The story... from Tay's side

Awhile back I decided to start my own blog about my lovely college days with all the fun details to go with it. College then left me with no time to blog. Instead the blog became an out for my dating frustrations, which at the time seemed legitimate, but are now so funny to look back on. Don't get me wrong, dancing with your girlfriends still makes you look like an idiot, but I am so grateful for the events this summer that have changed my life.

As an introduction, University of Utah sports had become my life. To follow the 13-0 football team to a Sugar Bowl defeat and to watch the basketball team's dominance to a Mountain West Conference Championship, I THOUGHT had made my life complete. I had given up on females and their stupid games and decided that sports could give back 10 times more than any girlfriend could. Girls were ridiculous and my walls were built high.

Near the first of April I was sitting at work one day doing my Facebook thang. (I wouldn't call myself an "Fbook Stalker" but I got pretty professional with the etiquette.) I was checking out a photo album of my buddies', who just happens to be a photographer, when I happened upon some pics of some beautiful girls. That was the first time my eyes fell upon one Becca Spear. Now I wish that this happened some other way than through Facebook, maybe so that telling the story doesn't have to make me seem like such a creeper. You have to hear me out on this one, I am not one to find my next date on Facebook, but this time around I had to at least give it a try. I did the logical thing and commented on my favorite picture of her, making sure she was tagged so that both Mike and Becca would get the notification. "So when are you introducing me to Becca... haha." Notice the laughing gesture.

I truthfully never expected anything to come of it. Like I said before, sports meant much more to me than any girl... and gross weirdos comment on girls' pictures all the time right? And all I really did was suggest a compliment that I quite possibly was attracted enough to this girl that I might consider wanting to meet her and take her out. Harmless, right? Almost 30 minutes later I received a text from Mike with the words, "So you really wanna meet her? She's down."

On April 24th, 2009 Becca and I went on a date. She opened the front door and I almost ran out of air. I decided that no matter the outcome, at least I'd have a night to stare across the table at someone or something so gorgeous. We went to Cafe Rio, took a hike up Ensign Peak, then played a rousing game of Candyland. I couldn't get to know enough about this girl... I wanted to know everything. Usually first dates stressed me out, trying to make a great impression instead of being myself. I mean, setups were the absolute worst way to go to enjoy my weekend off from school. But the stars aligned and we hit it off. Thanks to my buddy Mike, a date 2 was in order since he sent me a copy of the Facebook chat conversation they had about how much she wanted me to ask her out again.

Almost 3 months later, without any type of stupid games or nonsense involved along the way, last week Becca accepted my proposal to marry her in the Salt Lake Temple on October 10th, 2009. She has destroyed any type of wall or barrier that I once had, and has made me happier than any other time in my entire life. We are all meant to go through crap in order to distinguish the crap from the happiness... Rascal Flatts explains it better than I ever could below. But I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed me with such an incredible girl to walk side by side with me through life. The adventures will continue, but now I'll have the love of my life to experience them with. "Suddenly life seems so much." :)

-Taylor