Our Story (It's LONG!)

I know people are always curious about "how you met." I know I am. I like to here the story.

Today is mine and Ben's 5 year anniversary! Five years ago, I never would have thought that time would fly by so fast. So for all of you who don't know how Ben and I met, you are in for an earful. :) Maybe you should go pop some popcorn and grab a soda. I'm being serious. I am known to be very long winded!

The summer after I graduated high school, I flew out here to Virginia Beach to stay with my sister Peggy and her kids. Peggy's husband was on a deployment, and was excited to have some help. We spent the summer at the beach, the water park, or the local pool. It was probably the best summer I have ever had. I got a job working at Sonic Drive-In. I was a car-hop. I even got a pair of rollerblades to make it more official. I'm not sure if car hops still get tipped as well, but I averaged around $75 a night! Not bad for my first job.

When the summer came to an end, I had to make the decision to either 1. Go to Utah to massage school which cost $10,000 , pay for an apartment to stay in, pay bills, ect. Or 2. Peggy offered to let me stay at her house, continue to drive her husband's car, (he was still on deployment), live there free of charge, she would continue to buy my groceries, and go massage therapy school for only $2,000. Really, it wasn't that hard of a decision, but I did pray about it, and knew that I as supposed to be in Virginia! Besides, we pretty much had been living at the beach! (When I had to work, I would go to the beach in the morning, shower there, and go straight to work!)

I started dating a guy around Labor day. He was much much older than me. (Ummm, by about 10 years!) We were getting to the point in our relationship that the next step would be marriage. Apparently, he wasn't ready, and broke up with me right before Thanksgiving. I was devastated. I cried for an ENTIRE week! No joke. By Saturday I had had enough of crying and wallering in my own self pity, that I decided to take Peggy's advice (she had been nagging me for almost a month) and to go to her ward and meet a recently returned missionary who was "very very cute." I remember walking into the chapel that morning, not knowing who I was looking for, or even what to expect. And there he was.

Ben told me later that before sacrament meeting, one of his friends came up to him and asked him if he wanted to go to the single's branch. Ben, who was entirely against the single's branch, told him "no." He asked again, and Ben said, "no." Still trying to get him to go (you know that's where all the girls are, not in the home ward), Ben once again said no, and his friend turned to leave. Ben almost called after him to say that he would go, but he got a firm impression that he needed to stay. (If he would have gone to the single's branch that day, I wouldn't have met him. And I would have gone back to the SB the next sunday. Ben would have gone to the SB and hated it, and been back in the home ward the next sunday. We would have missed eachother and probably wouldn't have met!)

Ben had just returned home from serving his mission in Arizona. He is from Virginia Beach, born and raised. All his family is from Virginia Beach. And I am sure we will always live in Virginia Beach! :)

So, I saw Ben right before sacrament meeting and was trying to devise a plan to talk to him some how. I was watching my niece, Emily, so Peggy could do her calling, and I wasn't able to go to sunday school. I was so afraid I would miss him. After church, I was making my way down the hall and there he was again. Eeek! Here was my chance to talk to him. (BTW, I was very shy, and not very forward. But, I had to make an impression. He was too cute to pass up!) I think my first words to him were "Hey, did you know an Elder Hatch?" How cheesy is that? But it opened up a conversation, and I ended up inviting him to the 1st Presidency Christmas Devotional that night at the Stake Center. He said he would come, and I was walking on clouds! :) All the way home I couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't believe I could be so happy!

That night at the Devotional, I kept waiting for him to come. I honestly couldn't remember what he looked like! Every time someone came in the door I kept looking to see if it was him or not. Was he going to ditch me? Nope! He showed up and came and sat by me. Afterwards, I invited him to my house for "birthday cake" for my friend. He said he would come!

Pretty much after that, we saw eachother every day. The middle of December I had knee surgery, and he took care of me. (Along with Peggy and my mom!) After work he would come by and see me. By Christmas I thought I would get a ring. Nope! By New Year's? Nope! Valentines' Day? Nope! My birthday? Nope! Finally, on February 28th he proposed. At Walmart. (I was working there at the time.) We had to decide on a date. Spring break in April was too soon. (That's when my mom could get off.) May was too soon. So we picked June. June 1st was a Sunday. Temple closed. Same with Monday. So, we picked June 3rd.

We were married in the Washington DC temple. It was a very rainy day. But PERFECT! We only got one picture taken in front of the temple. (Unfortuantly the scan is terrible, but the temple IS in the back ground!

I never knew that I could have married such a wonderful man. He is such a strength to me. He is so wonderful to me. And he puts up with me! How could I get so lucky?

We went on our honeymoon right after the wedding, and came back for the reception on Saturday. It was so nice doing it that way! I would highly recommend it!
My mother-in-law, Donna made my cake. Along with her sister, Cindy, and their mom, they made the food. And everything else. And organized everything. Ester, my sister-in-law did all the flowers and probably more things that made the night perfect. They did a beautiful job.

5 years later. Here we are. Family of 4. Happy, most of the time. And enjoying life, one day at a time! :)