the love story: FROM DATING TO COURTSHIP

Yours Truly:
Regardless of my hesitancy to kiss on our first date and to be exclusive I still wanted to see him a lot. That same week we went on two other dates. I can't say that I have the best memory of what exactly we did on every date from here on out... I'm sure Cole can tell you, but I know that one of them was him coming to play games with my family. That was interesting... I could tell he felt super nervous and I definitely didn't want my family to think it was anything serious so we acted like good friends. We had a good time. My family liked him, but he was being his super shy version of himself.

Cole:
After our first date, I knew things were going to go uphill from there! Although I knew that she didn't really love our first kiss, I knew that she secretly LOVED it and that she still wanted to date. I knew this because she invited me to come up to her house that week and play games with her family! I was beyond terrified of her family at the beginning though. I wasn't quite sure how to act though... They all had so many inside jokes and stories, I just didn't know where to pipe in! So I kind of kept to myself and laughed when appropriate. I really loved meeting her family though. I got to see a fun side of Annie that I had never seen before.


Yours Truly:
Again, unlike typical girls I can be bad with remembering dates and details, but at this point I found myself having an inner battle. I knew that I liked Cole, but I liked other people too. I also felt bad because I was just making him wait on hold kind of while I figured things out. (He said he was asking other girls on dates, but I never saw evidence of that.) I met his family and I really liked them and they made me feel very welcome. (Including his adorable grandpa calling me Cole's "girlfriend"... I felt a bit awkward about that.) His family wasn't very good at hiding how much Cole liked me so I was getting more and more worried that I was going to hurt him, but what I didn't realize was that more and more I just wanted to be with Cole. Even though I was excited about other dates and boys I always found myself gravitating to Cole. I couldn't help but call him and hang out with him and go on dates. And I couldn't get over what a good person he is. He really made me want to be better.

Cole:
Yeah... I didn't really date a lot of other girls once Annie was home. I went on a few dates during the Summer when she was still on the mission, but once she got home, that was it! It was fun for her to meet my family though. She straightened her hair and wore a pretty green dress. When my family met her, they all looked at me and gave me the thumbs up. My mom whispered "she is beautiful!" Good times.

Yours Truly:
Then came the date of all dates. It was the turning point for me. It was a very simple date. It was his mom's birthday so we made a very delicious cake for her, ate it with his family, and watched a movie. I know it may not seem like anything special, but for me it was. It felt like a snapshot into what real life with Cole would be like. We were laughing, talking, baking, visiting with his family, etc. Through all of that I just felt completely comfortable and happy. I remember actually thinking on that date, "I think this is exactly what everyday life with Cole would be like, and I like it." I felt so happy. I knew then that I wanted to date him. I wanted to make sure that I didn't just feel this way on a whim or that it was just that night so I didn't tell him that I wanted to exclusively date just yet.

Cole:
My mom's birthday was a really special date for us. During the whole process up to this point, I was just hoping that Annie would want to keep dating me and eventually get to the point where she only liked me. As for me, however, apparently I wasn't the hardest to get. But let's be real, it's not that difficult to love Annie. Who can blame me? That date was a really fun and memorable, but to her, it was a game changer. That's when she fell in love with me! (She tells me now). It made me happy to know that I didn't need to do anything extravagant or spend a lot of money for her to like me. She liked me because I knew how to have a good time by just being myself!

Yours Truly:
The rest of that weekend was good and we had a great time. Then on Monday we went with his family to a play at the Hale Theater in Orem. I felt so happy. Again, a simple date but I knew. I knew that I wanted to date him exclusively. I didn't have any desire to go out with anyone else. I felt so happy and excited so I finally told him after the play that I wanted to date him and only him. He was just a little excited. ;)

Cole:
The two or three days following this date were life changing. Annie really started to warm up to me and express MUCH more interest in me. After the Hale Theater on Monday night, Annie told me how much our date the previous Friday had meant to her and that she just wanted to go on dates with me. Wahoo!!!! I was so happy. This was the end of the single life as I knew it. I mustered up the courage and I said, "Annie... I think I'm falling in love with you." and she said, "Yeah, I think I'm falling in love with you too, Cole." Life was bliss.

Yours Truly:
Not too long after that I knew that I wanted to marry him. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Then, we went to the temple rededication of the Ogden Temple together and the whole time I was there I felt the strongest impression that this was who I wanted to marry. I knew it. I felt that that was something God was pleased with too, but I waited to pray about it until that night. When I prayed and told Heavenly Father the decision I had made and asked if He thought it was a good idea. I felt the most clear impression I have ever felt that this was the right thing to do.

Cole:
So I know that God really trusts me and my decision making, so when I really prayed to know if Annie was a good choice, I felt calm and confident the whole time. I never had an overwhelming answer that she was the "right" one, but I always knew that Annie was an excellent choice. As time goes on and on, I'm realizing how excellent she really is.

the love story: OUR FIRST DATE

Yours Truly:
I'd been home for about a week and a half and life was a bit insane. Cole and I had talked on the phone some and texted a bit (this seemed SUPER weird after being on a mission. I kept trying to tell my sister everything he was saying to me because it felt inappropriate to have a private conversation.) We planned to do something chill so we could get to know the non-missionary side of each other. I was really excited. I had been on several dates since I'd been home and they all were great guys, but Cole was one of the ones I was most excited about.

Cole:
Boy oh boy, I can honestly say that I was so excited all summer to finally go on a date with Annie. She wasn't really thinking about it because she was still on her mission, but I was so excited. A few weeks before she arrived home, I sent a message to Kevin and Michelle on Facebook discussing the best plan of action. Of course Kevin came up with something brilliant. It was a few days after she got home from her cabin, and I called the Tanner's home phone. As soon as Daken answered the phone, I said, "Does the goose fly at midnight?" and he responded, "Only in Nantuckett" At this moment, everyone in the home knew that I was calling. Daken gave the phone to Annie and we had a wonderful two hour conversation. It was so weird talking to her not as a missionary, but the conversation didn't feel awkward at all! We planned on going on a date the next Monday after I got home from Washington DC.

Yours Truly:
The day finally came and he came to my house to pick me up. It was so strange seeing him dressed in normal clothes and especially without a companion at his side. I couldn't help but notice that he was looking at me differently than he ever did while we were on our missions. Our first hug was a little weird because it was in front of my whole family, but not too bad. We went to cold stone first and had a great chat over ice cream. I think I said, "wow, this is weird" several times throughout the night.


Cole:
The day FINALLY came! Up to that point, I was SO excited. But then the dreaded drive up to Centerville was the longest drive of my entire life. My heart was pounding and I could feel myself breaking into a nervous sweat. My stomach began to turn and I felt a little bit queazy. I finally made it up to Centerville, but instead of going to the Tanner home, I went to Carls Jr. to use the restroom. I looked myself in the mirror, gave myself a little pep talk, and mustered up the courage to finally drive up. I said a little prayer in my heart and walked up to the front door, just to see Annie for the first time in regular human clothes looking as beautiful as ever. I was anticipating a really big hug straightaway and it would be the most magical thing in the world! But it wasn't. We kind of gave each other a little side hug and I was introduced to her lovely parents, ready to start a wonderful evening.


Yours Truly:
Then we went on a little hike/walk above the Bountiful temple. As we walked up the mountain he grabbed my hand. I was a little taken off guard. I hadn't been home very long and I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but I enjoyed it. When we got to the top we were having a great chat and we had such a good hug. Not awkward like our first. It made me feel all happy and excited inside. Hugging was something I really missed on my mission.

Cole:
We went to Cold Stone and had really naturally flowing, jovial conversation (which apparently she thought was awkward at first? what the?) But I could tell that she was happy, and I was having the time of my life. We drove up past the Bountiful Temple to enjoy the beautiful view. We got out of the car and began to walk up the hill behind the temple. For about two minutes, my heart was thumping and I just stared at her hand, then finally, yoink! I grabbed her hand! I was so proud of myself. Finally, when we got up the hill our magical hug finally happened. It was perfect! We hugged for probably an entire minute overlooking the sunset and Temple, pretty magical right?? I loved it.

Yours Truly:
Then we went to a park to go star gazing since we both love that. We were having a great chat and then we saw a shooting star. Immediately we both made a wish... to be honest I don't even remember what mine was, but then Cole was telling me to stand up. He got that look in his eye. Then he told me that kissing me was his wish and he kissed me. I remember him asking me if it was ok and I said yes. I didn't want to make it awkward. I liked him. I wanted to keep going on dates, but when I kiss I like it to mean that I am exclusively dating that person.

So fairly quickly I pulled away and explained that to him. He took it well. It lead to some great conversation. I liked him a lot after that date. I was very excited about what it could maybe bring. I wished we wouldn't have kissed, but it didn't scare me off. At all. And that's saying something for me because I normally would have run the other way. Especially, when I was so fresh off of my mission.

Cole:
Originally, I had never planned on kissing Annie our first date. I had been pressured jokingly by a few of my friends, but I really didn't plan on kissing her. We both expressed our love for star gazing, so we decided that would be a fun way to wrap up the night. We went to a park nearby her house and gazed at the stars. After a bit of time, I was feeling a righteous urge to kiss her, but I kept telling myself that it was too soon. As we were looking at the sky, however, God sent us a bright gleaming shooting star straight across the sky, which was a clear signal to me that I needed to kiss her. No witness until after the trial of your faith, right??? I told her to stand up, then I looked her in the eye and said, this is my wish, and I slowly went in and kissed her. Apparently, Annie thought that I ASKED her permission to kiss her??? Not my style. The kiss lasted probably about .8 seconds before she pulled away and while smiling said, "You punk! I don't kiss on the first date!" Ha. While feeling a little guilty and embarrassed inside, I was certain that she enjoyed it because of the way the night had already been going, even though she doesn't like to admit that. We established that we would only kiss when we were officially dating. We continued to talk and laugh and I felt strongly inside that Annie would be a great option for me to pursue.

the love story: HOW WE MET

Yours Truly:

The first day I met Cole I didn't even know his name was Cole. All I knew him by was Elder Gardner. It was my second day in Australia. I was extremely jet lagged, although I was in denial and I thought I was fine, wrong. I was feeling overly tired and a bit strange being a new place and my companion was sick to top it all off. I was FREEZING so I already had my pajamas on under my skirt and had a huge blanket wrapped around me.

Elder Gardner and Elder Jordan were my first zone leaders. They came to welcome me to the zone and say hello. They are both very enthusiastic people... I was a bit overwhelmed... I thought to myself, "Wow, these Elders are waaaay too peppy for my taste." Again, I was jet lagged and easily irritated. It ended up being one of my favorite things about their companionship.

Cole:

I remember the first time I met Sister Tanner! Not because anything special happened. There were no sparks or anything even remotely close to that. I was a young Zone Leader and more into my mission than ever at that point, being completely focused on the Lord and His work. Elder Jordan and I were excited to have another sister in our Zone, because sisters typically have a strong work ethic and bring a strong fire into missionary work. Let me tell you, Sister Tanner did just that! She and Sister Vinck were some of the hardest working missionaries in our zone and we loved being able to work closely with them. At this point, I felt no real attraction to Sister Tanner, although she was beautiful.

My first transfer in Australia with Elder Gardner

Yours Truly:

I quickly grew to love (in a friendly way) both of these Elders. My companion and I were both brand new missionaries and we really didn't know what we were doing, so essentially they trained us. I think we called them with at least one question everyday. They were SO patient and kind to us. All four of us became fast friends and I didn't think much of it. 

I always stayed good friends with both of them. They were assistants together as well and I had the opportunity to serve in places and positions that caused us to see them quite a bit and I got to know Elders Jordan and Gardner very well. I always knew that they were outstanding Elders and I was very excited that we could all be friends at BYU. 

I noticed quickly that Elder Gardner and I got along really well. He was a great leader to me. He was kind, fun, and thoughtful. The more I got to know him the more I realized how GOOD he is. Cole is just good to the core.

Cole:

As my mission went on, I continued to get to know Sister Tanner on more of a missionary level, but as a friend as well. The more I got to know her as a friend, the more attracted I became to her, and therefore, the further I wanted to stay away from her! I prayed and fasted multiple times that I would be able to stay focused and do the Lord's work with a clear mind. I sincerely did my very best to never ever flirt with her and to only speak to her like two missionaries do with each other.

Yours Truly:

Cole finished his mission 3 months before I did and when he went home he left a letter for me. It was very appropriate and kind. He told me that he loved serving around me and hoped we could write until I got home. We did. 

We started writing every week. I noticed that he would wait up until quite late (his time) so that he could get my email before he went to sleep. I found myself greatly anticipating his emails and seeing him in a less "missionary-type" way. I loved the advice he gave me and he helped me to push hard until the end of my mission.

Cole:

When I finished my last transfer, I decided that I would write her a letter telling her how grateful I was for her example of faith and hard work. She really was such an incredible missionary. I always looked up to her as one of the most obedient sisters in the mission. As I worked hard the summer I got home in Washington DC, I would look forward to emails from her every Sunday night. We wrote more as friends, but I still encouraged her to remain faithful and stay focused to the end, which I had no question that she would anyways.