang out together; playing games, watching movies, or going out with other friends. Holding hands and cuddling snuck in there somewhere and before Diana knew what was happening she realized she had feelings for Jason. Since Diana was terrified of commitment she immediately broke it off and told Jason they could only be friends. Jason was heartbroken but he respected Diana’s wishes. He gave her the space she needed but never stopped being her friend. After the break up, we were our as friends and experienced our first kiss. It was in front of an entire audience at Desert Star Playhouse.
When Diana saw that Jason was beginning to move on with his own life she realized she didn’t want him to do that without her. She missed him and the relationship we had begun. She mustered up the courage to “talk” to him about it and they decided to give this “thing” a try. Jason set one major rule for Diana – she had to let him open the door for her. He had always tried to be a gentleman and open her door but she tried to be independent and wouldn’t let him. She decided to agree to the rule (we still follow it today).
Well “things” moved pretty fast and soon we realized we were in love with one another. That friendship we had fostered for so long had bloomed into something more. Diana was especially scared to admit that she was in love and we skirted around the issue for quite awhile. Jason was the first to admit it. We were camping with Jason’s family at Bear Lake, Idaho and went for a drive with his brother and Diana’s best friend. While we were driving a song came on his CD player by Lifehouse – “Falling Even More in Love With You”. Jason pointed to the title on the dashboard and looked at Diana and said “I agree with that.” It scared Diana but it also opened up new windows. We eventually both said the long awaited words and knew that they were true.
Every night we would hang out together; playing games, watching movies, or going out with other friends. Holding hands and cuddling snuck in there somewhere and before Diana knew what was happening she realized she had feelings for Jason. Since Diana was terrified of commitment she immediately broke it off and told Jason they could only be friends. Jason was heartbroken but he respected Diana’s wishes. He gave her the space she needed but never stopped being her friend. After the break up, we were our as friends and experienced our first kiss. It was in front of an entire audience at Desert Star Playhouse.
When Diana saw that Jason was beginning to move on with his own life she realized she didn’t want him to do that without her. She missed him and the relationship we had begun. She mustered up the courage to “talk” to him about it and they decided to give this “thing” a try. Jason set one major rule for Diana – she had to let him open the door for her. He had always tried to be a gentleman and open her door but she tried to be independent and wouldn’t let him. She decided to agree to the rule (we still follow it today).
Well “things” moved pretty fast and soon we realized we were in love with one another. That friendship we had fostered for so long had bloomed into something more. Diana was especially scared to admit that she was in love and we skirted around the issue for quite awhile. Jason was the first to admit it. We were camping with Jason’s family at Bear Lake, Idaho and went for a drive with his brother and Diana’s best friend. While we were driving a song came on his CD player by Lifehouse – “Falling Even More in Love With You”. Jason pointed to the title on the dashboard and looked at Diana and said “I agree with that.” It scared Diana but it also opened up new windows. We eventually both said the long awaited words and knew that they were true.
The Proposal...
The proposal…
We decided we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We talked about getting married and went looking for rings. Jason was a perfect gentleman and even asked Diana’s father for her hand in marriage. They started making wedding plans even though Jason hadn’t officially proposed. Diana finally issued a deadline. He had to propose before they were supposed to get their engagement pictures taken. The night before the deadline Jason told Diana to dress up and bring her temple stuff. He picked her up at her home and took her back to his parent’s house. Downstairs he had set up a table with china and crystal and had romantic music playing. Then he brought out a wonderful meal that he had prepared for her. After dinner they went to the temple to do sealings. It was a beautiful reminder of the covenant they were about to make themselves. After the sealings Jason suggested that they walk around the temple grounds. As they started walking Jason leaned down by the flowers and Diana was mortified to think that he was going to pick flowers out of the temple gardens. Instead he pulled out a bouquet of roses and daisies and gave them to Diana. He had hid them there earlier that day just for this occasion. Then they sat down on a bench and looked over the Salt Lake Valley. At the perfect moment Jason got down on one knee and asked Diana to spend eternity with him and marry him. With a tear in her eye she gladly accepted. It was perfect evening together and a wonderful memory. A mere 6 months after Diana returned home from New York City we were married for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple. Our courtship is similar to our life together. We have had our highs and low, a lot of laughter and some tears and once again a beautiful friendship!
We decided we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We talked about getting married and went looking for rings. Jason was a perfect gentleman and even asked Diana’s father for her hand in marriage. They started making wedding plans even though Jason hadn’t officially proposed. Diana finally issued a deadline. He had to propose before they were supposed to get their engagement pictures taken. The night before the deadline Jason told Diana to dress up and bring her temple stuff. He picked her up at her home and took her back to his parent’s house. Downstairs he had set up a table with china and crystal and had romantic music playing. Then he brought out a wonderful meal that he had prepared for her. After dinner they went to the temple to do sealings. It was a beautiful reminder of the covenant they were about to make themselves. After the sealings Jason suggested that they walk around the temple grounds. As they started walking Jason leaned down by the flowers and Diana was mortified to think that he was going to pick flowers out of the temple gardens. Instead he pulled out a bouquet of roses and daisies and gave them to Diana. He had hid them there earlier that day just for this occasion. Then they sat down on a bench and looked over the Salt Lake Valley. At the perfect moment Jason got down on one knee and asked Diana to spend eternity with him and marry him. With a tear in her eye she gladly accepted. It was perfect evening together and a wonderful memory. A mere 6 months after Diana returned home from New York City we were married for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple. Our courtship is similar to our life together. We have had our highs and low, a lot of laughter and some tears and once again a beautiful friendship!
Monday, December 1, 2008
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