5 years ago

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now, but poor Libby cut 2 teeth recently and we've been trying to catch up on sleep. And then my camera battery was dead and you know how difficult it is to charge a battery.

Anyway, I was inspired by Jane's nostalgic post last month to take a trip down memory lane myself. I started thinking about what I was doing 5 years ago this month and it dawned on me that Jared and I had our first date around that time. (Jared denies it was a "real date" but I beg to differ.) Which then got me thinking about how Jared asked me out for that first date...which then got me thinking about one of the most awkward things that has ever happened to me.

Five years ago, I was a junior at BYU and working at the copy center on campus. I was busily working away one day when I saw a student-aged guy walk in, look around, and then leave. A few minutes later, the guy walked in again, this time holding a carnation and looking every bit as lost as the first time. I walked up to the counter and asked if I could help him with something. With barely a moment's hesitation, he asked, "are you single?" I was caught off guard (and I'm no good at lying anyway), so I said "yes." He presented me with the flower and said, "Well, then this is for you."

He also handed me a hot pink, glitter-covered envelope and said he wanted to get to know me. I obliged by answering a couple of his trite questions (name? major? hobbies?), while desperately trying to figure out how to get rid of him. Finally, I just told him I really had to get back to work.

Once I had him shooed out the door, I practically ran behind some shelves where I would be out of sight of customers. I nervously opened the pink envelope and found a handwritten letter inside. I was alarmed that this guy might be some kind of perv when the first words my eyes caught were "private" and "tickly back rubs" but curiosity got the better of me and I read it anyway.

Would you like to see it?

And in case that wasn't enough, there's a back!

He also gave me this gem:

What does "P.C." stand for, you ask? His initials? No. "Please call." Is it strange that among all the personal information he so generously shared with me, he never mentioned his name?

You'd think after all this, I might be slightly worried that I had a stalker or something (I did see him a few weeks later at the copy center, but I hid behind the shelves before he could see me) but I was about 99% sure that he would have given his precious flower to whichever of the copy center girls acknowledged him first.

Anyway, I kept the card because I thought it was funny and it made for a great conversation piece when friends came over to visit. Jared was one of those friends that heard the story. Now, anyone who knew Jared during his BYU years knows he was a practical jokester. So, it shouldn't have surprised me (but it really, really did) when I experienced a sort of deja vu a few weeks later.

Once again, I was working away at the copy center when I saw an older gentleman walk in carrying a carnation. He asked for me by name and when I confirmed that I was Jennifer, he handed me the flower and said, "this is for you." This was all too strange and I remember trying to reject it, but he insisted it was for me and handed me an envelope as well. As soon as I saw the pre-printed return address on the envelope (BYU Genetics and Biotechnology) I knew who it was from and was relieved that at least it wasn't the glittery-envelope-guy again.

Inside the envelope was another handwritten letter (for some reason it was written on a paper towel?) inviting me to go snowboarding that weekend. It had no name, but I knew it was from Jared.

So, I called him up and we made plans to learn to snowboard together. He borrowed a snowboard for me, got our lift tickets, AND bought me dinner, but he still claims it wasn't a date. Whatever. Look where we are 5 years later.

Our first date

Sorry, teacher

Libby ate my Sunday School lesson.

No, really.

Oops.

5 months

After her first taste of rice cereal

My dear sweet Libby,

I cannot believe how much you've grown. It's so exciting to see you change. In the past month, you've gotten loads better at sitting up and now you do not want to lean back anymore. The bouncy chair, the car seat, the stroller, the bath tub - all these things were designed for you to recline. But apparently that's not for you anymore. You are a big girl now and you use your strong abs to keep your head and shoulders lifted up.

It's adorable how proud your are of yourself when you accomplish something (like standing up with help) and how much you love praise.

I love your precious facial expressions and how you always wake up with a smile. I love how easily you laugh (you're just starting to be ticklish!) and how much you like to hear my silly voices. You get fussy when putting on shirts, but you turn that frown upside down when I sing you the hokey-pokey.

I especially love how you put your darling little hands on my cheeks when I bring my face close to yours. Totally makes me melt inside.

You've lost most of the hair you had when you were born, but as Daddy so lovingly put it, "it's amazing how something so bald can be so cute."

For nutritional needs, you still subsist entirely on Mommy's milk, but just for the fun of it, you've tried rice cereal a couple of times. I'm afraid more cereal got on your body than in your mouth, but you were a good sport. You've also tried a few small bites of frozen pureed cantaloupe, Dippin' Dots ice cream and mashed banana.

You're now an experienced traveler, having been on 10 successful plane rides (and 1 pretty miserable one). Your sleep schedule has been erratic to say the least, but we can't really blame you. On one beautiful night a few weeks ago, you slept 8 continuous hours and Mommy was so happy! Since then, you have had a hard time sleeping more than 4 hours at a time, which makes Mommy a wee bit cranky, but she still loves you.

As I tell you nearly every day, you're my favorite baby.

I love you, my pretty pretty princess.