You never realize how much has happened until you look back...

On March 9th 2009, I was talking to a friend of mine that was leaving for boot camp.We were talking about where we thought life would be in 6 months when he would be back. I told him I would probably be doing the same old thing: school, work, school, work. He chuckled and said

"Bre, I would put money on you being married, or at least engaged BEFORE I come home".

I laughed at this because I could not see myself doing anything but what I had been doing for the last 6 weeks. It was like my world was changing and I was standing in the dark...afraid to look ahead of me.

He left and life went on. A few weeks later someone came back in to my life that I had missed! We have been friends since my junior year of high school. We went to the winter formal dance my senior year together and have been in contact on and off since then. He was always the guy at school that I could trust. The one I could talk to for hours and hours and never get bored! During those four years it seemed like every time our friendship started showing signs of becoming anything else, it would be gone. Nobody physically went anywhere, nobody was mad, it was just gone...we would both get busy with life and not talk for a while. This was the norm, it happened time and time again. It was confusing to me and quite disheartening because it made me feel like he was just talking to me out of boredom...not cause he cared. Right when I would get to the point that I was OK with not having him be a part of my life...he would come back! It was like a sick joke in my mind! lol

This time it was Easter morning. I was sitting in my living room with my mom when my phone went off. The text said simply, "Happy Easter". The only thought I had was "Oh man, here we go again". This is how it happened, we would talk, I would get attached and excited and two weeks later, BAM it was gone. The time passed, soon enough it was almost a month later and it was still going good. We talked all day everyday and by the end of the month we decided to hang out cause we needed to "catch up". We hung out EVERYDAY after that and on May 22nd decided to make it official...I know so Jr. High but so exciting at the same time! lol

On June 13th, he came with me to my nephew's birthday party to meet my family. Everyone was going to be there! Anyone that knows my dad knows that he can come across as intimidating and scary...to say the least so as you can imagine, I was very nervous to bring a boy to meet daddy. Things went great, my dad kept his distance and was on his best behavior! We laughed and talked with my friends and family. He was VERY nervous but in the end decided it wasn't too bad. Since then we have hung out with each of my sisters/brother in laws a few times. He has yet to sit down and actually talk with my dad, but in my opinion that can wait ;)

He is the kind of guy that HATES being the center of attention and involving his family in his personal life...says it "gives them more to make fun of". I had been dying to meet his family and he knew this. I had met his parents when we went to the dance and his mind that was fine. Not to me! lol They found out about us from a ward member and insisted that I come over. He kept putting it off and putting it off until his dad sat him down and said "Jimmy, she is coming over tomorrow after dinner to meet the family, and that's final!" haha I don't know if those were his exact words but that's how he made it sound when he told me. I will admit I was scared. I had talked it up that it would be no big deal and I was ready for anything but when the moment actually came and it was real, I was nervous to say the least! What would they think of me? Would they think I was good enough? Would I fit in? Would they think I was a brat because I don't talk? Too many questions were going through my mind. He picked me up from my family dinner and we got in the car. Half way down the street he said, "ok do you wanna hear to rules now, or later?" THERE ARE RULES?! oh great I could feel my palms sweating and my heart pounding! He went over his "rules" and assured me that they would love me, that I had nothing to worry about! yeah right buddy, your not the one they have been talking about without knowing for the last month! We walked in to the house to find his family playing a game at the table, all smiles when they saw us enter the room. It was nice, we sat down and joined the game. We laughed and talked. They asked me about me and told me about all of them. Before we knew it we had been there for 2 hours and it was time for his parents to head to bed and for his sister to take her kids home for bed. They warmly thanked me for coming over and told me that I was welcome anytime.

Jimmy and I left his house and headed to mine. He jokingly looked at his phone and said "any minute now I should be hearing from ALL of them!"...but nothing all night! The next day he sent them a text asking them what they thought, telling them that the silence was worrying him. His sister Julie quickly responded saying, "calm down, we loved her and we need her to be part of the fam!" He told me this and my heart stopped! I was so worried that that would not be the response and was SO relieved and excited when it was. She also said that we needed to double with her and her husband to get to know me better. The last thing he would tell me that she said was that I was "the sister she has always wanted but never had". I almost cried because this is favorite sister and her opinion matters most to him. The rest of their conversation was "confidential" lol. Later that night his mom told him that she thought I was perfect and she loved how I knew what I wanted to do with my life and was working toward it. His dad said he was quiet that night but the next time it was fair game because he knows I can handle it now. His younger sister said that she believes he has GREAT taste in girls and his brother in law said he agreed with his wife in the fact that I fit in TOO well, it was like I had been there all along!!!

I felt SO much better about it all and I can't wait to hang out with them again and meet the other half of the family!

Yesterday, July 1st, made two months! It doesnt seem like it has been that long but it's been a TON of fun!

Looking back and still being able to hear the words,

"Bre, I would put money on you being married, or at least engaged BEFORE I come home".

I just laugh because, SERIOUSLY! who'da thunk!? It's so unreal how you never know where your life will be in 4 months...ideas change, people change, thoughts change, and feelings change. I wouldn't trade it for the world and I am SO happy.

Who knows, maybe my friend was right, I honestly can tell you I will NOT be married by September but there is a HUGE possibility that I could be engaged by September 10th when that friend returns to Mesa...we will see...we will see! ;)