Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

Daniel and I grew up going to the same school, same church and he just so happened to be my older brother's best friend. We knew of each other and frequented one another's company, but I played my role as the younger sister with braces that wore my brother's hoodies. Not cute. I remember thinking how dreamy "Daniel" was, and I had held him on a pretty high pedestal. It wasn't until he was about to leave on his LDS Mission to Puerto Rico that our journey began. My first memory from our relationship began one night when I nervously text him about where he had been called on his mission. We casually text each other for the next couple of months slowly, but surely planting a seed. The days were nearing his mission and we finally went on a couple of dates. First was to an Aggies football game with some friends where we had been to a corn maze also and I was so excited because I knew that there would be a little contact...maybe an arm hold? The second date was a couple of days before he left on his mission. We saw Twilight together. Being the shy, young girl that I was, I held my drink in my hands the WHOLE time because my hands were too sweaty to hold his. Lame, I know. I was so upset with myself because I wanted to make a lasting impression so he would write me during his mission. I thought I had failed. Later that night I was brave and text him to see if he wanted to hold my hand. I shyly asked, "So, I have to know or I will go crazy these next two years. Did you want to hold my hand?" He responded, "Yes!". The conversation went on and ended with him saying, "It's ok, I have a feeling there will be a lot of hand holding in our future". Little did we know, he was right.

 

Daniel left on his mission and we began to email each other. Those emails and letters were so exciting for me! It was my first experience with writing a missionary. We wrote his entire mission. I would send him packages and our relationship kept growing. As December 9th 2010 came closer, I got more excited. I had started my first year of college and began dating a few people. Despite my active dating life, I continued to write Elder Bowcutt. I started to get nervous about him coming home because it was easy writing letters to someone thousands of miles away...but put him next door, that changes things. It finally came time for him to come home. I had imagined what it would be like seeing him for the first time. We were in the same ward and I pictured this romantic scene where we would be walking down the hallway towards each other and there would be a tender embrace, laughing and it would be history. Boy, was I wrong. I was blindsided by running into him at one of our friends homecomings. We saw each other, my heart starts pounding and a solid missionary hand shake comes my way. Not quite how I imagined it. Later that day at his house for the luncheon, we awkwardly exchanged phone numbers and I think he said to me, "we will keep in touch". Huh? I went home with all hope lost. I had been dating guys that were very forward in asking me out and letting me know how they felt about me and here is this guy that I thought I had a relationship with, and I honestly felt like the past two years of writing had been washed down the drain. Ok, I guess I have to play in to account that he was fresh off the mission, hadn't been in direct contact with girls and his mind/heart had been "locked" for the past two years. He deserves a little slack. So, eventually we started to text and then went on our first date. Let me tell you, from my perspective, it was pretty awkward. That is honestly the only word that described our relationship from that point forward for the next 6 months.
 

My mom likes to take the credit for us ending up together and I have to agree with her. She was the one that kept me in the game, and thank goodness I kept playing. It was so hard to date him! We had nothing in common, conversation was unnatural and he was pretty goofy. FINALLY, we had a ground breaking moment that defined our relationship. We were on our way back from St. George, Jaxon was "asleep" in the back seat. Daniel and I hashed it out. We finally made sense of where we were at. When we had arrived back in Perry, (did I mention our parents houses are next door) he picked me up and took me to one of his favorite, secret places. For the first time I saw this spontaneous side to him that I didn't know was there. We laughed and teased and there was a chemistry that we hadn't felt before. That night was defining for our relationship. We had a blast the rest of the summer. We grew. We began to understand each other. He fell in love with me and told me on the 4th of July in Bear Lake. Fact, I didn't tell him that I loved him until a month and a half later! I knew that if I told this guy that I loved him, that he would be my husband. So I took my time, and he once again showed his patience and proved to me that he wasn't going anywhere. There were lots of ups and downs but one thing I was sure of was that Daniel was who I wanted to be with forever. I didn't take the dating process lightly and I had to know that we were making the right decision. On November 23rd 2011, he caught me off guard and proposed. Once again I got to see a side of him that was unknown to me, a sense of vulnerability.
 

6 months later, a lot of planning and excitement, we were finally sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple. I can honestly say that it was the most magical day of my life. I wouldn't change a thing. Being surrounded by the ones we love, in a beautiful place is an indescribable feeling. I remember getting in the car after the pictures and luncheon were over. We were alone for the first time. Just us. We just looked at each other and once again, I was seeing him in a different light. He was my husband, my best friend, he was going to be my children's father and the one I wake up to every day. That evening was incredible. Our reception was in my parent's backyard and it was unreal. It honestly felt like a fairytale. All of our hard work had paid off. Thanks to some amazing friends and family it all came together. I will never forget what that day felt like. The support from neighbors, friends and family was overwhelming. There was singing and dancing, dippin' dots, waffles, an incredible dance floor built from scratch, chandeliers, umbrellas, croquet, twinkle lights, love. Pure magic. As we ran towards our future, hand in hand, down the magical pathway enveloped by love... the sky was covered in lights. We opened a new chapter to a book that had began years ago. I just adore the boy next door and how grateful I am to have finally opened my eyes to see that my Mr. B was right up the sidewalk all along...
 

 Photo credit to the amazing Laci Davis.