My senior prom was the night of May 1, 1993. A group of girls decided to just invite our guy friends to a fun evening out...without all the hassles and costs of prom. Jenifer (Osterhout) Craner, Jennifer (Bell) Murdock, Stacey Yarbrough, Amie Fries and I all invited our friends... and all of them canceled last minute except Jennifer B's date, Travis. To this day I am so grateful to David Draper for not being my "date" that night (I think he had to work - thank you to his place of employment?) Who knows how that night would have gone.
When we went to pick him up, Jennifer asked me to go to the door with her. I met his brother, Shaylon, that night. He said my name "right" and I've adored him since that first second. We ate at JBs restaurant. I ordered a patty melt and fries. So did Travis. I remember what he wore that night (I kept the shirt)...a black tshirt that had white "E.N.U.F." letters on it.
After dinner we went to Stacey's house to all pile into one car so we could go to City of Rocks. Travis needed to go home and get a jacket and asked if someone could take him. I had my car so, OF COURSE, I had to. I was sooooo nervous. He said in the car ride over, "I'm not interested in Jennifer that way. I like her, but we've been friends since we were kids and she's like a sister to me." I don't know if I responded but my mind was reeling! At his house, he went downstairs to get his jacket and I met Arnold...their new pot-bellied pig. Travis had to bottle feed him really quick. I was raised on a pig farm so this was kinda weird to see (a pig in the house, what?!) but it was cute.
Then we went to Smith's to get snacks for the road. I needed some gum and went to the ginormous gum ball machine that used to be there. As I was putting my money in, Travis came up to my side and asked what kind was my favorite. "Orange", I said...and an orange one came winding it's way down. OMG. He put his money in and I asked him what his favorite was. "Blue", he said.. And yep...you guessed it. A blue one came out. I nearly died and that is my very first memory of synchronicity! I saw my future in his eyes when he looked at me that night and I knew we would be together forever.
[Side note...this was a Saturday. On the Wednesday before, a toxic relationship I was in ended and I had sworn off boys forever. Isn't it funny how 3 days later I meet the boy of my dreams? I'm am so grateful to my 17-year old self for being aware and open to the possibility of true love...even so soon after a broken heart.]
So after the fateful car ride to his house, and the orange and blue incident (which happen to be our college school colors - go Broncos!) I was smitten. And I unmercifully flirted. To the point where I followed him when he went to go pee in nature up at City of Rocks. SO embarrassing. (37 year old La rolls her eyes)
We went to Jenifer O's house to hang out. We played some basketball and I followed Travis around like a lost puppy. Both Jen's spent the night at my house. The next day, I went to Jenifer O's house to do homework, but before I did, I called Travis. I was scared to death. Shelley answered and he wasn't home (thank goodness - I probably would have died if he was there) and I remember her being really annoyed when I asked her to give him a message. He was quite the ladies man back then and she was not impressed with another one joining his "harem"!
[Side note...all of those lovely ladies stopped calling. And Shelley & I get along great. I'm blessed to have such great in-laws.]
I didn't think anything more of it until I got home. My mom said "A Travis Jones called for you." I screamed at the top of my lungs and raced to the phone. She followed and took the phone away from me. She said "you are NOT calling him if it's the Travis Jones that graduated from Burley last year". "Yes, it is", I said. She said "I kicked him out of my class. He's just a troublemaker and you're not calling him." Not only did I call him. But I went and MARRIED him! And now my mom likes him better. LOL
We had our first date on May 4...that following Tuesday. After talking on the phone for HOURS on Sunday night and Monday night. We went to "Unforgiven" and to Dairy Queen after. As he was opening the door to his truck ("Red") to take me home, he kissed me. I will forever remember that moment. Our second date was on Wednesday, May 5 and we went for a drive to look for animals in the woods. When he dropped me off, he said "I have something to tell you, but I don't want to scare you away." I said, "I already know and I feel the same". I don't remember who actually said the words "I love you" first or when it was, but I wrote in my journal on June 3, 1993 "I have met the man I am going to marry". And I did.
Our dates haven't changed. Dinner and a movie or go for a drive into the wilderness.
We were together all summer and then I went to Boise State to college. I didn't have a car and that 2 hour drive to Burley could have been 20 because I couldn't get there. We wrote a lot of letters, talked on the phone and gained a trust for each other that I don't think we could have otherwise. He came to visit as often as he could. I lived for those weekends. He went to college at the College of Southern Idaho for a year and then transferred to BSU. That was the semester I had to stay home for back surgery so we were apart again. Then January of 1995 we started going to school together at BSU and we've been together ever since.
In those letters that first year and a half we talked of our dreams of being together, being married, and the life we were going to have. I kept all of those letters and our life now is SO much better than I ever dreamed. And trust me...I dream big. I always have.
Since then we've added 4 siblings-in-law, 4 nieces and nephews (2 more on the way), have had endless holiday parties, BBQs, too many funerals, a million hugs and kisses and more love than I know what to do with.
And what's a blog post without my numbers list?
10 - years. The age of Nicole and Traig when we met.
2 - cats. TiVo and Zoomer.
2 - dogs. Bela and Riley.
5 - addresses. And yes, I'm counting the dorms. Let's just be honest. LOL
28 - years. Collectively working at DIRECTV.
14 - years. Collectively spent in college.
21 - elk Travis has killed and we've eaten.
22 - deer Travis has killed just since living in Montana. Best jerky ever!
3 - new vehicles.
6 - weeks. Longest we've gone without seeing each other.
7 - miles. The distance between our parent's houses.
143 - our favorite number.
6 - roommates we've had over the years. Our home is always open!
To my 17 year old self. I thank you. For having the sense at such a young age to know that this wonderful man was the one.
To Travis's 18 year old self. Thank you for choosing me. You had 5 girls to choose from that night and I'm still in awe that it was me. I am so honored and I love you.
To Jennifer (Bell) Murdock. I will forever be grateful to you for inviting Travis that night. I'm sorry (only a little) that I "stole him" from you.
To David Draper. Again, thank you for missing out on that night. I am soooo grateful that we are still friends and we can laugh about our shared past. You are a true friend and I'm glad we're still a part of each other's lives.
To Travis. There are no words for how much I love you. And it is amazing to me how much that really is. I am so grateful that I have been there to watch you grow into the most wonderful, caring, kind, supportive, handsome, funny, honest, sexy man that you are today. I am very proud to be your wife and best friend. Recently you said to me, "thanks for letting me do what I do. You are one in a million and I'm glad you're mine". I feel the same way. I love the life we have created together and can't wait until the next 20...40...60 years!! You're my first, my last, my everything. I love you twice as much as yesterday and half as much as tomorrow. 195@J', Three Squeezes and 143.
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| According to the back of this original photo, this is the first picture of us together. My high school graduation day. |
- In 2007 we went to Hawaii with Matt & Maria. We went to a luau and after dinner we slow danced on the beach. It was so romantic.
- Building our first home in Idaho.
- Early on we went camping (Sublett Reservoir, I think) and just slept under the stars. I think that was the trip that I caught our dinner. To his credit, he cooked that fish better than I ever could.
- Every back rub. They are amazing and there have been 1000s.
- East Coast Extravaganza Spectacular Spectacular of 2010 (Yankees Game, Broadway, Lighthouses, Serendipity, Lambardi's Pizza, The Met, lightening bugs, etc. etc.).
- We were tent camping and I opened the zipper to the tent one morning. And came face to face with a big moose! I said, "UH, Trav..." He said, "Don't move. That's the baby. Mama is somewhere close and won't be happy with us." And sure enough, from around the hill, here she comes. The largest animal I've ever seen in the wild. They are so majestic!
- Moving into our dream home in Montana.
- When he tucks me in and kisses me goodbye right before he leaves in the morning for a hunting trip.
- Taking Matt, Nicole, Shaylon and Traig to Lagoon. When is Gummeronesaffer going to reunite?
- Murder Mystery weekend in Alberton, MT. Epic.
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