(Originally written for Valentine's Day)
On this the third Valentine's Day Owlet and I get to spend together, I thought it would be fitting to recall all the dates we've had. I'll only describe some in detail, but you'll still want to make yourself a nice cup of cocoa and get comfortable—there are a lot. In fact, I did some math this week to find out exactly how many dates we've been on. Now, not all of these are exact numbers, but they're good enough for me. I figure we went on 8 dates before we started being "a couple." Since then until now (111 weeks), we've had at least a date every week—and actually, I bet we had 2 dates in the same week about 20 times. So when you add all that up (8 + 111 + 20), the date we're going on this weekend to celebrate Valentine's Day turns out to be Date #139. Which is only to be expected, since 39 is Owlet's favorite number.
So here they are, (some of) our 139 dates, the road map of our relationship, the pit stops of our passion, and the landmarks of our love:
Age 18 (my age, to be exact)
Ballet recital and Wii: Our first date, doubling with friends. Went to my sister’s recital. Then we went to my house to play Wii. I started to let her win until I realized she was destroying me.
Prom: Massive all-day event. With a large group of friends, had an illegal costumed scavenger hunt in the mall, created a fancy dinner in a rich friend’s backyard, and enjoyed dancing and the chocolate fountain at the school dance. Though I tended to not enjoy this last part of most dance dates as much, I had fun doing all of those things with Owlet.
Age 21
Ballet recital: My first date after my mission, and our second time at my sister’s ballet recital. Much to my surprise, Owlet wasn’t taken by this time. I, however, was apparently plenty awkward.
Frisbee golf: After she got back from her study abroad in Ecuador. I’m sure I was not any less awkward.
Freshman party: As a volunteer for Freshman Orientation, Owlet got to go to this and bring one guest. We’d hung out at Institute over the summer, so she picked me.
MOA Cafe: She had just cut her hair short, and I had just decided that I officially really liked her. Unfortunately, I apparently failed to compliment her on her new look. More unfortunately, that was when she decided she didn’t really want to date me.
Age 22
Slab Pizza and Museum of People & Cultures: Dinner was really awkward until I finally asked if she wanted to date me more seriously and she replied that she just wanted to be friends. Surprisingly, I was relieved, since I knew there was nothing more for me to worry about or do, and we continued to the museum activity and had lots of pure, low-pressure, friendly fun. Unbeknownst to me, the maturity of my reaction was worryingly impressive to Owlet, and she started to think twice about her decision.
New Years Dance & Boise Potato Drop: Knowing Owlet had started her mission papers, I tried to be a fully supportive friend. But her extra friendliness, and hearing her tell someone else that she wasn’t sure about going on a mission, gave me renewed hope. Finally, walking back from Idaho’s so-pathetic-it’s-funny version of the New York Ball Drop, she pulled the old “My hands are cold—would you mind holding them?” and I took the bait, more confused but also happier than I’d been in a while.
Devotional: Back at BYU and less than a week later, we attended a BYU devotional together and pulled off a very smooth DTR (“Define the relationship”). It went something like this: “So… do you want to… date me?” “...yeah…” “Do... you want to hold hands?” “Mm-hmm.”
Writing the relationship contract: The next day, we met and wrote up the rules of engagement—or rather, dating. Things like go on a date every week, don’t do dodgy things, and help each other get homework done. I also brought a single baby carrot in a plastic bag. Owlet noticed this and thought to herself, “Well, I’m sure all couples have weird quirks they have to get used to while dating.” Then she realized I wasn’t quite that weird when I took her outside to build a snowman.
The Incredibles: Our first official date as girlfriend and boyfriend. Watched a movie in the anti-snuggle chairs of a library viewing room.
Sidewalk art: We drew everything from Rithmatist battles to inspirational quotes on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, Owlet's roommates saw me tracing an outline of Owlet's body and thought she was dead.
Chinese New Year: With the BYU Chinese club. Owlet wore her stunning Taiwanese dress.
Silent film: We dressed up in black and white and watched the 1925 classic The Freshman, accompanied by a live organist.
Laser tag & pizza buffet: Our first Valentine’s Day. Had a fun, low-stress laser tag battle, ate dinner, and then had the perfect first kiss on the doorstep.
Eat Poop You Cat: This has been my family’s version of Telestrations before Telestrations was cool. My roommate was with us on his first date with his future wife. And my other roommate was with us on a date with himself.
Swing dance: With my roommates, we doubled the attendance of the BYU Swing Club.
First Friday & Doctor Who: The first of many “First Fridays,” or special exhibits at the BYU Museum of Art, complete with refreshments.
Corpus Christi: A BYU Renaissance Festival.
Chinese Acrobats: Seriously impressive.
Manti Temple Pageant: Except for Owlet feeling horribly sick, this was lots of fun.
Capitol Reef: With Owlet's ward, we camped in one of Utah’s beautiful national parks.
4th of July in Rigby: Owlet's roommate’s family was extremely kind in hosting us for a couple days, several delicious meals, and some surprisingly good fireworks for a town of 4,000 people.
Camping in Sun Valley: We went to Sun Valley with my family and had lots of fun playing games, cooking with the Dutch Oven, swimming in lukewarm springs, and watching world-class ice skating performers. Apparently seeing me with my family helped Owlet believe my family and I weren’t total miscreants.
Age 23
BYUopoly: You can borrow it from the info desk in the Wilk. I ended up with nothing but Deseret Towers.
Library date: Read children’s books to each other.
Proposal: Having picked up a few things I thought were hints from Owlet, I decided I’d better propose. So I spent weeks memorizing a song called “Oh Darling” in ASL in preparation. I also knew that Owlet was sad that her brother (a missionary in Thailand) and sister (a missionary in New York) would likely not be able to a potential wedding. So I tried to involve them into our date that night. I took her to a Thai restaurant for dinner and got New York cheesecake for dessert. And then I took her to the King Henry fireplace to try to make s’mores. Then I signed and sang the song to her, getting on my knees and changing the last few words to, “[Owlet], will you marry me?” I meant to surprise her, and I did. A little too much, actually. But it all turned out alright, and we became officially engaged.
Candlelit spaghetti dinner: Our second Valentine’s Day. We ate my homemade version of Owlet's favorite dinner. With flowers and peachee, of course.
Jazz game: We met some of Owlet's aunts, uncles, and cousins in Salt Lake, ate at Red Iguana, and watched a Jazz game.
Provo Beach Resort: We played mini-croquet with some roommates and dates. At least as fun as mini-golf.
Owlet's birthday scavenger hunt: There are few things Owlet loves more than a good scavenger hunt, so I started preparing this one months early. We spent the whole Saturday obtaining all 22 clues (her new age) by picking up flowers, ordering pizza, flipping through books at the library, calling family members and friends, talking to the cashier at South End Market, cracking codes, solving a special game of 2048, driving to the Provo temple, going to our old apartments, and scouring campus. The final clue lead us to eat dinner at Olive Garden, where I gave her a laminated picture book about Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase getting married and celebrating their honeymoon where, coincidentally, we would spend ours!
Wedding Day: Thanks to thousands of hours of hard work by many family and friends, the best day of my life. Our eternal sealing in the temple was special beyond description. We got some photos Owlet liked, had a wonderful luncheon, and enjoyed a fun reception. We even waltzed for our first dance! Owlet wore my grandma’s Audrey Hepburn-esque dress, and countless friends came to support us and give us free stuff. By the end of the night, Owlet was even half-joking that without anything going wrong, we wouldn’t have any fun stories to tell—right before our car wouldn’t start. But that provided just enough story material without causing any more trouble than necessary, thanks to my parents’ help.
Honeymoon: Combined with the wedding, the longest and loveliest date of my life. We spent almost a week in a tourist town on a pristine lake. We had a wonderfully relaxing time walking around town, eating out, and driving around the lake. We rode on a lake cruise ship and took a carriage ride to a secret garden and a campfire dinner with cowboys. We got a free upgrade to our hotel room and free pottery to paint. Fortunately, unlike Percy and Annabeth, we didn’t have any monsters to fight, just a wonderful first week of marriage to enjoy.
Family Reunion: I got to meet almost all the in-laws! We had lots of fun playing games, riding the river, swimming, zip-lining, and seeing the ancestral farm.
Pioneer day in Salt Lake City: Staying at my generous aunt’s house, we shopped at the mall, hiked Ensign Peak, explored the park festivities, and watched the fireworks.
Provo Center Street: After engaging in some petty quarrel, I decided we needed an impromptu date exploring the restaurants and shoppes of Provo Center Street. Our hard feelings disappeared somewhere between getting lost and eating sushi.
BYU Spectacular: On Owlet's bucketlist. Saw and heard some amazing dancers and musicians; I even liked most of David Archuleta’s songs.
Age 24
El's Harry Potter birthday: As part of a Choose Your Own Adventure Owlet made me, we had a Harry Potter themed birthday party replete with caramel cupcakes, robed friends, and Harry Potter games. Best birthday yet!
The Lights at Temple Square: With our friends, brother, and significant others, we feasted our eyes on the best Christmas lights in Salt Lake City.
IKEA: As Owlet had never gone before, we spent a couple hours oohing and aahing over all the furniture that we’ll certainly have in our future home. The Swedish meatballs were great, too. And we even bought a nightstand, which Owlet put together all by herself!
Dungeons & Dragons: Thanks to my roommate, we got to play a game I’d only ever seen on T.V.
Secret Hitler: We had Owlet's former roommate and her husband over for dinner, and they brought a funner and more sophisticated version of Mafia. Of course Owlet was the Fascist both times.
Y Ball: We got a free catered dinner before hitting the dancefloor with friends at this dance for engaged or married couples.
The Bridge: Probably the most hipster thing I’ve ever done. This was a “genre-bending stage production” based on the story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” complete with a jazz band, interpretive dancing, and displayed excerpts of the story.
3rd Valentine’s Day: Our official 139th date, this will consist of eating at Pizza Pie Cafe (just like 2 years ago), going to the theater (probably to watch The Martian), and lots of romantic faces and stuff. Plus Owlet made me promise her I’d watch a chick flick on Valentine’s Day, so on the actual day we’ll probably watch The Vow or something. Maybe she’ll agree to Date Night.
In addition to those described above, we’ve also been to/seen/eaten at/attended the following as dates:
Wedding receptions of: close friends, former love interests, roommates, and companions.
Temple trips: To Provo, Boise, SLC, and Provo City Center.
Movies: Interstellar, Gravity, Inside Out, Star Wars 7, She’s the Man, The Syrian Bride, The Wind Rises, Pushing Daisies, Matilda, Warm Bodies, all the Indiana Jones originals, Les Miserables, The Muppet Movie, Sherlock, The Emperor's New Groove, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Scrooge, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Fiddler on the Roof, The Great Mouse Detective, Cinderella, Doctor Who, Serenity, The Last Airbender, Charly, The Lego Movie, and more.
Restaurants: Los Hermanos, Galilee Grill, Green Panda Cafe, Yamato’s, Bombay House, Burger Supreme, JDawgs, JCW’s, Blaze Pizza, Creamery on 9th, Olive Garden, Pantruca’s, Little Caesar’s, Malawi’s Pizza, University Mall soft pretzels, MOA Cafe, Slab Pizza, Emanuel’s, Costa Vida, Panda Express, Cup Bop, Food Truck Roundup, Chick-Fil-A, Mountain West Burrito, Legends Grille, Zupa’s, Cafe Rio, P. F. Chang’s, Thai Ruby, Cranky Chuckie’s, The Chocolate, Tucano’s, 180 Tacos, and Owlet's award-winning hot wings.
Other events: Living Legends, Humor U, Divine Comedy, Laugh Out Loud, BYU football game, BYU gymnastics competition, all of BYU’s museums, Pioneer Day at the Provo Rec Center, outdoor movies, Thanksgiving Point Botanical Gardens, frisbee, DI shopping, bowling, picnics, snow tubing, penny golf, Welsh choir performance, cooking curry, magic shows, Avatar: The Last Airbender night at the Wall, making our wedding registry wishlist, driving up the canyon in the fall, playing Tanks, and many others.
In Conclusion:Owlet, I’m so grateful I’ve done each of these things, but I’m so much more grateful that I’ve done them specifically with you. You’ve made each date, and each day, more enjoyable. I can’t wait until our 1,000,039th date. I can’t even wait until our 140th. I don’t know what we’ll do, but it’ll be fun with you. It always is.
