When Kristy Met Matt: Cheesy Cards

Day 276

I came off a horrible breakup right before I met Kristy. I didn't want to date any girls and I didn't want to meet any girls. I had sworn off girls completely. I became president of my own "Girl's Are Stupid" (G.A.S.)club and was very proud to be Anti-Girl.

Okay, I am just kidding about G.A.S. But I was very vocal about being Anti-Girl. I even went as far as to design my own Anti-Girl t-shirt complete with a bloody, gaping hole drawn on the shirt where my heart would be. I am sure it is still upstairs at my mom's house.

And then I met Kristy and I was intrigued. And then I dated her and then a year later we were engaged.

I was smitten and giddy and I have no problems admitting that. My friend Lared and I after we had a fun date with a girl we liked would always deliver the girl some sort of "Thank You" card a short time later. Of course that was just an excuse to see them again as well as show them that we can be romantic. We would sometimes accompany those with a treat or flowers. And we would always make the cards from scratch.

I write Kristy telling her that I wanted to give her real flowers but thought that these would be best since they would never wilt and die like our love for each other.* Kristy's brother Steven thought that my drawing was so awesome that he wanted one for himself. Maybe one day I will surprise Steven with some flowers in the mail like these. I should do it as a "Thank You" when I stay at his house Thanksgiving night so I can watch the Bengals/Jets game. I am sure he would appreciate it.

*I never said anything that cheesy. I only said they would never wilt or die but that was it.

Lared and I got a single rose and we snuck it in our date's apartment (usually with a roommate's help; we didn't sneak into their apartments on our own like some sicko!) and it was placed on their bed so they would find it after they came home from our date. We both got two cards, one that was something like a "Thank You" card thanking them for being such an awesome date. But to cover our butts we also included a "Deepest Sympathies" card just in case the date didn't go over that well.

 

This letter took me a ton of time to draw. I had more problems drawing Smiley Bone than I did Princess Leia. After I drew Leia I didn't want to give it up. I would re-do the Spider-Man. I got that mask all wrong.

Kristy knew I liked my drawing of Princess Leia so she made a copy of it and sent it to me. 

Nice to know that Kristy is willing to share me with Princess Leia. Good thing I am Mormon with polygamy and all.

When Kristy met Matt: The Big Blue Special

Day 108

When I first started this blog this was the first story that came to mind. It was also the first one that I wrote and I have been waiting and waiting to finally debut it.

Residents of Cache Valley may know what I am talking about but for those unfamiliar with the term, let me explain.

At the local A&W's there is a burger combo called the Big Blue Special. It is named after Big Blue, the mascot for our college (Utah State University) here in Logan. This burger is HUGE. It has three burger patties, tons of lettuce and sauce. It comes with a ton of curly fries and 2 large glasses of fresh A&W Root Beer.

This is where it all happened!

My friends in college would frequent this place to eat and we would all get the Big Blue Special and it was our challenge to eat it all. This also includes the free refill of Root Beer. This would leave us full, so very full. Oftentimes we would sit at A&W's for hours because we were so full. This was our Man Test. You cannot be a man if you could not finish this amount of food. My friends and I conquered it and we would be quite cocky about it, boasting to every one that we were men.

At the time I was dating my wife (obviously before she became my wife) and my friend Lared and I were over at her apartment visiting Kristy (my wife) and her roommates. Lared asked if Kristy would be worthy of me and said that she should partake of the Man Test at A&W's. Kristy is not one to back from a challenge. Her roommates overheard this and they wanted to prove that they could easily pass this "simple" Man Test so we set a date. Tomorrow we would all come over and pick up the girls and head to A&W's for lunch. It was me, Lared, Bear and one of his friends and Kristy's roommates Heather, Emily, Nicole and Stacey.

We told them the test and off we ate. My strategy is to take small sips of the first root beer and have it down the hatch BEFORE you finish your burger. The hardest part is getting all that root beer down. One of Kristy's roommates ordered her root beer with ice cream. I couldn't believe it. Was she just trying to act all macho? Lared and I contemplated that this was mere bravado, she didn't know what she was getting into.

Some of the guys were finishing up and there were just a few girls left over. One girl still had her fries while Heather (this cute little girl who ordered the Root Beer Float) was struggling to finish the rest of her drink. Surprisingly, many of the girls were able to finish the whole meal. I was very impressed that Kristy was able to finish it off, especially since carbonation was something she didn't consume at all. Heather was complaining that her tummy was really hurting so someone suggested that she lean forward on her hands and get on all fours to help take the pressure off her belly. She leaned forward and suddenly, without warning she barfed! It was all ice cream and root beer, it was like someone just tipped a glass. Everyone scattered laughing. I about died.

One of the girl's that worked at A&W's saw the mess on the table and thought she must have spilt her drink (I told you it was only a Root Beer Float) and she grabbed a thin paper towel and started sopping it up. That was too much, feeling like I was going to barf, I went to the counter and grabbed a paper and started to read it aloud. My friend Bear came over to me and put his arm around me and read it with me. Anything to get our minds off of her barfing and off of the girl wiping it up!

One of her roommates stayed right in her chair and continued to eat her fries during the whole barfing incident. She just left the table with her fries and kept pounding them down. Officially everyone finished and passed the Man Test. Heather should have been disqualified since she really didn't eat all her food but we decided she should pass since our rules were ambiguous when it came to if the food should remain in her tummy.


Every time I pass by the old A&W's, I think of this time. For my wedding present, Lared gave me a set of four large official A&W mugs to remember this occasion. When Kristy and I were married we used to visit Lared and his roomies to have Root Beer Float parties too. Those were some good times.

I still use those glasses but only at special times.

When Kristy Met Matt: Sweeney Taco

Day 73

By now you should already know that I love musicals. I can't explain it but for some reason I just love musical theatre. I have seen many musicals but by far one of my favorites to see live was Sweeney Todd.

My sister Jennifer introduced this dark macabre musical. She had seen it live at Utah State and bought the CD. I borrowed the CD and LOVED it. Angela Lansbury (the old lady from Murder She Wrote) was Mrs. Lovett on the CD and she really stole the show. For those that don't know, Sweeney Todd is a man who seeks revenge‚ he kills people in his barber shop and she makes the dead bodies into pies. I had never seen it live until a fantastic production at the Pioneer Theatre at the University of Utah. Jennifer and I were so excited to go. I invited Kristy to come with us (we were dating at the time) and we headed down to Salt Lake to see it.


Poor Kristy, she had to endure both my sister and I singing in the car. We sang much of Sweeney Todd and my other favorite musical Chess. Jennifer drove and I was in the front seat and we banished Kristy to the back seat. We finally arrived at the theatre (much to Kristy's relief) and we took our seats and the show began. It was a fantastic show, the acting and voices were spot on. Even if you have seen the movie, you HAVE to see this live. The ending is much different and a lot more spookier but then it is something that only the stage version could bring. You'll just have to see it. Trust me on this.

Afterwards we were starving so we hit the local Taco Bell and got a ton of tacos. I think we got a 12 pack if I remember correctly. We scarfed the tacos down fast since we were so hungry. Now what happens next is what I remember. It may not be completely factual (I'm sure someone will argue it) but this is how I recall the events.


We had eaten our fill, or at least we thought we had. There was one taco left. I was too full to even think of eating another one. I think Jennifer felt the same. She offered the last taco to the rest of us when suddenly, like a flash of lightning, this hand reached from out of the darkness of the backseat and quickly grasped the last taco. We heard a Gollum-like voice accompany it. "I'll take it!" Then we heard the wrapper of the taco being torn apart ferociously. Jennifer and I just looked at each other, we didn't say a word. We might have been to scared to say anything.

Okay, I admit that this has turned into a real fish story. Some part of it may have been exaggerated. I'll let you, the reader, decide.

Precious tacos...

Happy 12th Anniversary!

Day 61

Yesterday was our 12th wedding anniversary!

12 years! That is so insane to me. The last 12 years have been absolutely wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better wife and companion and best friend.

Usually we go out for dinner, just the two of us for our anniversary. Unfortunately our babysitter at the last moment crapped out on us and we couldn't find one on such short notice. And we didn't want to call around to arrange babysitting with just an hour to spare so we celebrated our anniversary as a family.

Logan was not feeling so good either. So Kristy went out to grab some burgers (Logan REALLY wanted a cheeseburger and we were not in the mood to fight him) and we ate and relaxed. We put Logan to bed and Kristy and I watched a movie together. Sounds romantic right? To be honest, this is the type of evening I love. Eating burgers and spending time together at home. And I love that Kristy is happy to have a nice quiet evening at home too.


Our wedding day was cold and foggy. Why in the heck did we decide to get married in December? We got up early and headed to the Logan Temple to get married. We sat beside our dear friends and family and was married for time and eternity. It was so beautiful, Kristy looked stunning. My sister helped her with her hair early that morning. Afterwards we went outside and took pictures outside the Temple. It was so cold, poor Kristy, at least I had a suit jacket. After a ton of pictures we went downtown to the Bluebird Restaurant and had our wedding breakfast. After that we headed down to West Jordan (about 2 hours away) for our wedding reception. It was real foggy, I was surprised about who attended because the fog was pretty thick.


I tried to hide my car but Kristy's family found it and decorated it. When I found my car there was a dog eating some ham off of my tire. I chased the dog away and opened the door and Steven (Kristy's littlest brother) had stuck some ham underneath it. Nothing like frozen food stuck to my white car! They also doused it with dishwasher soap so when I took the car to the car wash, it frothed during the rinse.


That night we stayed at a hotel in Salt Lake City. It was such a draining and tiring day but it was all worth it.

Thanks Kristy for a fantastic 12 years!

When Kristy Met Matt: True Aggies!

Day 21

Last night Kristy and I watched our hometown Utah State University play Boise State in football on ESPN2. That was big for a couple of reasons, as reported before my wife and I met on the campus of Utah State University and that was the first time Utah State's football team had a nationally televised game. We got trounced 52-21 but it brought back those college memories and the pride we had being a Utah State Aggie.

But did you know that we are True Aggies?

No? Well, let me give you a little history before we get into that.

Kristy graduated from Utah State but unfortunately I did not. I did go to USU for a number of years but when Kristy got the call to be a teacher down south we packed our bags and headed out. Those college days were a lot of fun and USU has a lot of unique things that make USU and Logan (the town) special. Two things that stick out are Aggie Ice Cream and Merlin Olsen.

First let's talk about Aggie Ice Cream. If you EVER come to Logan, you need to head up to campus and get yourself a scoop of Aggie Ice Cream. This is a tradition, alumni always come back to Aggie Ice Cream. My grandpa ate Aggie Ice Cream, my parents did, I did (and still do) and I have passed this tradition to my son. So what makes it different? Aggie Ice Cream has a 12% butterfat content. It's aged slightly longer and contains less air than most commercial brands. And it was the first ice cream to make it to outer space. You want to know more about it? Check out this page.



Aggie Ice Cream also is the background for one of the Breinholt's favorite family moments. Kristy's family were up visiting and Kristy (like she always does so successfully) got her mom to take us all for Aggie Ice Cream. We hopped out of the car and we were all excited for some ice cream so one of them decided to act out a little. He was singing "Fatso! Fatso Man! I want to be... ...a Fatso Man!" (sung to the tune of "Macho Man" by the Village People. Well, as it turns out, while he was singing he didn't notice the rather large man eating a huge ice cream cone. He turned right into him singing "I wanna be... ...a Fatso Man!" I was so embarrassed. Because that idiot that was singing was me.

Raise your hands if you know who Merlin Olsen is. Merlin Olsen played in the NFL for 15 seasons making the Pro Bowl 14 times. He became part of one of the best front fours in NFL history. Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier, Lamar Lundy and Merlin Olsen were named "The Fearsome Foursome." He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1999, he was ranked number 25 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. But most of you know him when he guest starred on Little House on the Prairie. He eventually got his own series called Father Murphy. He was born not to far from where I live now, the park a block away is named after him and his sister still lives here.



So history and tradition play an important part at USU. And one the more interesting traditions is becoming a True Aggie. On campus there is a little stand that is shaped like an "A". To become a "True Aggie" you stand on the "A" with your significant other and smooch. But you have to do that on the Friday night before Homecoming. And usually that is the same night as the Homecoming Dance. Kristy and I went to the dance with a bunch of friends (yes, that is a gun Kristy is holding, long story) we first had dinner and then to the dance. My friend Lared was suspecting that I would take Kristy and pay a visit to the "A". After the dance we all dropped off our dates and I snuck back and grabbed Kristy and we headed off.
FUN FACT: That red dress Kristy is wearing? She made it.



We were not the only ones. There was a small crowd of people watching (and this is well past midnight) and it was snowing quite a bit. Lared was right and he beat us up there and snapped some pics! So that is what a True Aggie is and yes, Kristy and I are True Aggies.



We really just believe in tradition is all. *wink* *wink*

When Kristy Met Matt: The Conclusion

Kristy was now home for summer in West Jordan, a couple of hours south of where I was. At this time I was taking an acting class and we had to go to Salt Lake City every other Thursday to work on our acting portfolio for the Eastman Agency. Salt Lake was not far from West Jordan at all so I had the perfect opportunity to see her and visit her family as well.

She would come up on the weekend to visit her sister Lynn (it was just an excuse to see me though) and she also had a wedding reception for her former roommate Heidi. I was grilled by all of our roommates about what was taking so long. I told them that while I am only going 3MPH (miles per hour) I would still get there!

We saw each other at least weekly, with her either coming up or me going down and it was a lot of fun. But I wanted to know for sure if having a relationship with her was something she wanted too. Our next date was the one where I would figure this all out. I got tickets to see Les Miserables down in Salt Lake so I drove down and picked her up. We ate dinner at the Training Table (a yummy Utah stable) and we parked the car and walked to the Capital Theatre. We should have brought some tissue, not because that the musical was sad (and it did have its moments) but because we had bloody noses because our seats were so far up! The musical was just as good as I remembered it (I saw it already in New York) And Kristy really liked it too. After the play we walked back to the car and I took her hand. I was bringing her back to Logan so we went back to her parent's house and she packed and got ready. The drive home was great. I told her how much I loved being with her and I wanted to know if we should continue. She nodded (too shy I guess) and I took her hand again and told her she was the best thing that has happened to me.





Kristy had to come up for another weekend for a Track meeting at Utah State so we planned a date for that weekend. My friend Lared got a date himself (Carrissa) and we planned something fun. I called Kristy and I told her to dress all in white if possible. I dressed in purple, Lared dressed in green and Carrissa dressed in blue. Why? Because we went and played Clue at the mall and got Orange Julius for drinks. We were supposed to be dressed like our characters. We played a couple of board games at the mall. The mall people let us stay while they cleaned up and closed the mall. We took them home later that evening and told then that we would be back tomorrow night. We had another strange date planned.

One of my favorite date ideas to do with Lared was to take the girls to a grocery store and have them pick an item that they would be willing to eat. No condiments and nothing raw were the only rules. Lared and I would also pick out something too but we knew what was going on, they didn't. Kristy picked out sugar cookie dough, Lared and I picked out some Mixed Fruit Jello and Carrissa picked out a sausage. We went and paid for them and then headed to the local ice cream shop, Charlie's. We gave the waitresses the items and told them to make a shake for each one of them. And we had to eat them since we all said we were willing to eat them. I was so glad that I tipped Kristy off to get something sweet. The Jello one was not that great but the sausage one was horrible! But we finished them. You think that is gross? Wait till you find out what items were chosen when we did it last time! Kristy had a great sense of humor and I was finding myself much more comfortable being around her.

The next day I went and met Lared and we picked up Missy and Kristy and we headed to Hailey, Idaho to visit their roommate Angela. That was a pretty long road trip but it was fun singing and cracking jokes. We got to Angela's house and met her parents. Her mom was so excited to meet me. "Oh your Matt! The one dating Kristy!" I guess that made it official. "You know Angela has not had date one since she has been home!" Such a funny lady. It was during this trip that everything was all out in the open. Kristy and I were dating officially and I never dated another girl.

Hailey is a pretty place nestled in a canyon. We took a tour of the city with Angela and we saw Arnold Schwarzenegger's summer mansion. It was so big! I could probably live there and he would have no idea it was so big. We all went to the park and fed some ducks and birds. Lared was the Bird King. He sat down in a chair and all these birds surrounded him and he gently fed the birds. Kristy and I on the other hand were a little more fearful (as you can see in the picture below). I don't care for birds chasing me around and pecking at my feet. I was feeding the ducks talking to Missy when suddenly we hear this small yell. It was Kristy. We turned and saw her run away from the lake and right behind her was this large goose. She didn't think it was funny but Missy and I certainly did. The drive home was fun. It was nice to have the relationship all in the open now. Missy and Lared were certainly grumpy all the way home. I accidentally took a wrong turn and we drove past Snake River and we saw a beautiful canyon. The walls that surrounded the river were so high. But Missy and Lared didn't care, all they did was complain like little children!



We dated for about a year or so when I finally popped the question. But that is another column.

When Kristy Met Matt Part III

DAY 5

I had a successful first date with Kristy and I was happy I made an impression. School was ending shortly so I made an effort to see her as much as possible before she headed home for the summer. My friend Lared saw that I hit it off with her too and he made the extra effort to make sure we hooked up.

I used to work for Motor Cargo, I was a lumper. I would load these huge trucks with boxes and boxes of Pepperidge Farm cookies. I worked from 2 in the afternoon till between 8 and 10 at night. I got a couple of good trucks and I came home early, hoping Lared will call to hang out. He did call, he invited me over to a friend's house (Bear) and said "Kristy is here and you know what the best part is? Eric isn't!" So I showered and headed over there right away.

Lared was not the only friend that helped me. Kristy's roommate Angel was a huge help too. I was at their apartment and Kristy had to run upstairs and Angel took me aside and said, "I'm glad things clicked before she had to go home." I was glad too. That evening we all went for a hike and it was so cool because Kristy and I spent the most time together. Eric was there also, he was hiking with Angela. Angel was the only roommate in the beginning that was fighting for me, some of Kristy's other roommates were trying to have Eric win her over. That night we all went outside and watched a terrible movie, Cutthroat Island. The movie was horrible but the company was great.


Back row: Bear, Brandon, Lared, Kristy, Lared's much younger brother Dallin, Missy
Front row: Bear's brother, Steve, Angela, Me and Angel


This picture makes me laugh. It is Angela, Kristy, Angel, Me and Dallin. He looks so funny all curled up in the blanket.

The next day I went over and helped Kristy and her roommates clean their apartment. That was an adventure. Kristy's younger sister Renae came up and it was fun to meet some of her family. Kristy's roommate Missy was pretty grumpy and it was a lot of fun to really try to make her laugh. We cleaned the fridge/freezer together and that was so hilarious. Missy would take something out of the fridge and complain about it and then I would ask, "Does it have a name on it? No? Then garbage it!" Deep down inside, even though I am sure I was annoying the crap out of her, she was happy that I was helping it go by so quickly. Then I went upstairs to help vacuum some rooms and came face to face with the biggest strand of hair EVER! I picked it up and it was stuck in the carpet, I kept pulling and pulling and pulling and it kept getting longer and longer! BRRRRRRRR! Angela cornered me and asked me who I was after. I played coy and told her I was after them all! We then took a time out and went and got lunch at Quizno's. Kristy's family came up to pick her and her things up. Her mom seemed very nice and asked if I was going to visit.



Before I left, Kristy gave me a bag of Hershey's Hugs and a cute note written on pink paper. Basically she was inviting me down to visit. So she was making her choice, she wanted me.

Now I don't want to chronicle all that went on in our courtship. I have one, maybe two more columns to go, where it hits the fan. In a good way. Other columns will cover the wedding and how I asked and stuff like that.

When Kristy Met Matt Part II

DAY 4

The story continues...

My friend Lared knew that I was attracted to Kristy so he did everything possible to help get me to date her. We had a couple of group activities with a bunch of friends and I made sure Kristy and her roommates were invited. The more I hung out with her, the more I liked. She had a great sense of humor and didn't mind playing with boys by getting physical. So I decided to ask her out. Unfortunately I was struck down twice but for good reasons. Both times I asked her out and she declined, she was out of town running track. I was becoming desperate and I was getting discouraged at being rejected so many times. Lared then offered some great advice. "You need to take Kristy out before school is out and you are running out of time. Kristy needs to choose either you or Eric but you have to take her out!" So I tried again. She was studying at the library one afternoon and I went and asked her out. She said "yes" this time and I was on cloud nine. Let the best man win!

Lared and I knew that we had to have a special date. Something so cool and exciting and memorable. And we had the perfect plan!

After picking up our dates (we were with another couple of couples) we first went to Subway and picked up some sandwiches. We then took them up Logan Canyon and we hiked up to the Wind Caves. These caves are awesome looking and it was a nice hike. We ate the sandwiches up there and played around for a little bit. Then we hiked down and drove to Adam's Park in Smithfield. We got into Lared's trunk and we pulled out a ton of camouflage clothing and some Lazer Tag guns and told the girls to dress up. They looked confused so Lared and I threw some of the clothes on and Lared looks right at them and says, "It's War!" The girls complied and we headed into the park to play some Lazer Tag. It was getting dark after about an hour of playing. I suggested to Kristy that we should climb up this tree and act like a sniper. Lared and his date Marcie came across and didn't see us. Suddenly Lared was getting hit. And he knew from experience that it was me that was hitting him. Lared jumped into some bushes for cover.

It was then that Kristy and I noticed that there were a couple of cop cars looking at Lared's car. It is against the law to be in the park after dusk. Then we saw that they were coming closer and closer with flashlights. They were after us! We were in camo and up the tree so I didn't think that Kristy and I were in danger. Lared saw the cops and he yells out to run. I told Kristy to hold still but then I noticed that she was gone running! I jumped down the tree and my foot got caught in the branch and the cops were getting closer and closer. I got lose and the cops saw me and yelled for me to stop. Kristy was running so fast that she was literally kicking dirt in my face. Lared was leading us the couple of miles to our friend Joey's house. The cops flashlights were on me, I could see my shadow from the flashlights they were so close. We climbed through a ton of bushes and made it into a guy's backyard. We travelled silently in the night from backyard to backyard escaping the cops. We crossed into a horse pasture and crossed over some barb wire fences. Lared was leading and I was last, making sure that no one saw us. Both Kristy and I were startled when we saw this horse just looking at us when we got to the fence. Suddenly we looked up again and it was right beside us! We finally made it to Joey's house. He was having a party inside and we thought it would be fun for us to crash into his house with our Lazer Tags and camo. Not everyone thought that was funny, we certainly scared them! We took off our camo and laughed about the experience but we had a problem. We needed to go back to the park to pick up Lared's car.

So Marcie and Lared (now back dressed in their civilian clothing) and Joey got into Joey's car and they drove over to get Lared's car. He got back safely so we all thought it would be fun to climb into Lared's car and go back to the park. We wanted to see really how far we went. That was not a bright idea. There was six of us all crammed in Lared's car and we passed a cop at the park. Lared quickly hit the gas when he saw the cop turn around. Lared's quick and rash thinking saved us. We sped into another neighborhood and parked his car in one of the house's driveway and shut off the car and we all ducked. We were lucky, we lost the cop car. We should have waited a bit but instead we thought it would be best if we got back to Joey's house and end the night. On the way back we got to a 4-way stop sign and sure enough there was the cop on the other side. It passed us and I looked at the cop and he looked right back at us. Lared hit the gas again and the cop turned around. Joey's house was located right in the middle of the block so we took off down his driveway extremely fast and shut off the car and ran into Joey's. We got lucky once again.

I knew at that moment that Kristy was worth fighting for. She had a real good time on that date and she was not mad or disappointed or anything. I found a keeper. After we dropped off our dates, Lared and I met after to talk and we made Certificates of Bravery to award them (with a plate of cookies) when we saw them next.


Front of the card. Notice how I spelled her name wrong.


Inside of the card with the certificate. Right when I finished I realized that I may have spelt her name wrong. So I took some toilet paper and wrote an apology.




After I also heard that Eric was quite mad that I got to Kristy that weekend before he did. He was the one that wanted this war, and I was not about to let up either. I mean really, could he top my first date with Kristy?

When Kristy Met Matt: Part 1

DAY 3

I get asked this question quite a bit. Especially now that Kristy works with the Young Women. They all want to know if I asked Kristy to marry her all romantic like or if we knew we were for each other on our first date. I am not a romantic guy, I can be cheesy but I am not all that romantic. Sorry people, don't expect a romantic story here.

I was coming off a bad break up. Well, it really wasn't much of a breakup since she did it over the phone while I was sicker than a dog. I guess it was not much of a real relationship since she was cheating on me anyway. My last girlfriend was using me to lure her boyfriend to propose and marry her. Mission accomplished! My friend Lared was wise because he never really liked her. I knew things were heading downhill and it really hit when Lared called me and said she was macking with some guy that was not me. Soon after I was dumped. The only good thing that came out of that relationship was Scott and Kari. Kari was her roommate and I set her up with Scott and they ended up getting married. It was totally worth the heartache I went through to have them happy. I was the ultimate wing man! Funny thing is that she had the nerve to invite me to the wedding and wedding reception. Yeah right lady.

Anyway I was down in the dumps and went completely Anti-Girls. I decided to grow a goatee (as was the style at the time) because I could care less about dating and meeting girls. I felt bad for my friend Lared because he wanted to double date all the time and I barely had any interest. I took a marriage class at the LDS Institute and my teacher Bro. Gudmunson said that after you have been burned and spurned you would found the one you would marry right after. He was right.


My best friend in high school, Damond Peterson was running for Service Vice President for Utah State University and he asked me to help campaign for me. He was then dating his campaign manager, a pretty girl named Christa. I was happy to help out when I was available. Lared and I went from dorm to dorm and provided service for each door we knocked on. Whether it was washing dishes or taking the garbage out we got Damond's name out there by doing the service and handing them this little flyer. My hands were so wrinkly from washing all those dishes and some of those dishes were disgusting. After one of our outings Krista held a meeting at her apartment for all the volunteers that were helping Damond so Lared and I went. That is when I was first introduced to all of Krista's roommates. And they were all pretty which delighted Lared. I thought so too but at that time I could care less. But then this little blond girl came in from running and ran up the stairs and she caught my eye. The frost was starting to thaw. I had a girl I was interested in.


As it turned out it was awhile before I actually would take her out. One day I saw her on campus. It was snowing pretty hard and I tried to hit her with a few snowballs. I caught up with her and we talked and I knew I wanted to date her. But I was not totally ready just yet. Something was standing in my way and his name was Eric.

Eric was a former roommate of Lared and was a pretty cool guy and I considered him a good friend. We introduced him to the Girls of G4 (that was the apartment number at the Old Farm Apartments) and he was also interested in Kristy. At first I was okay with it, I was still a bit Anti-Girl and it didn't help matters that all of Kristy's roommates wanted Eric to take her out. One time Lared and I stopped by G4 and Kristy was the only one there and we took her over to Eric's apartment to see a movie with a group of friends. Eric was totally interested in her. One time Lared and I were running around and we dropped by Eric's to see if we could use the phone and Missy and Kristy were there playing games. I was so jealous and mad. They invited us in and we played some games but honestly I was still steamed at the idea that Eric was making moves on Kristy. I became frustrated because Eric was there all the time with her and I couldn't take it anymore and became Anti once again.

Then something happened that completely changed the game. Lared, Eric and I were heading to a dance at the University and we were talking about girls. Eric asked "You dig Kristy right? Why don't you ask her out?" My reply was "No." I explained that the reason was I don't want to cause any problems and I was fine with him taking her out. "That's weak!" is what he told me back. And that irritated me. It totally struck a nerve.

So what did I do? I took Kristy's roommate Angel out. That will show them! Angel was such a nice girl, she knew I was interested in Kristy. We had a cool date, we were in a large group with Lared taking out Angela (another one of Kristy's roommates) but unfortunately Eric was with Kristy. We cooked up some breakfast food on the roof of Thomas Jeweler's in downtown Logan. Afterward we went bowling and it was a lot of fun even though my eyes were not on Angel and I was irritated and it showed. I couldn't stand seeing Eric have a good time with her. Angel knew this and was a great friend to have at the time. She told me not to give up and I didn't.


Left to Right: Kristy with the arch rival Eric, Angel and I, Angela and Lared.

Stay tuned for Part II. It involves our first big date which included being chased by cops!