Dylanisms

What can I say about this little monkey? So much joy, laughter, fun and frustration all wrapped into one super independent five-year-old. He is a non-stop ball of energy who loves life and learning. He LOVES to explore and imagine and is one of the most creative people I have ever met. He continues to keep me on my toes, even as a slightly mellowed down 5-year-old version of himself. Here are some of the latest and greatest Dylanisms that I actually managed to write down.

• During the spider bite adventures, I told Dylan his arm looked swollen. He looked at me nervously and replied, "Why, what does swollen mean?" "It just means it's a little bigger than normal, bud. Don't worry." He looked down with a serious look on his face and said, "That's cuz I'm tough, Mom."
• Dylan was playing dentist one day and brought down is magnifying glass and a clothespin to inspect my teeth.
• All three kids were playing cowboy one day and Dylan gave some pretend chili to Anthony. Anthony played along and said, "Yum, this is really good. How'd you make it?" Dylan replied, "I have the best recipe. I put in beans, peas, brown sugar, salt, tomatoes, tomato sauce... I make the BEST chili."
• We were in a public restroom and Dylan asked me if the feminine hygiene products were paper towels. I said no. "Mom, can I have some change?" "No bud, we're not buying any," I anticipated. He responded, "Why mom, what are they?" Honestly, his curiosity will not let me get away with simple answers.
• Another day, he was looking at something and said, "Oh, I certainly love that."
• At Dylan's preschool graduation I was crying. He asked me why. "Are you crying because you're happy? Sad? Excited?" "No, buddy, I'm crying because you're getting big and growing up so fast." "Oh, okay." A few minutes later I took him to the bathroom and when I saw myself in the mirror I started crying again. I was talking to myself and said, "No, I am not aloud. Stop!" "Mom, why are you not aloud? Did you lose your voice or something?"
• We made and painted some stepping stones with the kids' handprints on them for Father's Day. While Dylan was waiting for his turn, he decided to paint a leaf. He brought in the painted leaf and said, "This is for my father. But not my father, this is for my Father in Heaven for Father's Day." It was so sweet.
• I told Dylan to get a ball out from under the couch that he had lost. He told me he couldn't because he didn't fit. I told him to try anyway. He slid under feet first and stopped. "See, I don't fit. My penis is stuck." Later he corrected himself and said he thought it was probably just the buckle on his pants that was stuck.
• I was in the left-hand turn lane and Dylan noticed another car turning left the opposite direction. He said, "Uh-oh, mom. That car is on the same track as us."
• I was in the basement and could hear water running so I went to check it out. Running water is never a good sign around here. Dylan had undressed himself and Preston and was running water for a bath. I asked him what he was doing and he said simply, "I'm giving us a bath. We were dirty."
• Preston was in the tub handing me ocean toys. When he handed them to me, I would say the name of the animal. "That's a seal, Preston. Seal." Dylan quickly corrected me. "No mom, that's a sea lion." Preston handed me a whale. "Whale." "No, that's not a whale, that's a sperm whale. Preston, say sperm."
• We were at the store and Dylan had given Preston a glitter ball. I wasn't going to buy it so when we went to check out, I put it back. Preston started crying so Dylan went to his rescue and brought it back again. I told him to put it back and he said, "I can't put it back. It makes him too sad." We left without the glitter ball and Dylan said, "I know what I'm going to get Preston for his birthday...a glitter ball. Yeah, a glitter ball would be a good brother's day present."
• I was talking to Marcos about a place called Toad's and Dylan asked if it was a place for kids. I said yes. He said, "Do you know what I call places that are for kids?" "What?" "Where a kid can be a kid and a mom can relax and take a break from her kids." I started laughing and he said, "Mom, I know what I'm talking about. Where a mom can relax and take a break from her kids."
• Dylan put on some yellow basketball pants and said, "Oh, I love these golden pants."
• One day when we were in the car I was telling the kids about the pioneers and Pioneer Day. Dylan was kind of serious and said, "I'm looking at that cloud. Do you know why I'm looking at that cloud? That's the cloud where Jesus lives and I'm going to look for Him." He always says sweet stuff like that when we are talking about spiritual things and he feels the Spirit.
• (This one's about Anthony, but I thought it was worth remembering. He isn't LDS for those of you who don't know him.) Anthony looked at me out of the blue and said, "Okay, let me get this straight. You call God Heavenly Father and I just call Him God, right?" I said, "We call him God and Heavenly Father, but He is the same person and He loves us very much."
• I overheard Dylan say to Anthony, "Anthony, do you know that we're really brothers because you're a part of our family?" Anthony replied, "Yeah and brothers really love each other." Too cute!

Dylan the police officer - this kid loves to pretend

My mom bought this bug belt for Dylan when he stayed over at her house. He would not take it off. He told me he wanted to go exploring when we went to the park. This is how he looked for several days. He got a lot of "cool belt" comments during our outings that week. :) It's still one of his favorite new things.

Dylan's bug belt

4th of July Video

Nothing fancy, just a couple of clips from our day of festivities.

4th of July

We were up late on the 3rd of July so we skipped the parades. Marcos and Dylan went to the park to play tennis and Preston and I slept in. What a treat! We tried to catch up on my neglected chores a bit and then got ready for another night of celebrating. We met my family at a park by my mom's house that evening. They serve Greek souvlaki and my mom treated us all to dinner. The kids played ball, at the playground and around our blankets and chairs. It took a little coordinating to keep track of that many kids, but it was well worth it. They had a blast playing together. The DJ was blaring the music and we were all gettin' down a little. You should've seen Dylan - I'm afraid he takes after me. There isn't much dance talent there, but I have no power to stop myself from gettin' my groove on when the rhythm hits me. :) It was so much fun! As it started to get dark, a plane dropped a few local sky divers off who landed in front of us. It was AWESOME! By that point, we strapped Preston in his stroller. He tends to be a bit of an escape artist these days and we'd had enough of chasing him around the park. We all settled down with our treats to watch the fireworks together. What a great night! Here are a couple collages I made of our day. For those who want to see more pictures, you can find them here.

Aside from the fun celebration part, I just want to say how grateful I am to be an American. I think our freedom is something that we tend to take for granted. Most people are apathetic when it comes to the political process. Although often tedious and frustrating, I feel it my civic duty and am involved as often as possible. After all, if I'm not representing my views, then who is? I've always been pretty patriotic. I tear up every time I hear or sing the national anthem and especially when I see a veteran saluting the flag. I know our Constitution was Divinely inspired and am grateful for brave men (and women) who fought for what they knew to be right. God bless America!

July 3 - Cherry Hill, Dinner & Fireworks

Marcos was off of work on July 3rd, so we decided to head to Cherry Hill for some family fun. My friend, Liv, decided to meet us there with her baby, Soren. Apparently we weren't the only ones with the idea to go to a water park on Marcos' day off. It was pretty crowded, but we still had a blast. The kids played forever and it turned out perfect to have Preston take a late nap since we were going to my grandma's for dinner and then to watch fireworks that night. Another fun filled day! No wonder my house is never clean - we play WAY too much! :)

Baby Soren

We ran into our friends there and Dylan rode around the lazy river with his girlfriend and future father-in-law :)

Dylan and cute baby Soren

Liv and Soren splashing in the water

Papi drenching poor Preston

Chillin' Dylan :)

Marcos enjoying himself in the lazy river

Preston playing in the water

Preston playing with GG that evening

He loves "honking" her nose and she finally honked back :)

GG with Dylan and Preston

Marcos & Dylan waiting in line for one of the bounce houses

Dylan bonded with one of my grandma's neighbors while we were watching fireworks from her front yard - cute!

Marcos' Work Party

We went to a little work get together a couple weeks ago. One of the nurse's owns a beautiful home on a big piece of property. It was the perfect place for a party. It was a little rainy, but cleared up in time for the kids to play outside. Dylan found a treehouse and was in heaven. He absolutely LOVES treehouses. Preston played with a big soccer ball, in these popup tent things and with his new little buddy, Cole. When the sun went down, we all sat outside and watched Night at the Museum projected on a big screen on the side of the house while we ate treats and popcorn. It was like the drive-in movie all over again. Good times!

Marcos' co-worker, Sheila

Another co-worker, Sean

The boss, Bonna, and her husband

Preston loving his new buddy, Cole

Preston in Cole's cute hat

Dylan's dream come true - they had a treehouse

Idaho Waterslide

Thanks for letting me reminisce a little bit. It's good to look back and remember the little things that brought us together. Now I've let myself get a bit behind. A couple weeks ago, we were invited to go to Idaho to a really cool place. It's actually a great big sod farm where the owner's live and have turned it into this nice family hangout place. There's a big hill with a black mat they've put down to create a waterslide. They also have a zip line, trampoline in the ground, swing set, big sand box and a fire pit - not to mention acres and acres of awesome grass to play on. It was so much fun for our whole family. We will definitely be visiting again. Here are a few pictures of the fun!

One of the older kids buried Dylan. I'm not sure he liked it, but it's a pretty good place for timeout. I'll have to keep that in mind next time he's naughty. :)

Dylan and Kambrie playing in the sandbox

Preston was content to run around in the grass with a ball. Look at that kick!

Marcos on the zipline.

They have this candy canon so the candy shoots out everywhere instead of just falling to the ground. It was AWESOME! Like an Easter egg hunt, but without all the work.

Marcos and Preston on the waterslide

Dylan sliding without the tube

Preston and Mommy - that kid loved sliding. He would not give us a break. Marcos and I fought over who had to take him because it was nonstop - walk up the hill, slide down, then repeat.

The end of the day without a nap. I was doing my best to entertain Preston while Dylan made s'mores before we hit the road.

Dylan just parked himself on the Bishop's lap to roast his marshmallows. What a kind and patient Bishop we have.

15- Happily Ever After

...NOT! Marriage takes work. Anyone who tells you otherwise either hasn't been married or is lying. I'm not saying that marriage isn't great, but that life isn't easy. You don't get married and then go back to life as if nothing had happened. You have to continue to nurture and strengthen your relationship if you want it to succeed.

I never thought it would be possible, but I love Marcos so much more now than I did ten years ago. Strangely, love seems to grow deeper with time. I can only hope that in ten more years I look back on my relationship and think how much deeper my love and commitment to Marcos has become. We've been through a lot together over the years - 4 cars, 2 apartments, 1 house, 4 college degrees, 10 full time jobs, at least a dozen part-time jobs, 2 children and multiple callings. We've been through some really difficult trials. There have been times when I could feel a force trying to pull us apart, times when I didn't know if our relationship could survive. But it did. Marriage isn't always roses and romance. A good marriage requires dedication and commitment. It requires communication and selflessness. It requires humility and sacrifice and love.

No one knows what trials they may face. We can only hope and pray and have faith. What I do know is that Marcos is my perfect teammate. Sometimes he has the ball and other times I do, but together we are much better than we are individually. There is no one that I would rather experience the ups and downs of life with than him. Here's to ten years of marriage and countless more to come, sweets. I love you...from here to Argentina and back - till I die and forever more!

14- The Wedding

The whole week before the wedding was rainy. Actually, most of June had been rather wet. It was the year of El Nino. As the week passed, I got a little nervous. After all, the plans had not exactly included an "in case of inclement weather" location. We were ready to purchase some umbrellas and hope for the best.

The day before my wedding was pretty weird. There's all this anticipation building up to a wedding day and then the day before there's nothing to do. I was planning on working the whole day, but they sent me home early and told me I was crazy to be at work the day before I got married. Wa-hoo! I did a bunch of pointless wedding-type things that day and then headed up to my mom's house where I would sleep that night. It remains such a bitter-sweet memory for me. I don't know if I am alone in this, but the one thing I was sure of was that Marcos and I were supposed to get married. But the feeling of my last night as a single girl, living at home (sort of ) and hanging out with my sisters (all unmarried) and my best friend (also still single) was surreal. I was so excited to start my life with Marcos, but knew that a part of me was leaving behind the life I had always known and loved. It was hard. We talked about the wedding, the honeymoon and our new apartment. We laughed and giggled and practiced styling my hair. I remember steaming my dress with Lisa upstairs at my mom's house and crying and talking about how happy and scared I was. And how weird it was that tomorrow I would be married and live in a different house and ward...and with a boy. Weird. Lisa and I had a long, emotional embrace that felt kind of like goodbye. I knew we would always be friends, but it would be different. We had been Lisa and Maria for so long that I couldn't imagine that changing. Some people may not have known which of us was which for that matter. We were pretty much a pair most of the time. Now I was going to be Marcos and Maria. Yep, bitter-sweet indeed.

I woke up early the next morning so my sister, Alicia, and sister-in-law, Laura, could do my hair. Man, what a process! It looked pretty cute though. Thank goodness for prissy relatives. I would've been a mess without them! :) My mom and I got ready and left for the temple around 9:30 a.m. It was barely drizzling at that point - things were definitely looking up in the weather department. Talk about being pampered - those little old ladies at the temple sure take care of you and tend to your every need. It was amazing! We got ready, I said goodbye to my mom and went to meet Marcos. We sat in the celestial room forever just sitting, smiling and whispering to each other every once in awhile. It definitely felt right. A little while later we found out it really had been forever. Marcos' mom was running quite late and everyone had been waiting for her and worrying that something had happened. Thankfully we were away from the stress and worry of that tucked away in the celestial room. The sealing was beautiful. Marcos' dad performed it and it could not have gone any better. It was so special to both of us to have him be the one to seal us together for time and all eternity. His words were beautiful - humbly uttered through his broken English. I remember looking at my soon-to-be husband across the alter and feeling perfect.

After the temple ceremony, we walked out the door a very happy husband and a teary-eyed wife. We had family and friends and a pretty anxious photographer and videographer awaiting us (remember the late part - everyone outside the temple was wondering what was going on. I think they thought I'd backed out at the last minute :) ) We took a bunch of pictures and then headed over to Robintino's (I know, enough of that place already, but it was sentimental) for a very simple luncheon with just our immediate families.

Everyone parted and went to get ready for the reception. Marcos and I drove separately, which was really weird for me. Just the thought of everyone wondering what we may or may not be doing after the wedding made me a little paranoid. Stop looking at me like that. No we did not just run to the hotel for a quickie. Give me a break! Seriously though. That whole going from forbidden territory to a commandment is a weird 180 degree turn after you get married. Okay, so we headed up to my mom's house and luckily we left when we did. There was a huge wreck on the freeway so once again we were going to be dealing with everyone being late - including the photographer. We were supposed to take some family pictures at 6 p.m. and the reception would start at 7, but the photographer didn't get there until 6:45 p.m. Yikes! Oh well, we just went with it. People started showing up and we greeted them. So much for organized family pictures. We didn't have a formal line at the reception. We didn't want it to be boring or long so we just mingled. It was actually really fun. The only thing I wish is that we had maybe done the reception for the first hour and then dancing because I don't think I talked to everyone that came later to the reception. I'm not sure though. By that point, I was in my own world. Once I was boogying on the dance floor, there was no turning back. :) Basically it was a party - a great big celebration! There was tons of yummy food and tables for everyone to visit and then there was a big dance. We had everyone gettin' down on the floor. It was the best way to celebrate this moment with my family and friends. We really did have a great time and didn't end up leaving until almost 11 p.m. Hey, you only get married once, right? (well, hopefully.) By the end of the dance, I was hugging all my friends and telling them goodbye and secretly whispering how nervous I was for the wedding night.

Marcos and I changed (in separate rooms - I'm telling you people I was way more than a little bit nervous) and went to put our bags in Marcos' car before we said our final wedding goodbyes. We went to the car and discovered the nice send-off his brother, Esteban, had created - not! Marcos was so mad. He had guarded Esteban's car at their reception ten months before and Esteban was the instigator of our mess of a car. Oh well, we got the best of him. We cleaned it up before he could see our reaction. He was surprised when he walked out and realized the mess was gone. :) We went back to say goodbye, danced a couple more dances and then the remaining wedding die-hards walked us out blowing bubbles as we went. Aw, wedding rituals! :) Again Marcos wouldn't be Marcos without a big farewell moment. He drove off honking the horn and yelling goodbye to everyone. He really is crazy! As we drove down the street, it was one of those moments that I will never forget. Every detail is permanently etched in my memory. I was married to this kid now...and we were going to a hotel. Holy crap! Thank goodness we could tell each other everything. I leaned on his shoulder and whispered something about how nervous I was. He just smiled and said, "Me too."

13- Candle Pass

Technically this post should've come before the engagement since it happened right after the proposal. I wasn't going to post about it, but I figured it would be good for everyone to see a little bit of Marcos' perspective during this whole thing. Candle pass is a tradition in my sorority. After someone becomes engaged, the sisters all meet together for a candle pass. The ring is tied to a candle and the candle is passed around the room while the president of the sorority reads a letter written by the man who wants her hand in marriage. After the candle has been passed around the room at least once and the letter is finished, the girl who is now engaged blows out her candle so everyone knows who is getting married. Because I went from dating to living at my great grandma's and getting serious really quickly, most of my sorority sisters were pretty surprised I was engaged. It was really exciting and special to hear Marcos talk about why he deserved to be married to me. I thought I would share the letter that he wrote about me that was read at my candle pass. He called it "My Little Heaven".

This is indeed a very different kind of celebration. One of your sisters has made a life changing decision, her fiance has proposed to her and now, in a few months, she will be married. Life has many transitions and getting married is surely a very big one. My beautiful darling had many other plans before she would consider marriage a part of her life and one of her goals. She had planned to go into a master's program and eventually get a good job that would giver her good financial stability for the future. She also planned to one day serve an LDS mission, hopefully to a foreign land. Marriage was at the bottom of the list...but then, I came along and little by little her thoughts and desires began to change. What was a very good friendship blossomed and grew into a very deep love. We began dating, and enjoying each other's company more and more. Getting to know each other was very fun and exciting. We have so many things in common, and we compliment each other so well, it is just absolutely amazing! I've always dreamed of marrying someone like her, but she is even more than what I dreamed my girl would be. That is the reason why I call her "My Little Heaven."

My fiancee is one of the most caring, thoughtful and intelligent human beings I have ever met in my life. She has a heart that is as big as the Everest. Her smile is so cute and honest, and her little giggles simply turn my heart upside down! Loving her is not hard, because when I do, all of that love is returned...tenfold! I love her because she has ambition and will never give up on the battle of life. She's tough and the word "quit" does not exist in her vocabulary. I love her because her tender heart always reaches out to mine. I love her because every time I see her it is even better than the last time I saw her. Every time I see her I learn something new about her that I didn't know, and it reassures me that I have made the right choice. I love her because others are drawn to her and they can feel the power of her good character and simple nature. The ring that she has on her finger is probably the best description that I could give of her: it is simple, very simple, yet breathtakingly beautiful and unique! The light in her eyes gives a glimpse of her soul. There is so much substance in that soul, I honestly cannot phathom it. I could write a thousand volumes about what she means to me, and then write a thousand more because she never ceases to amaze me and she never will!

I know that she has belonged to LD for awhile. LD has taught her many important life lessons that she could learn nowhere else. She has made many awesome friends along the way and she has learned the value of sisterhood. Your sorority has many high standards to allow new members in and she truly fits all of them. She has represented you well, very well. Now, I'm asking you to let her go and let her start this new life. I am asking you to allow the legacy she made to live in your minds and in your hearts so that she will be remembered as a very special sister of your sorority forever. "Some people come into our lives and quickly go, others come into our lives and leave such an impression that from then on we are never, ever the same." I know she has touched your lives and she truly has touched mine, and I will never be the same. If you were to ask me if I was worthy to have her...I would have to say no; no one is! Like I told her father, "...I don't have much money or possessions, but I've got my mind and I have my heart and I promise to take care of her and lover her always, unconditionally, and owrk on our relationship every day so that it can grow forever and ever." I love "My Little Heaven" because with just one kiss she transmits so much love and friendship. I love "My Little Heaven" because with just one kiss I know how much she loves me...! I could go on, but I'm about to cry...

"My Little Heaven"......I LOVE YOU 'TILL I DIE AND FOREVER MORE!

12- The Engagement

Somehow we got through the 4 months and 5 days that was our engagement. It wasn't easy though. It was a series of trials, blessings and major life changes - all in such a short period of time. Not that engagements are ever easy, but it was a lot to deal with simultaneously.

I started writing my thesis and had to come to terms with the fact that it was going to be okay, not perfect. At the same time, I started applying for jobs. I was going to have to figure something out since we were going to need health insurance and enough money to pay for an apartment and my car. I ended up finding a job a month later and thankfully I was pretty close to being done with my thesis. My stupid Chemistry professor was an idiot. I brought him draft after draft to critique and never received one comment from the guy. BUT when it came time to defend my thesis, he brought out all these questions. Hello, I could've included more if you would've given me some feedback. The other three people on my panel (Spanish professor, Zoology professor and the Chair of the Honor's Dept) thought it was great so he really was just being a jerk. Chemistry was one of three subjects I had to make fit into a thesis for a BIS (Bachelor of Integrated Studies) degree. My Spanish professor finally came to my aid and told him to lay off - it wasn't a Master's level Chemistry paper. It was a Bachelor's level triple subject one. Whatever...the whole thing sucked! But I made it through. I've never been more relieved to have something to cross of my to do list in my life.

I was struggling to figure out what to do. My pre-Marcos plan had been Med School. Now what? I was about to graduate in Chemistry, Zoology and Spanish. Hmm...what was I going to do? I couldn't go to graduate school yet. My future husband was still a few years away from his Bachelor's degree. I started sending resumes everywhere hoping I could figure something out. Well, I ended up getting an offer to work in a congressional office. Weird, but true. It's one of those times I just shrugged my shoulders and figured I'd let life guide me instead of trying to reason through everything. I'm usually wrong anyway. :) As soon as I found out I got the job, I had a million things to do. Marcos and I packed up my great grandma's stuff to take her to St. George where she would stay with my grandparents for awhile until they could come back to SLC. Road trip over the weekend and starting my first real grownup job on Monday. Holy crap! After that, we were both kind of nomads. Marcos was getting ready to move out - we had found an affordable apartment in the same complex where his brother and sister-in-law, Amy, lived. Now he just had to wait until the beginning of May when he could move in. I slept wherever I happened to be each night. Sometimes I was at my mom's, other times my great grandma's. It was insane!

The good news continued. Marcos' parents had decided to send their Geo Prizm so he would have a car. It was so hard to get places without a car and he had been without one for a long time. What a blessing! We knew we couldn't afford two car payments, but we needed two cars to make our schedules work. Wa-hoo!

We went to bridal fairs and all sorts of crazy things trying to figure out what we wanted. We decided a few things mattered and nothing else did. We wanted to have a fun wedding with lots of food, fun and dancing. We wanted things simple and not frilly. We wanted pictures and a video so we could remember that day forever. And we wanted to make sure we were ready to be husband and wife so we focused on our temple prep class and other spiritual things.

Marcos' aunt is an amazing seamstress and offered to make me a dress. A few of my friends came with me to get an idea of what style of dress I wanted and then we sent her some pictures and measurements. I knew I would love it and tried not to think about it after that. We were planning a lot of the wedding, but our parents were helping too. We were going to have the reception at my mom and Barney's house so I put them in charge of a lot - nothing like delegating projects to help ease the stress.

We flew to Florida in May and had a great time with Marcos' family. We had a lot to fit in, but it was still fun. We went to the beach, dancing with his sister, took engagement pictures, got fitted for my dress, and the family threw a shower for me. It was so crazy to have a shower thrown by people I didn't even know - and so generous. After our brief trip to Florida, it was time for real life again - work, school and more planning.

Marcos and I had decided to go on a cruise for our honeymoon. We purchased the plane tickets and tickets for the cruise and paid for them ahead of time. We didn't want to start out our marriage with a bunch of pointless debt. Because of my congressional job, we were able to learn a lot more about the INS process. It was the biggest pain ever! We had to file tons of paperwork, pay a lot of money and then wait and hope nothing went wrong so Marcos could get work authorization. Right now, he was only authorized to work on campus as part of his student visa. In the process, we found out that because Marcos had graduated from High School in Venezuela, gone to Texas on a missionary visa and then gone directly from Texas to Utah on a student visa - he had never left the country to have his passport renewed. He had the right paperwork to show he had a student visa, but he didn't have a stamp in his passport. If we left the country, he would need to get the passport renewed. Confusing? Yeah, we thought so too. Basically this meant that because the cruise went into Mexico, he would have to have his passport renewed in order to reenter the United States. And...we were only in Mexico a few hours so there was no way that was possible. There was a good chance they would decide not to let him back on the boat when we boarded in Mexico. Um, yeah, that sucked. We tried to get our money back, but nope. We hadn't purchased travel insurance (not that we even knew there was such a thing). Doing all this alone was tough work. We had to change our plans so we could still use the plane tickets, but now we had to find a hotel, rental car and all sorts of stuff. Oh, the plans that had to be made, changed and rearranged.

The good part of all this was we really worked well together. The stress got to us, but we didn't take it out on each other. Mainly I just cried it out every time I couldn't deal with life and then hugged him until I felt better. And it seemed to work. We tried to keep the focus on spiritual things - we would attempt to leave the plans and real world behind and go to our temple prep class together. It definitely helped us keep things in perspective. So the engagement didn't break us, but it could have if we had let it. Instead we allowed it to bring us closer together. If we could get through this, we could hopefully get through anything together.

11- The Proposal

After our Valentine's date at Robintino's, Marcos told me he owed me a date. He wasn't going to let me pay unless I agreed to a date the following weekend. Again I called up my poor mom to come stay with great grandma while I went out with Marcos. I forgot how often she saved me during that time. She pretty much came down every weekend so I could have some sort of a break from a long week of being cooped up in the house. I should've known something was up, but I'm so lame. I really thought Marcos just wanted to take me out. I figured I was safe because there was no way he could possibly have a ring yet. And I knew he wanted to talk to my dads (my dad and my step dad) and I didn't think that had happened either. My mom took me shopping for a new bra and shirt. "You should look cute for your date tonight!" she said. I picked out a pretty boring shirt. My mom tried to get me to change my mind, but that was me - simple and boring. Even when my mom was treating, I couldn't be high maintenance. It just wasn't my style. She also had brought down a bridal magazine so I could look at ideas for a dress. She had me read this article on proposals to decide which kind of proposal style my guy had. I guessed somewhere between romantic and a family man. How did I not know what she was doing?

Marcos picked me up and my uncle came to take pictures of us before we left. Hello, again another big flashing sign right there that passed me up. Why was he there taking pictures? I thought it was odd, but I didn't think this was the night. Nope. We went to the Carriage Court for dinner. We had a little corner booth with sparkling cider set up for us. I was a little suspicious about the pre-set apple cider, but we had our nice date and nothing happened so I figured Marcos had really just wanted to show me how much he loved me.

We were walking around downtown and out of nowhere he asked if I wanted to take a carriage ride. I had ALWAYS wanted to do something like that with someone I loved, but I never would have asked. I just looked at him with a questioning look and said, "Really?" "Sure, let's do it," he said. Okay, this kid is out of his mind. I'm sure he's spending his entire paycheck on this date, but whatever. It was FREEZING so we were snuggling under the blankets and enjoying our tour of downtown. Lane, our driver, was really cute with us. He took us up through Memory Grove and stopped at a bridge. He was so cool about the whole thing. He just stopped and said, "This is where a lot of people like to walk around so I can let you down if you want. I'll just go up and turn around and then come back for you." Okay, sure. Marcos took my hand and helped me out of the carriage. It really was one of those moments from the movies - everything was almost too perfect. We walked around for a minute and stopped on the bridge to talk. I was looking out at the creek and Marcos says, "Well babe, it's a beautiful night isn't it?" I said yes. We kissed a couple of times and then he reached in his pocket and told me he had something for me. I was freaking out. My heart was beating a million miles a minute and I could hardly breathe. He pulled out a white box and opened it. It was empty. My heart sunk. What the...? This kid is so strange. In what was probably only a couple of seconds, I tried to get my thoughts together. He's probably going to do a bunch of fake proposals so I'll never know when it's coming. Okay, sure. Now what? While I was trying to decide if I should punch him or kiss him or walk away or even cry, he reached in another pocket and pulled out another box. He got down on his knee and said, "Babe, you are the love of my life. I'm happier than I've ever been when I'm with you. Will you marry me?" I shook my head and finally muttered yes. I had intended to say hmmm...and eventually say yes after making him wait a while, but it was too real. I couldn't joke with him right then. What a range of emotions he had created in a few simple minutes. I thought my heart was going to explode. I felt like I was floating and I couldn't wipe the big cheesy grin off my face. Then, in true Marcos style, he walks over to the edge of the sidewalk and starts announcing our engagement to all the carriages driving by. What a nut! All the strangers were now sharing in our moment and began congratulating us. Seriously, can't we have one normal moment? There is no way to describe it. We were like giddy schoolgirls prancing around. Marcos took my hand and we just ran down the sidewalk together. It was like we were too excited to contain our emotions anymore so we just ran around. He told me he was so happy he was going to jump in that freezing creek. We were just nutty and almost childlike in our pure joy. On our way back, Lane took our picture with a polaroid camera and then we hopped, skipped and ran back to the car. We couldn't help but jump around a bit. We stopped to use the bathroom and when I looked at myself in the mirror with my ring on, I lost it. The emotion had caught up with me and I couldn't believe it. I was engaged! Thinking of how sweet and sentimental and genuine Marcos had been just got to me. I came out of the bathroom with tears in my eyes and Marcos was on the phone with his brother telling him all about it. Esteban congratulated me, but I couldn't say much at this point. I just said thanks and handed the phone back to Marcos. When we got in the car to drive home, Marcos told me how nervous he had been and how his knees were sore from practicing the proposal all day. I don't know if he was serious about the practicing part or not, but it was cute anyway.

When we got back to my great grandma's house, my mom wasn't there. I figured she must be down the street at my aunt's house. We walked over and I gave my mom a great big hug. Then we told everyone the story while they looked at the ring. We called Marcos' mom and told her the whole story and then my mom and Marcos' mom talked forever on the phone while Marcos and I stared at each other. I couldn't believe this was my true love, the one I was going to marry and be with forever. What a perfect night!

10- Valentine's Weekend

I decided to take Marcos out for Valentine's Day. Valentine's was on a Sunday so we went out on Saturday instead. It was the first time I'd had a serious relationship over that sappy holiday and I was going to make the most of it. Really, I was just trying to spare Marcos. I knew he was trying to figure out his finances so he'd be in a position to get married and I was in a better situation to treat to an evening out than he was. We went to Robintino's in Salt Lake since that had been our first official date up in Bountiful. Again I had to get my mom to come stay with my great grandma - coordinating anything at the time was pretty difficult. We went to dinner and were one of those couples you see and just want to gag. We couldn't help it. Love, especially that early, giddy love, does weird stuff to people. We talked and stared at each other and were just happy to be together.

Sunday Marcos came over and we had a picnic in my grandma's basement. I had bought a clock and had it engraved for him - all confessing my love. It says, "From here to Argentina and back...till I die and forever more." That's how much I love him and that was what we would tell each other. I know, I warned you this part gets really mushy. It was so good for me to see that we could have fun doing anything together. An evening out, taking a walk, or a picnic in the basement - it was all the same to us. He bought me a heart necklace. Again, pretty predictable, but I didn't expect it at all. It meant a lot to me to have him get me something. Like I said before, he's just not very good at gift giving. He's one of the most generous people I know. He'd give you the shirt off his back, but for him to try to remember a holiday, think of a present to get and actually go purchase it, is a daunting task for that kid. It was a beautiful necklace and I didn't want to take it off. Marcos told me he had talked to his brother and asked him how he knew Amy was the one for him (they got married the year before in August). He said that it got harder and harder for him to be away from her and that is when he knew she was the one. Marcos told me that's how he'd felt for quite awhile now - he hated leaving me and going back home every day. Aww...sweet!

9- Accepting My Fate

In January, I moved in with my great grandma in SLC. She wasn't doing very well and my grandparents had been up from St. George living with her for quite awhile. I didn't have any classes left - I just had to write my thesis - so I agreed to stay with her while I finished my paper. Little did I know what an adventure these next few months were really going to be. I love my great grandma so much. For her time and age, she was definitely a feisty, independent woman. She was loving and caring and very funny. I had so much respect for her. She also had been through so much - she had lost three of her four children, her sister, and many other close relatives. I grew up close to her, but this gave me real perspective on her life and on enduring to the end. It was good for me, but not easy. She forgot so much - where she was, who I was, who had died, all sorts of things - so a lot of my time was spent reassuring her and reminding her what was going on. There are also a lot of hard things that come with getting old and I gained some real perspective on what it meant to take care of an aging person.

Marcos came home and added to what I called "a crazy, rapidly-changing life" in my journal. I picked him up from the airport on January 8 and told him I loved him for the first time that day. We also agreed to fast and pray about our future together and talk about it a little later. I could tell things were different pretty quickly. Marcos' mom and sisters called me on the phone, his family arranged for tickets for us to go see them in Florida later that spring, and I met several of his family members that lived close by or were visiting. It was a lot to take in at once. I finally had to let go of all my reservations and be okay with what was happening. Prayer helped too. It seemed like the more I prayed, the more at ease I felt, which was a good sign to me. And the more Marcos and I experienced together, the closer we became.

Marcos didn't have a car so the poor kid would either take the bus after school from Weber State to South Salt Lake or he'd ride the bus home and then borrow his brother's old jeep (I think it was actually my sister-in-law, Amy's, jeep). Any man who would ride a bus for two hours to come see me and who could love me while I stressed about writing a thesis, taking care of my 91-year-old great grandma and planning a wedding was definitely a keeper.

During this crazy time, my mom helped me out a lot. I couldn't leave grandma for very long so she would often come and stay with her on the weekends so I could go out with Marcos. It was a really difficult, but wonderful time. Looking back and reading my journal, I don't know how I was able to get through so much simultaneously. I know the Lord was truly looking over me. I woke up with a high fever one day and knew there was no way I could take care of grandma like that. It was like taking care of a really stubborn toddler - lots of spills, messes, accidents and hiding things - and I could barely move. I called my aunt, who lived down the street, and asked her to find someone from the ward to give me a blessing. I had never met either of these men before, but they gave me a blessing that still amazes me. They blessed me to "get better, have physical and mental strength, be able to take care of grandma, grow spiritually, give service and to be able to make decisions as these big decisions are placed before me." Wow!

Marcos and I shared many moments and soon began talking marriage. My mom gave me what remains one of the best pieces of advice I ever received. She reminded me that so many couples get caught up in planning the wedding that they forget to focus on the marriage. We took that to heart. We tried to focus on our relationship a lot. We didn't know what we wanted for a wedding, but we knew we were probably going to be getting married fairly soon. I kept trying to put it off until fall or even the following spring, but we ended up decided on a June wedding - quite predictable, right? We didn't even know which temple we wanted to be married in. I just had never really thought about a wedding and what I wanted. I'm not like a lot of girls who envisioned their wedding from the time they were little. I just hadn't. The only thing I had decided when I was young was that I wanted to be married in the temple. One day after we had talked and felt it was right, Marcos and I took a drive. We went to the Bountiful Temple and walked around for awhile. We talked about a lot of things and had a really spiritual experience together. After that, there was no denying we were meant to be together. I guess the Lord knew I would need some extra convincing. ;) And...we knew the Bountiful Temple was where we wanted to be married. That was our temple now.

8- Christmas (Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder)

After finals, Marcos flew to Florida where his parents and two younger sisters were living at the time. He was going to be gone three weeks and I couldn't stand it. I didn't get to see him for Christmas or New Year's and I had really been hoping we could go out on New Year's Eve. Dang it! So, I've always enjoyed the holidays and love surprising people with gifts. Marcos, on the other hand, not so much. I sent a box with him in his suitcase for him to open on Christmas. Let's just say I pretty much spoiled that boy. I bought him a couple shirts from the gap, some adidas sports stuff, socks...I can't remember, but I stuffed that box full of presents. I wanted to play some Christmas songs for him and had all these girly ideas of caroling with my boyfriend over the holidays. Instead, Lisa and I made a tape of the two of us playing Christmas duets (me on the violin and her on the piano) to send for him to listen to. I also decided to send a note to his parents thanking them for raising such an awesome kid...AND I even wrote it in Spanish. I thought it would mean more. Um yeah, I REALLY liked him by this point.

He called me on Christmas Eve at 10:00 p.m. It was midnight in Florida and that is when they celebrate Christmas and open presents. They have a big Christmas Eve dinner late that night, toast the holiday at midnight and then open presents. He was telling me all about his holiday and thanking me for the presents. He was pretty surprised by everything and told me how much the letter had meant to his parents. I'm a sentimental sap - what can I say? I had big news for him too. That day I had bought my first car ever - a 1995 Nissan Altima. I was so excited. I had pretty much been living in beat-up, hand-me-down cars my whole teenage existence so I was feeling quite grown up. Marcos started joking about how shocked his family was at how much I sent him for a present and then now how I had bought a new car. He told me it was no big deal because I was rich. What a nut! Yeah, I was just about as loaded as he was at the time. We were both students with on campus jobs. Go us! Together we brought in about $700 a month (before taxes). Nice! Anyway, after his ritual teasing of the girlfriend, he got serious again. At some point he just out and said, "I love you." I about swallowed my tongue. Why was it so weird to hear? I don't know. I mumbled, "Me too." Then he tortured me with questions about why I couldn't say I love you and bothered me a little bit more until we finished talking and I went to bed. I was beaming inside, but felt bad leaving Marcos hanging like that. I had been wanting to tell him how I felt for a long time, but it wasn't my style to make such a big move over the phone.

A few weeks before, my mom's aid at school had decided to set me up with some guy she knew. I was reluctant to go, but decided it wouldn't be a big deal. I needed a date for New Year's Eve anyway and didn't want to sit at home feeling sorry for myself. Plus, if I was going to chicken out of really being in love, now was the chance. I had to make sure I was really falling for this guy and not just falling in love with some romantic fantasy. Luck is never on my side. Marcos sent me this big balloon bouquet and flowers about an hour before my date arrived. The card talked about how much he missed me and loved me. Great, now I'm going to have him on the brain all night. And sure enough, I did. My poor date. I was not present that night at all. Not a good date. But he didn't get that vibe at all. He called me a few times afterward to ask me out again. I finally had to tell him I was dating somebody seriously and wasn't interested. So much for playing the field. I was a goner!

7- Fall Semester

Fall Semester was awesome, but totally hard. It was my last semester of classes and I was trying to write a thesis. Between my full class load, working on campus and dating Marcos, I ended up waiting an extra semester to graduate so I could save the thesis until I had a little more time. I love the fall and this one was totally magical, although not without its dating quirks. I'm going to see if I can paraphrase the major events of the semester. We went out a lot - my friends and I planned way fun, creative group dates and Marcos invited me out to pretty predictable places, but it didn't matter. I could've enjoyed watching rocks with this kid. I just wanted to spend time with him. I was falling for him hard, but I was totally afraid of marriage, commitment and getting hurt. I've got issues I know. So even though we were quite a cute couple, when people mentioned it, I tended to get defensive. I still have no idea why Marcos tolerated my nuttiness for so long.

- DTR (defining the relationship) - right after Homecoming Marcos said he needed to talk to me. I was freaking out a bit. Why are we having this talk already? He told me he had a date with someone else the next weekend and that he wanted to make sure I knew that so we didn't have any secrets. It was fine for us to date other people. Um, okay. I couldn't picture wanting to at this point, but it was good to know that's where we were. Not boyfriend/girlfriend in his book yet.

- Sadie Hawkins - this was a dance at the Institute that a bunch of friends decided to go to. It was a luau so we turned the date into a vacation theme. We made passports and visited different countries before the dance, at the dance and after. We had so much fun. The important part of this date happened in the parking lot waiting for the rest of our group to join us. We were taking advantage of some alone time to be close, make-out and talk. Marcos knew how crazy I was so he was always careful how he worded things. He looked me in the eyes and said, "Your future husband is really lucky to have you. You're an awesome girl!" Man, melt my heart. He was the sweetest thing ever and I was so afraid. This is probably the first time that I really thought I loved the kid. I didn't tell him of course, but I felt it for sure.

- Halloween - Lisa's family did a big Halloween family night activity every year that we decided to go to. I was so excited. Marcos isn't a big fan of Halloween so he didn't dress up, but I got over the Scruge in him. A few minutes into the party, I could tell something was wrong. The poor kid was so sick. It obviously wasn't the most fun date, but it gave me a chance to nurture him a little, which I know showed him how much I cared about him.

- Young Adult Activities - We had the coolest young adult advisor in our ward. We loved her and her family so much. They even let us hang out at their house after a dance one time. They were so cool! She and Marcos had served in the same mission and had a lot to talk about. She let me know how great she thought he was and I had to agree. I couldn't believe all these people were giving me the thumbs up already. This was so real.

- Double Date - One night Lisa and I doubled with some kid that also lived in Centerville. We hung out at his house after the date and played games. I don't know what it was, but Marcos was in a crazy mood. I blame the full moon in October, but who knows for sure. He decided he was going to give me a hickey and nothing I could say or do could dissuade him from that. Let me explain this right. This was the furthest thing from a heated moment of passion. This was an annoying date who wouldn't leave me alone. He just wanted to bug me. Sure enough, he got me good. This was definitely a first for me and pretty devastating. Now I had to try to hide something that really had been nothing. Blah! I put on my turtle neck, but my mom saw it anyway and asked me what had happened. You have to know my mom, but she is the most understanding, open person ever. I could tell her anything. I explained the whole story and didn't leave anything out. There wasn't much to tell except that Marcos was a dead man - I was going to get him somehow. I could see her mind working. She decided to call him up. He lived at his friend's parents' house. They had a room in the basement that he rented from them. Marcos wasn't home so my mom proceeded to tell Cathy, his friend's mom, the situation. She told Cathy to have Marcos call her when he got home. I couldn't stop giggling inside. Marcos was going to going to die when he got the message. When Marcos called back, you could tell he was nervous. My mom played along brilliantly. "Marilee, I am so sorry. I have to apologize for giving your daughter a hickey. Let me explain..." My mom held back her own laughter while she questioned his motives. She totally gave him the third degree. Do you respect my daughter? How do I know that? I can't remember what all she said, but it was brutal. Finally she caved. Cathy was laughing in the background and my mom burst out in laughter as well. It may be the only time he felt a bit of my early embarrassment and it was about time. I knew he wouldn't be leaving me with any more fake love bites any time soon. :)

- Thanksgiving - The day before Thanksgiving we went out with a group. Apparently our affection for each other was pretty obvious because somebody said something like "So when's the ring coming?" Poor Marcos probably would've loved to have talked about the future at this point, but like I said, I was a little bit nervous. Paranoid. I only wanted to do the marriage thing once - I'd been through too many crazy marriages to not be cautious with my own. Plus I had plans and they didn't include getting married at 20. After we dropped off the other people, Marcos drove me to my grandma's house where I was staying that night. We were having Thanksgiving with my dad and Suzanne the next day and that way we were closer. My sister, Angie, was in the basement waiting for me. Somehow this I'm afraid of marriage talk struck a cord with Marcos. I told him we had time and we didn't have to talk about it. The only thing that mattered was that we liked each other and that obviously we wouldn't still be dating if we didn't see a potential future together. He got so defensive and told me he had never thought about marriage and was just having fun and all this crazy talk. What the crap? I said, "So we've been dating all this time and you're saying you've never thought that I might be a good wife or the type of person you could see yourself with? Why are we dating then? You're supposed to date people that are at least potential mates for you. So I'm not really marriage material? What are we doing then?" I'm not sure what happened, but it was horrible. My fear of commitment had apparently made him afraid to even talk about a future with me, which made me feel completely used. Was I just a fun date or what? I went in the house completely devastated. My sister asked how the date had gone and I sadly replied, "I think we just broke up."

Thanksgiving basically sucked. I couldn't think about anything but Marcos and what had been said. I didn't think that was how he really felt, but then I was afraid maybe it was. What if he was just been a stupid boy who used me this whole time and I had allowed myself to fall for him anyway. Stupid vulnerable me! With the help of my darling sister and the advice of my friend, Lisa, I decided to humble myself this once and take him a card. I left the card and some hugs and kisses (you know the chocolate ones) at his door with a long explanation and apology on my part. He called me later, thanked me and that was that. We never really talked about it again. It was one of those "something's trying to pull us apart" type of things and we didn't want to revisit the source of the problem. To this day when I talk about this night, it still makes Marcos sad. He can't believe we were that close to losing each other for good.

6- Homecoming

This is post #6 in our story. If you haven't read the other posts, start with #1. I actually pulled out my journal to see how much of my story today followed my journal entries back then and it all matched up, minus some other guy details I had obviously forgotten about. Yeah, he wasn't the only guy I talked about in the beginning - whoops! The one thing I understand now is just how much he liked me. It was obvious to everyone except me when it was happening. I kept believing him and then second-guessing him. Poor kid. I was more pessimistic and dramatic than I remembered too. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm grateful to be 30. I have a much better perspective on life than I did back then. Sorry for the tangent. Here comes part 6 to this never-ending story of mine. :)

Marcos called me up and asked me to go to this kickoff to Homecoming concert. Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband were playing and Marcos loves them. I had heard about them, but never listened to their music, but I really liked it. Marcos was charming and sentimental and smooth on the dance floor. Plus I loved his confidence. Between the two of us, we pretty much knew everybody there, but he wasn't embarrassed to show that he liked me. I had been kind of dating a kid that summer - nothing serious, just fun. He was there and it wasn't awkward at all. Thank goodness! I seriously hated the dating scene. Most people play that game better than I do. I was definitely a better friend than girlfriend. Marcos had requested a song and they announced it and we danced to it. So romantic! It's called "I Will Love You Till I Die" and basically became our song. I know, I'm a big sap - a total cheese ball when it comes to stuff like that (or at least I was back then). We had a good date and then he asked me to Homecoming. That's right, I was going to Homecoming. Wa-hoo!

My family was so excited for the dance! My mom bought me a dress, my little sister did my hair and makeup, and my mom pulled out the camera to take millions of pictures of the two of us when he showed up for the date. How embarrassing. We just started dating, Mom. We got to the dance and I was so nervous. We knew EVERYONE there. Talk about a public relationship! Before long, I was in a Marcos trance and forgot about everyone else for the most part. He was so much fun to dance with. He didn't mind jammin' out with me when things were fast and fun and he held me tight during the slow dances. At one point the lights were shining right on us and he told me we had to look good for everyone to see. He was pulling out some hot old school moves for the world to see - Nice! I was singing to the music as we danced, which made me lose my sense of rhythm. We both laughed and he looked and me and said, "You have to follow me." I know, sometimes I struggle with the whole following bit.

So...WSU has this True Wildcat thing. Have you heard of it? It's the whole bit where you take your Homecoming date out under the Bell Tower at midnight and kiss. Yep, that's right. I think that was the thing I was most nervous about that night. I didn't know what the plan was going to be. About ten minutes to midnight, everyone starts heading out to the Bell Tower. I figured I'd wait to see what happened rather than asking the question. So Marcos takes my hand and we start walking out with everyone else. I felt like a little sheep following the flock. So weird. Um, so, yeah, that's a lot of pressure leading up to a first kiss. Knowing it's going to happen or supposed to happen or whatever. A friend of mine who felt as awkward as I did was in the same area as I was and her date was pretty much as nervous as mine. They started talking so she and I talked for a minute too. One of my fraternity friends comes around with a bowl of mints. I just laughed. Are you kidding me? They pass out mints? Okay, whatever. Marcos took a handful. I didn't think it was possible, but I'm pretty sure Marcos was more nervous than I was. He was like a little kid. He threw a mint at some guy he knew. It reminded me more of Jr High school than college. :) All the experienced couples were snuggling and gearing up for the big make-out moment and I was standing next to my friend while our dates threw mints. Hmm...not sure what to think here. The Bell Tower starts to chime and I walk towards Marcos. He finally remembers I'm there and puts the mints in his pocket. Honestly! It was like he had no idea what to do. I finally put my arms around his neck, looked into his eyes and just went for it. Yep, that's right. I initiated our first kiss - our very awkward, public first kiss! I figured it wasn't going to happen otherwise. But it was a good kiss - trust me, my journal wouldn't lie. After it was over, we got this cheesy certificate deeming us "True Wildcats" and we kind of pranced around in our giddy way while "This Kiss" by Faith Hill blasted in the background.

He drove me home after the dance and was beat. It was almost 2 a.m. and I was worried about him driving home. I was a night owl - he, on the other hand, tended to get sleepy around 10:00. Poor kid. He asked me if I had a Coke or something, which we didn't. He drank a glass of water and then asked me if I was going to walk him to his car. He walked inside with me, then I walked outside with him. Okay, so he was stalling. That's what's going on here. Now what? I was pretty much ready to give him a hug and head inside when he finally leaned down to kiss me. There was no way I was going to initiate our first TWO kisses. I had to know this was a two-way thing. I've got pride, after all. No, he definitely liked me - he was just SUPER NERVOUS!

5- Speaking Spanish

This is post #5 of our story. If you haven't read the others, start with #1 and read the posts in order.

A couple days after the first interview (a.k.a. date) I called Marcos to set up the next one. I had learned a lot about this kid during our first interview, but I had to meet with him three times for my paper. We set up a time and decided we would meet at his house and do the interview there. I cannot begin to describe how nervous I was. It was so much more than just a paper now - and I didn't want to mess it up. I worked up the courage to knock on the door and he answered again. Instead of opening the door to let me in, he walked out onto the porch and closed the door behind him. "My friend just got here from Argentina. He's enrolling at Weber State in the Fall, but he doesn't speak much English. I was thinking he might be able to answer some questions for your paper as well. I hope that's okay. It would be kind of rude to speak in English the whole time since his language skills are limited. Would you mind conducting the interview in Spanish?" Gulp. My stomach dropped, my throat tightened, and I pinched myself to make sure it wasn't just a bad dream. I was TOTALLY FREAKING OUT! I understand almost everything in Spanish and speak it fairly well, but my experience actually speaking with non-English speakers was pretty much all gained in the one month I spent in Costa Rica. That's where it finally clicked for me, but it still made me nervous. I would normally prepare a little before conducting an interview in Spanish. Crap! I would have to translate all my questions as I went along and then pray I really did understand what the two of them were telling me. Let's just say that the focus of being nervous about having a crush on the kid totally shifted. I was now completely focused on the interview itself. Marcos had asked me to speak to him in Spanish before and I had refused. His English is perfect so I knew my "second language" would fall short and I didn't want to make a fool of myself. Now I HAD to speak Spanish with him and some total stranger. To say I was uncomfortable, would've been the understatement of the century.

I can't tell you what I said or how it went. Somehow I got through it. At the end of the interview, I thanked Israel for helping me and let Marcos walk me out to my car. He had a grin from ear to ear. I guess he was pleased with the interview. He complimented me on my Spanish and thanked me for being so polite and willing to adapt to the situation. Then he gave me a hug that eased my discomfort. It was a nice, long, I-really-care-about-you hug. My heart melted. He opened my door, helped me into the car, shut the door and stepped onto the curb. As I was flipping the car around, he motioned for me to roll down my window. I thought he was going to say something charming for me to smile about the whole way home. Instead his friend poked his head out the door and said, "Thanks for the interview. I really enjoyed meeting you. By the way, your Spanish is great." Marcos laughed and waved as I drove away. Are you freaking kidding me? This kid just tricked me into speaking Spanish. Why I oughtta... I didn't know what to think. I was so mad, but had to give him props for coming up with a plan to get me to cave. Maybe I was able to see past what a snake he had been because I was still in 'he's so cute, I really like him' mode. Who knows?

I don't remember a third interview. I'm guessing I decided that not only did I have enough information for a paper, but I wasn't sure I could handle much more embarrassment at this point.

4- Intercultural Communications, Robintino's & Baseball

This is post #4 of our love story. If you haven't been following, start with post #1 and read in sequential order.

Summer quarter came around and I registered for a full 18 credit hours. You paid the same amount for 12-18 credit hours and I liked to get my money's worth. I was a strategic, frugal overachiever. :) Plus, it's a little known secret that professors generally are just as lazy as students during the summer and the classes tend to be a bit easier. One of the classes I was taking was to fulfill a general education requirement - Intercultural Communications. I'd taken another communications class that I liked so I figured this one would be fun. We showed up the first day of class and found out our paper that was due four weeks later (it was one of those accelerated summer classes) was based on interviews we would conduct with someone from another country. We had to conduct three separate interviews that were each at least an hour long and then base our paper on what we learned. The professor recommended we go into one of the ESL classes and find someone there. I went home whining to my mom about how awkward it was going to be to walk into an ESL class and try to coerce someone into letting me interview them. Since I tend to share most things with my mom, she knew all about Marcos. "Why don't you just interview Marcos? Isn't he from Argentina?" Holy cow! Why hadn't I thought of that? He would be easy to interview. Yes, that's what I'll do. I got his phone number from Sherice (the girl he'd been sitting next to when he first hit on me) and called him up. He agreed to be interviewed so I arranged to meet him at the home where he was living in Centerville. Perfect!

I showed up with my questions prepared and all ready to interview him. He had other plans. I knocked on the door and he greeted me with a smile. "Why don't we do the interview over dinner?" "Sure." I needed to eat anyway - I'd been at school all day. I drove since poor Marcos had no car - well, he had a piece of junk that didn't run, but that was about it. We ended up at Robintino's. Okay, I can do Italian. I ordered the half and half, half spaghetti and half lasagna and then he ordered the same. I wasn't sure if he was trying to be polite or what. I started asking him questions about where he was born, how he grew up, what his childhood was like, etc. and found myself completely drawn to his story. The more he told me about himself, the more the butterflies in my stomach fluttered. I was really starting to like this kid. Dang it. I have no idea how long we were there, but we had finished our dinner and were still chatting away. Sometimes I wrote things down for my paper, sometimes I just listened.

We weren't really finished talking so we decided to finish our conversation elsewhere. I went to pay since it was my interview, but he wouldn't let me. After all, he was loaded. He worked at the UB 20 hours a week making approximately $5/hr. The kid was just rollin' in money. :) What a gentleman! He earned points for sure with that smooth move. Plus, he insisted on opening doors for me the whole night and treating me as if this were an official first date. To him it was. He was going to take advantage of every little chance he had to court me. Once again he was the navigator and I was the driver. We ended up stopping at a junior high school and watching a baseball game while we finished talking. After I'd asked him all the questions I had prepared, he paused for a minute and then said, "Now that I've answered everything you wanted to ask me, would you mind if I asked you something?" "Okay, sure," I responded. "Would you ever go out with me if it wasn't for a grade?" Ouch, that hurt. I guess I had been a little hard on the poor kid. My face was a combination of embarrassment and flattery. I responded with a simple yes.

I dropped him off, thanked him for the interview and dinner, gave him a hug and was on my way home. I'm pretty sure I replayed every word of our conversation the entire evening during my 30 + minute drive home. Yep, I had a total crush on this kid I'd turned down almost a year before. How was I ever going to live this down?

3- Spring Formal Saga

Disclaimer: If you're lost or confused, you need to start with post #1 and read in sequence.

LaDianaeda held an annual Spring Formal that was basically a required event. For the most part, you could get out of activities if you had to, but this was one of a few that everyone attended. Sometime around March, I started fretting about Spring Formal. Trying to find a date for a formal dance pretty much sucks when you don't have a boyfriend. Formal dances are for couples or people who really like each other. Blah! My BFF, Lisa, got to hear me whine and complain and worry about this dance for at least a month. Lisa and I have so much in common, yet we are so different. She was much braver than I was, particularly when it came to boys. Being the ultimate optimist, she saw this as an opportunity and started searching her classes for a potential date for me. Lisa and I talked multiple times a day, but in between gab sessions, we would email each other life updates. There literally was nothing about me this girl did not know. Most of the emails at the time revolved around the upcoming dance. Lisa was in the process of finalizing a double date with a guy she wanted to take and his friend, someone she thought would be a fun date for me. In one email I sent to her, I mentioned that I didn't want it to be this big ordeal where I'd feel nervous and all this pressure to have this perfect date. The last "dance" I'd been to was Snowball. It's a dance where we choose names and set each other up with secret dates. That had been a great success for me - I got set up with a pretty nice guy who was just a friend. No pressure! Our dance picture is me giving the kid a piggyback ride. Totally my style! :) Somewhere in the email I mentioned that it might be a good idea to take somebody that I already knew and was just a friend so it wouldn't be this awkward blind date - "...maybe I should just take Marcos." The email ended just like that.

As luck would have it, Marcos walked into the computer lab while Lisa was reading this email from me. Being the friendly man that he is, he walked over to say hello and sees the words "maybe I should just take Marcos" practically flashing at him. The next day, I received an email from muboldi@weber.edu Who's sending me an email? What a weird last name? How do you even pronounce that? I opened the email and realized it was from Marcos. I remember thinking to myself what a weird "Latin" last name Uboldi was. Shouldn't he be a Garcia or something? I would hate that last name. For those of you single folks out there, never think you're glad you don't have a particular last name - it's dangerous territory. Here's what I remember about the email.

Maria - Hey, it's me, Marcos. I don't know how to tell you this and I really apologize, but I was in the computer lab the other day when Lisa was reading your email and I read the part about you taking me to LD's Spring Formal. If you want me to go with you, it would be an honor. -Marcos

Holy crap! What am I going to do now? By the time I read the email, I already had a date to Spring Formal - a blind date. Now I really felt bad. So I did what any freaked out girl would do in my situation - nothing. I left the poor guy totally hanging and went to Spring Formal with the blind date. I guess luck was on his side again because although for the most part I would consider the date a success, it really wasn't. It turns out this kid had totally fallen for some other chick after Lisa had talked to him about a blind date with me so the whole time he was basically feeling like he was cheating on the girl...or wishing he was with her instead. Nice! I HATE STUPID DANCES!! Made me wish I had taken Marcos after all.