The Ring's Hardly Anything

November 11, 2011 was one of those days that would change my life. It's so funny to look back and realize you had no idea at the time that something that seemed like nothing could change your everything.

As fellow Songs of the Heart choir members we decided to get together in a group and do something fun that night after everyone got off work. As plans fell through and desires changed there were only two people still willing to stick to the plan, Braedon Fletcher and I.
After we had both gotten off work we eventually decided through text to go roller blading/skating at the local rink. I specifically remember him giving me a hard time when I was thinking about just calling it for the night when plans looked like they may not work out. He really wanted to get together. He even called me to solidify plans, decided to drive, and told me he'd pick me up around 8:00 pm.You know how you hear stories of girls who didn't realize they were on a date until they were actually ON the date? It sounds ridiculous and impossible, right? Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. As Braedon opened my door for me, payed for skating, and was open and playful all night, I realized what I hadn't realized before. I'll never forget the butterflies I felt as he came up behind me (being much more skilled at skating) and put his hands on my hips to push me fast. He took my hand and my heart jumped a little. He liked me.
Now, you gotta know, I marked Braedon off my list of availibility at the beginning of last semester when I found out he had a girlfriend. And at that moment, during the date, I put together that they definitely were not dating anymore. Brae and I had an awesome, deep conversation at his apartment before he dropped me off for curfew. I walked into my place, eyes wide, and told my roomates what had happened. I definitely fell asleep smiling.
Braedon and I spent the next few weeks becoming the best of friends. I had been interested in someone up north and was kind of pursuing that. I think Braedon has learned tremendous amounts of patience as he "chased me" for a while. But as Braedon aslways saved a seat, fixed the lightbulb in the back of my car, and helped me through the trials of life, my feelings for him started to bloom.

One day specifically changed my mind about who I wanted to be with. Braedon had found out I'm into snowboarding and invited me to go to Brianhead with him and some friends the weekend before finals. I explained to him my financial situation and told him I wouldn't be able to go. Just a few days later, at the closing Songs of the Heart social, we sat next to each other and he told me he had found a way for me to go without paying. He got a sweet deal with a friend, David, who worked there and we'd be able to board free of entrance fees. I was ecstatic! I spend December 10th on a beautiful mountain, in fresh snow, with awesome people. I had been torn and trying my best through prayer and scripture study to figure out who Heavenly Father wanted me to be dating. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. But as Braedon and I sat on a lift and climbed the mountain I realized there was no one else I'd rather be with than my best friend. That was my answer.
If you ever want a GOOD laugh, ask him or I about the first night we ever kissed, a little over one month after our first date. Let's just say... he didn't know it was going to happen. As we said goodbye that December 13th night to newfallen snow I wondered hard where my life was going. TWO days later we said goodbye as we each moved home to work for the Winter Break.
For the following couple of weeks we talked as much as we could each day, living our lives where we were but still trying to get to know each other even better. Each day grew harder and harder to be apart, so I decided to fix  that. I had planned on going back to Cedar City on Friday, January 6th right before the semester started. I made arrangements to go back a week early and surprise Braedon for New Years! I decided a whole week before I went home and, let me tell you, it's never been so hard to keep a secret in my life! I told him that I had something important to tell him and that I'd finally give it up Saturday after he got home from work (he was working in Gunlock during the week and Cedar on the weekends). The nervous feeling you get when you're about to drop on a rollercoaster at Lagoon; those were in my stomach the whole ride down to Cedar City. I called his mom, Laura, to clue her in on my plan and we (her, Lettie, and I) decided we would go down to Gunlock for the New Years celebration.
I waited in the parking lot across from Aspen Meadows, anxiously singing along to music and writing in my journal. The second I saw his Bronco pull in my stomach lurched. I had been playing this next moment in my head over and over again for days now. He walked in and called me. "What are you up to?" he excitely asked. I drove into his parking lot and got out of my car, "Oh, just got home from running an errand for my dad," I told him. I told him one sec, and so he set the phone down. Dang it! I stood on his porch waiting for him to come back on. I felt my pulse, literally racing. The moon was beautiful, and everything was right. I heard his voice on the phone and said,"Just one sec, my dad is talking to me." I put my cell phone on mute and knocked.. This was it!!!
I genuinely wish we could have recorded his reaction. The door opened, shock and misunderstanding filled his face, he turned around and kind of.. dropped/threw his phone, leaned against the wall and slid to the ground in disbelief. Yep, I had surprised him. It was sooo him, I laughed a little and sat next to him on the ground. He eventually hugged me tight and we talked. I gave him some time to grasp that I was actually there next to him. He hugged and laughed and danced to the song "Once in a Lifetime" by Keith Urban. It was perfect, and I became his girlfriend that night, December 31, when I went home and met his family.

Our New Years celebration couldn't have been better. I spent it with so many amazing people including my roommate, Lettie, and Braedon. His family was kind and warm, and everyone we were with were joyous to welcome in a New Year by understanding the blessings the gospel had brought them in 2011. Good food, great friends, and happy faces filled the night. There was even a small firework show at 10:00 pm to welcome in the "New York New Year."
At 12:00 am, January 1, 2012, we laid next to each other on the trap and I kissed the man I'd spend my eternity with. We saw three shooting stars that night, and you better believe I wished hard on all of them.

The next three months were more painful, exciting, challenging, and rewarding than I can ever explain to you through words. Every single day of my life I've grown closer to the woman I want to be through his example. At times things have been extremely hard for us. Being a convert to the church I grew up in a non-LDS home. I have fantastic parents whom I love dearly, but we simply have different backgrounds. I was very blessed to see early on that Braedon is what I want, and what I knew was and is correct for my life. The trials we've been through have increased our communication skills in ways I never knew possible. The adoration and love I've felt for this young man has even been overwhelming at times. I've never wanted to give every part of me to someone so badly, I've never felt so inclined to become 'one' with someone. Between first becoming such good friends before being exclusive and spending time away from one another we've been blessed to come to know each other in a way much deeper than just the physical aspects of dating.
Braedon Fletcher never knew how much he would change my life; sometimes we even joke about starting out as a rebound couple, both being recently out of relationships. He is a solid example of a hard-working, gospel grounded man of God. He shows more respect and love for me than I ever thought possible. He wants the very best for his future wife and family and is willing to sacrifice so much of himself to help them find joy. Some of the most beautiful moments to experience are the times I look at him and wonder, "Heavenly Father, how can I possibly have found someone like this?" and then Braedon says the exact same thing out loud to me.
Once upon a not too long ago the topic of marriage shyly came up, and Braedon asked me, "Cuando?" (which means 'when' in Spanish). And that was when our future became a little more real.
Over Spring Break I talked to my mother, father, and step-mother and told them the way things were developing. I can not express to you the grattitude I have toward their support, love, and hard work in helping Braedon and I make our wedding everything we want it to be. There's no way to explain to them accurately why I know this is right, they are just trusting me and helping in every way they can.

March 24th we went ring shopping in Salt Lake. Between the BEAUTIFUL ring we were able to find and my mother's diamond which sits in the middle, having a reception in my aunt Kristin's backyard, and the wedding dress I'm borrowing from a friend, Lexi, that I met this semester, Heavenly Father has blessed us in incredible ways financially.

On March 22nd Braedon took me up into the mountain for the short time we had between when he got off work and when I went to work. Due to the tight schedule he had taken me to my favorite restaurant the night before where we tried new Thai dishes and then to a park where we had a few wonderful conversations. Up in the mountain he took my hand and led me down a hill and into the heart of the desert forest. We hopped a barbed wire fence, perfectly representing our sense of adventure as a couple. He led me to a four-wheeler trail where he had placed 11 slips, tucked under rocks along the trail. He told me to read the first one, and that I'd have to walk the trail alone, but that he'd be waiting at the end to walk back with me. He ran down the trail and I stood alone, a perfect mix of shy and ready. The first slip of paper read,
"Trinity, you are about to walk down a path that will be both memorable and exciting. I've come up with a list of 'The Top 10 reasons why Braedon Fletcher so deeply desires to be married to you.' This definitely does not cover everything but I hope you will feel my love and spirit as you read them. Miss you already. Your love, Braedon"
At the bottom was the first line of our song, the one we danced to the night he asked me to be his girlfriend. My heart.. melted. As I walked along the trail and picked up each slip, the second being #10 and going down from there, I was touched by every single idea, comment, inside joke, and characteristic of me/us he had put down. There was one line of lyric on each slip. As I got further down I became more and more emotional, and as I read slip #1, I was overcome. It's far too personal and beautiful to share with the world, but you can know that the last line reads, "Trinity, my dear, I want you to be my forever."
I walked to where he was standing just a few feet away, tears streaming down my face. He took my hand and led me onto a small rock. The symbolism of him being below me was beautiful and showed so much about his love and respect for the woman I am. He pointed out the amazing view, why he loved it, and said a few incredibly tender things before getting down on his knee, my left hand in his, to ask to marry me. I covered my mouth with my other hand, sobbing, and nodded yes until he gave me his, "well, aren't you actually going to say it?" look. And so I did.

Braedon LeGrande Leavitt Fletcher has taken me on QUITE the
ride thus far. He became my best friend while I dated someone else, we spent weeks apart right after deciding we wanted to be together, and he took me home to meet his family the night we became official. He's taught me concepts and pieces of the gospel and joys in life that I've never had and inspires me to be better every single day. He's been here from yucky skin infections to staples in my head. Through intense school schedules, multiple jobs for both of us, and not enough sleep. We've had crazy ups and even crazier downs. The best part of it all: he'll be there through everything else too. The getting through our degrees and finding jobs. He'll be there through the birth of our children and the growing up years. He'll be there through sending our loved ones to where we are now and through growing old together. Braedon will be there for my eternity once we're sealed together in the Bountiful Temple, June 2, 2012. I once said to him, "I don't think there's another you out there that's as good for me as what I have right here, right now," and I know that to be true. I have not fallen in love, but I have chosen to be in love, for the rest of forever.

I deeply enjoy wearing the engagement/wedding ring he has given me; it literally hasn't left my finger. It is beautiful, completely me, and holds so much symbolism. It feels good to be "taken" by someone so perfect for me, and I've loved replacing the term "boyfriend" with "fiance!" But the ring itself is a mere penny in the wealth that Braedon has brought to my life.

Nov 11, 2011 changed my life.
June 2, 2012 will change my eternity.
I love you, Braedon Fletcher, with everything I have. Thank you for all you have done and all you will do. Thank you for being my forever.

Trinity Vanessa ♥