I wanted to share the story of how dave and I met, fell in love, and started our life together!
Dave was living in Seattle working for Boeing. He had recently (7 months prior) been baptized. He was dating around trying to find his eternal companion and failing miserably! (me too!!) He went to a bbq with some close friends for the 4th of July and met one of my good friends from high school, Annie Boswell (Iverson). They met and talked... and bless her heart, she thought of me. She told him she had a single friend in Utah and that he should email her... Embarrassing as it may be, the first communication between my little honey and myself was through MYSPACE…ha! Since we all know how myspace works and how guys try so hard to hit on girls all the time, it is a miracle I even opened his message. I believe he wrote something about Annie in the subject prompting me to open the message and read. He told me how he had met my friend and she had told him to email me and la la la. We emailed back and forth a few times but I was kinda dating someone at the time and the even the thought of a relationship with someone from a different state did not sound fun or the least bit promising. About a month later and no response on my part, dave emailed again to check up on me…(he know tells me, he wanted to see if I was still dating someone, since he noticed my pictures on myspace had changed to eliminate the individual I was dating the moth prior). When I got his email I thought…what the heck, I’ll write him for fun. We emailed back and forth that day and the next two days about three or four times, he was so funny, and his pictures were very fun to look at as well!! After two days of emailing, the time had come for us to speak on the phone.
It was a Friday night around 11pm when I heard for the first time, the voice of my sweetheart! We talked that night until 5:00 in the morning, after amazing conversation filled with lots of laughing we forced ourselves to end that nights conversation so we would be able to function the next day. We texted all day long the next day and continued this routine of texting, emailing, and talking, hours and hours a day (I’m talking 3-5 hours a day) for the next 21 days.
On day 22 I met who I knew to be my future husband. He flew down to Utah so we could meet and spend conference weekend together! What a weekend it was! I was so nervous to meet him. I had seen many pictures and had truly fallen in love with this “voice” over the phone, but I had never met him. What if he was weird, ugly, freaky or just plain annoying? There were so many things that could ruin this ideal person I had created in my mind. Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep the night before, both because we talked until wee hours of the night, and because my stomach was filled with butterflies and anticipation. As I came down the escalator at the airport and our eyes met….. I knew the weekend would be a success. If you know me well you know that I am not one to get nervous or loose their cool, I don't act nerdy or fumble around in nerve racking or awkward situations…..but let me tell you! After I made it to the other side of the terminal we met up said hello and hugged! Immediately after, I froze. If you would have asked me my name at the very instance I would have looked at you with complete and utter confusion…I honestly could not tell my head from my bum! My heart was racing and my nerves were sky high! As we began to walk towards the parking garage, dave asked me where I had parked and my mind went blank. I couldn’t think, speak, or act even somewhat like a normal human being. I told him I was really nervous and I needed to stop for a minute to get some air. I put my face in my hands, closed my eyes, then laughed at myself as I realized what an idiot I must look like. I then took a breath and told myself to CALM DOWN. After a minutes or two, I came back down to earth and I figured out where I was parked and turned back into my normal self!! Man…that feeling is something I will never forget! No one, not one person, has ever had that effect on me. The weekend was everything I wished and hoped it would be. We spent time shopping, seeing an Imax, hanging with my fam, eating the oh so famous “conference breakfast” with my family, and going to the after noon session of conference! The spirit was so strong, and as we sat hand in hand listening to the prophet and apostles, it was like we had known each other for years. (this is not meant to be cheesy..this really happened, and it really was how I felt!!) The weekend ended with intense emotion as Dave flew back to Seattle Monday afternoon. The days to follow were better than the ones that had past. Each day continued to be more and more exciting!
I flew to Seattle to attend a Gala in which Dave was being honored for his creation of a 3d animation movie that is displayed in the Boeing Future Flight Museum in Everett, WA. We had to dress up like we were going to the prom. He wore a tuxedo and my cute friend Lindsey let me borrow a great dress! The evening was amazing and was followed by a fabulous weekend! Love was in the air! When he dropped me off at the airport he told me he was “falling in love with me”. That day was our 8th spend together in person. I left Seattle knowing we would not see each other again for a full 10 days! It was so sad to leave each other!
Oops….we couldn’t wait, although we thought about driving 7 hours each and meeting up half way between Utah and Seattle, we decided it would be a better use of time if I just flew up there again. The truth is….we couldn’t wait another week to see each other. So 2 days after leaving Seattle and another $200 we spent another 7 days in bliss. Things just kept getting better. It was like my life, my “oh so boring” and what I thought to be bla life, had turned into a romantic fairy tale, and this story continued to get better second. This time when dave took me to the airport, it would only be a day and ½ before we would see each other again! He was coming back to Utah for Halloween! We had now spent 15 days together and counting……
Halloween party at Gaga and Grampa Mikes! A day and ½ after our last goodbyes, Dave flew to Utah for the annual Halloween party! It was a blast! That night, as we lay by the fire, we said “I love you” for the first time! (although we had been doing this little thing where we would squeeze each others hand 3 times silently saying “I love you” for weeks now)....this was the official…I LOVE YOU moment. And man was it magical…yes magical…corny word? Nope, it was magical! The weekend was amazing!!
After litterally hundreds of emails, long hours on the phone and agonizing distance, Annie and Mark told me I could stay at their home in Seattle for 2 weeks while they went home for the holidays! Hallelujah! (Thanks so much guys!) I immediately packed up my car and made the 12 hour drive in 9 hours. (not safe, nor recommended, but I had to see him!) I stayed at the Iverson’s for two weeks and luckily found a bedroom that I could rent only a few minutes from Dave’s condo. We both decided it was important for us to live in the same place and be able to get to know each other even better, on a day to day basis. We learned so much about each other, more than I think we both had expected. We thought we knew each other inside and out, but were surprised to learn that vacations spent together can be a bit different than everyday living. November and December brought…lots of traveling, lots of experiences, lots of love and lots of fun....dave + natalie = fun!
Dave got a job in Portland, Oregon . We rented a Uhal and single handedly packed up all my clothes (since that was really all I had) and all of daves stuff and moved to Portland! I rented a CRAPY apartment across the street from Dave’s town home. My apartment had nothing in it but clothes, bathroom supplies, and a blow up mattress (ANYTHING FOR LOVE!)where I slept surprisingly comfortable each night! Our new city was amazing, we began going to a family ward and met some wonderful people! We continued to grow and become even closer, we only had each other, which brought us closer and closer together. We loved being able to spend every minute together!
As I lay in bed sounds asleep, I think I feel something touch my finger. I then felt a sharp pinching sensation on my had, and this time I know i'm not dreaming. As I tried to concentrate enough to wake myself up and figure out what was going on, I felt pressure on my left ring finger. I began to open my eyes and wake up…only to see dave kneeling down beside me. Somehow I realized what was going on and pretended to be asleep. After 10 seconds of gentle pushes, he shoved the ring up and over my swollen knuckle and into place. He then leaned over and whispered in my ear…will you marry me?.....my heart burst out of my chest and I whispered back…YES! I had to wait 3 hours before I could even call and tell anyone since it was it happened so early! Haha…he said he wanted to propose when I was least expecting it! 5:00 am….You did it honey! Way to go!
Dave and I were able to take out our endowments together in the Bountiful, Utah temple. Dave had been a member for a year as of Dec 2006 but he wanted to wait to take out his own endowments so we could do ittogether! What a beautiful day!
Our wedding day! What a beautiful, magnificent, lovely, perfect day! Dave and I were sealed for eternity at 8:30am in the Bountiful, Utah temple. We had a reception that evening at the Weber State Alumni Center. The day was absolutley magnificent! The weather was amazing! Everything went better and more perfect than I could have ever hoped for! We have been Dave and Natalie Shaw ever since!
10 ½ months later, we are still living the dream...or our dream, and we love it! Life is wonderful, full of bliss, we couldn’t be happier! I am so thankful for every minute that I have with my little honey! It just keeps gettin better!! I love you pookie!
ps... I tag everyone to share their own love story!
4 comments:
What a perfect love story. I am so happy you found your soul mate and best friend. I knew you would, you just had to wait till he was baptized and ready for you. Wheh! The waiting paid off and you guys are the cutest, best looking, funnest couple in the world. Your love story and pictures are priceless. Could you write mine for me? Funny after almost 14 years since we met, I still remember every bit of it, crystal clear. I'll have to follow up on your tag. Love ya, Court
What a fun story. It is always nice to reflect back on the time you initially fell in love. Its such a cute story and one your children will probably love.
Oh my I loved reading your story. That could be a movie, it's so cute. You guys are a darling couple! I'm so happy for you. WE should get together. I here youre in Salt Lake!
I loved reading your love story again! I love you guys so much and and am sooooooooooooooooooo happy for you!
Love .... MOM
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