Four Years Into Forever

It seems like it was just yesterday, January 19, 2008....

I had just started at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg and was living with my best friend Claire and two other girls. Our roommate Jen was good friends with two guys named Dan and Andrew. They had been over quite a bit and we had been talking about how fun it would be to have a group get together, have some food, and watch a musical. We decided to watch Newsies because let's face it, it's fantastic!

We went over to the guys' apartment and I saw this cute blonde boy and said: "Hey you! I like your hoodie!" He was wearing some cool skater hoodie and he told me he liked mine too. I was wearing a purple Boys Like Girls hoodie I had bought at Warped Tour the previous year.

I remember Claire leaned over and said: "Wow he is really cute!"

Craig and Claire both hate when I tell  this part of the story but it's an integral part! Claire thought he was cute and I was ( in theory) busy with my classes and running and not interested in dating after just getting out of a relationship. Soo...I attempted to get Craig over to our apartment so I could do some matchmaking between Craig and Claire.

I am fairly oblivious to things and did not know Craig liked me. We invited him and the rest of his roommates over the next evening for dinner with all of us girls.

Craig added me on Facebook and started texting me. That should have been one of my first clues he liked me. It was a long weekend so since we did not have school the next day Craig asked if he could come over. He came over and stayed all the way until curfew (At BYU-I everyone has to be back in the apartments/dorms by midnight). I had been complaining for some reason that no songs are ever written about girls named Jessica. So Craig and I spent hours listening to music and finding songs with my name in it.

Now, I have no idea what those songs even were. I just remember having a really fun time listening to tons of music and laughing.

Craig proceeded to come over every single day that week. And the next week. He was extremely persistent. In fact up until around our second wedding anniversary we had been  together every single day since the first day we met. Even now there have only been 4 instances where we have been apart for over 24 hours. We just genuinely love being together.

Needless to say, Craig and I started dating. Claire was my Maid of Honor. To this day she says if she really had dated Craig they would have killed each other. Hahaha.

I always swore I would never get engaged my first semester of college and certainly not after knowing someone for only a brief amount of time. I definitely did not think I would get married at 19. 

But the best laid plans of course often go awry.

By the middle of February Craig and I had fallen in love. Craig, Claire and I drove to Boise during a long weekend after really needing a break from the Burg. Claire's birth Mom lives there and Craig's whole family is in Boise so it made sense. I stayed with Claire but we went to Craig's house  for a BBQ and met the ENTIRE family. I still remember Nancy showing me every photo she had of Craig as a little kid.

I totally got a kick out of it. 

 I watched Craig play with his nieces and nephews and thought: "Wow, this guy is going to be a great Dad someday."

That night or maybe the next Craig and I stayed up all night talking. I don't remember exactly how it came up or why but we started discussing marriage and I remember feeling this total peace and certainty that I was supposed to be with Craig. 

On March 2, 2008 I came home from church and found clues all over the apartment.  I followed the clues and when I got to the the end I found a laptop with a video set up asking me to play it. Craig had made a beautiful video full of  photos and set to one of our favorite songs "Hands Down" by Dashboard Confessional. When I turned around he was on one knee holding out the ring. The computer screen read out: "Jessica, I love you. Will you marry me?"

I was so excited I didn't even see the ring at first and he had to hold it out to me and say "Don't you want this?"

We were married on a beautiful, sunny day in the Seattle LDS Temple on May 24, 2008. 

It was perfect. I will always remember smiling at Craig over the altar with tears in my eyes. I married my best friend for time and all eternity.

I still feel butterflies when I look at Craig and I love him more and more every day. I am so lucky. He is such a great father and husband. We have so much laughter in our lives even during the difficult times.

Four years, two baby boys, 5 homes, 3 cities, 2 universities, surgeries and hospitalizations, career changes...it's been a crazy time and a blessed time. We're following our dreams and looking forward to the future!

 In honor of the way Craig proposed to me, I made Craig a video of the last 4 years comprised of photos and songs that hold special meaning for us. It was a fun project to work on while I've been recovering.

The first song is of course from the movie that started it all.....Newsies.

The song we danced our first dance to is "Take My Breath Away" (cover by Copeland) because we both share a great love for the movie Top Gun.

(For the best video quality, click the little settings icon on the clip and view in 1080p.)