Connie's Story. Arizona, USA.

**All of these pictures were taken on the day we met.

April 22, 2006 is a day I will never forget.  It was the day I met my husband, my best friend, my eternal companion.

Our story starts out a little different than most. Several years prior to the day that Tony and I met, my sister had become good friends with a band member at the Especially for Youth program at Brigham Young University (BYU). When she left for the army years later she took their CD with her. I was a fan of their music and wanted to get another copy of their CD, so I emailed the band member that I thought was the cutest (Tony!) to ask for another CD. That was in 2003.

So how does that get us to Salt Lake City, Utah on April 22, 2006? I was a student BYU and one day I was going through old emails and found the ones from him. So I looked him up on myspace to see if he was still cute and oh, he was…more like HOT!  So I emailed him asking him why he never sent me that CD. He emailed back and said he was away on a mission. He sent his address and asked me to write to him for the last few months that he was there. I did, and we still have all the letters and pictures that we sent to each other during that time. They are all so precious to me.

Well, he gets home from his mission and what’s the first thing he does? He calls me! Ok, so it was like a few days later, actually. We kept on calling each other and would talk on the phone for hours, it was so perfect. At this time I had moved up to BYU-Idaho for winter semester. He told me he was going to Utah for a wedding reception and he wanted me to meet up with him. I tossed the idea back and forth in my head. After just breaking up with someone (sorta…it's a weird story), I wasn't really ready to get dissed again. I didn’t want to ruin the amazing friendship we had by meeting- what if he thought I was repulsive?!  

But then I decided it didn't matter- if he didn't find me attractive, he wasn't worth my time anyway so we might as well see where this goes! Plus, he sang "Quit Playing Games With My Heart" to me over the phone when I told him I wasn't coming after already saying once that I was. How can you say no after that one?!

So the day we actually met was like a movie scene. I don't remember many days in my life this vividly but this day I do. I was sitting in my car, the sun was getting low in the sky and I had just pulled in the parking lot of his friend’s reception. I called him and told him I was there, and he said he was there, too and that he'd meet me at my car. In my rear view mirror, I saw him get out of his Jeep (that I helped him pick out in a letter-now it’s our Jeep) and start to walk towards me. I felt butterflies like never before and I swear he was the cutest guy I'd ever seen. 

I got out of my car, and our eyes met for the first time and we both just lit up with huge smiles. Then the next thing I know we're both running towards each other and embrace in a huge, long-time-no-see kind of a hug. We were instant best friends and to my surprise nothing changed in the friendship we had built over the phone and through letters. In fact, it was better! He was the perfect height, had the style I like in a guy, and so nice! Not to mention hilarious, crazy, humble, awesome, perfect, amazing, sexy, la la la etc., etc.!

He put his arm around me as we went into the reception, and after a short time he wanted to get out of there and hang out in

Temple Square

, where we snuck onto the top of the Conference Center (rebel kids) and watched the sunset. After that, we just sat and talked in my car, watching the city lights and laughed and talked forever. He got me to drink a Mountain Dew and we both played my guitar, which I kept in my trunk. My favorite part was taking pictures and videos with him. Seriously, who feels that comfortable instantly with a person-I'm sure some people do, but not me…no, not ever!  

I will never forget sitting in the grass in front of the Salt Lake City Temple taking cell phone pictures of each other to put with our names in our phones, and how he and I talked about how we both wanted a music room in our house. He said, "Well, when we get married, we'll have a music room." I'm telling you, it was like nothing else.

Late that night after I dropped him off I was driving up a windy hill and I got the text, "I really wanted to kiss you just now." I had to pull over to respond, I was so excited!  It was one of the best days ever-and I will be forever grateful to Heavenly Father for crossing our paths so we could fall in love and have this great life together. Boy, did we fall in love! The next day was our first hand hold and kiss and less than six months later we were married for time and all eternity in the Mesa, Arizona temple. I love Tony so much. This day is so special to me.

Have your love story added to the collection by emailing it to: thelovecollector@gmail.com

Artwork has been created by the amazingly talented and generous Valentina Ramos. Check out her blog: Feeling Inspired

Photos by the author, please contact her via her blog for guidance on use.

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