FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW

A little while ago I wrote about how Braden (my fiance) and I met. He insisted that he share his side of the story because he calls is the "accurate" version. So ladies and gentleman, here it is. Take from it what you want but remember... here is the REAL version. 

The accurate account of one’s meeting to another.

A few years back I was heading down to Moab. This was a regular, and reoccurring, trip throughout the summer. (I think I made it to Moab ~10+ times that summer.)  This weekend was going to be the MMT (Massive Moab Trip.)  What a prime event for finding friends (aka: attractive women to date). I invited a few jeeping buddies that didn’t want to stay with the massive group of 500+ college students. One of my jeeping friends had brought a few people in his jeep. I first saw Maddie in the city market parking lot, flirting and being flirted with by her "boyfriend" or so I thought. I didn’t think much of it, I thought she was attractive, and seemed to be fun. On a later trail, I talked a little to her and her friend Alli. I remember that Alli was into climbing, but I didn’t talk to Maddie much, as I was told she was dating the guy she came with. Later on after the trip, Maddie and I became FB friends.  We didn’t talk much, if any after that. We were mere acquaintances. 

A few years flew by, and it was about time for MMT again. As the trip approached, my friends would invite everyone they knew. I used to invite so many people, but for some reason, I was more interested in having an empty jeep than have a jeep full of 19 year old college girls that would be disappointed because we weren't planning on rolling. I removed my back seat, and placed my spare tire inside. Problem solved. I can only take 1 person, and young college girls can’t do anything without (what they call) their bff’s (or bae’s).  Now I’ll likely have a nice quiet jeep. My buddies had bets on when I would put my back seat in… and they were astonished that I held through with no back seat. There I was, ready for a fun trip full of jeeping and making friends (really, only friends…girls were just trouble).  MMT was only about a week away and I paid Rico for the MMT fee. Seconds later I got a notification that this Madeline Millburn ‘liked’ my payment.  Madeline Millburn….I remember her, I thought to myself. After a few seconds of some basic Facebook stalking, I decided I had no choice but to message her. She gave me an opportunity to contact her by liking my payment. This might be my only and last chance to say something without coming across as a major creeper.  If you listen to Maddie's story, she claimed I had no game… (really? then why are we engaged now? ;) ). I quickly messaged Maddie on FB. After some welcoming and charming messages, she replied with: 

“Sounds so fun! I will see if I can figure stuff out with work and two of my girly friends. I want to jeep and rock climb! I rock climbed outside for the first time last week haha.. But it was so fun! And I miss jeeping! I haven't been for a while. Keep me posted on your plans. My number is 801-918-9227!” 

Wow. That worked better than I though. Somehow I didn’t even need to ask for her number, just let her know that I would make sure I had a spot for her and her besties in the group I was caravanning down in. And she was throwing her number at me. Cha-ching.

I took advantage of having her number and texted her the next day. Somehow we concluded that we were getting married and for an engagement gift, I was going to give her a white Jeep. With power everything.  (Ha. Now we are engaged….hmmm, about the white jeep... well, I guess it will have to be a late engagement gift... like years late.) Haha.

After some complicated discussions about who is riding where… we finally were off to Moab. I spent as much time with Maddie as I could. I promised her my front seat for the whole trip, besides one trail where I promised someone a ride.

We had so much fun. Even when I was completely distracted by her beauty, causing a front roll over in the jeep.  Crunch. Ha. We were sitting upside down and she yelled out “I’m okay!!!” before I could say anything. I looked at her and had that feeling that I should kiss her! Well, I didn’t make a move.  After, I was regretting that.  But don’t worry, there was another opportunity on this trip – and I was shot down.  We were on the top of Gold Bar Rim at like 1:30 a.m… Starry eyed, I moved in for a kiss.

“Um…I’m not going to kiss you. You haven’t even taken me out on a date.”

Hahaha. She felt a little bad, and was worried I was going to be upset.  I wasn’t at all. Shortly after, she grabbed my hand.  Don’t worry, our first date was that night, at 3 a.m., at Denny’s.  The first kiss didn’t happen on this trip… That’s a story for another time.

The weekend was coming to an end, and everyone was starting to make their way back home.  Back to the complicated part, arranging who rides with who.  I was going to do everything in my power to have Maddie ride home in my truck.  Somehow the drive home resulted with just me and Maddie in my truck! That was the fastest drive home from Moab I have ever had. We couldn’t stop talking, smiling, laughing, holding hands…. It was perfect. 

After that drive home, I knew I wanted to spend as much time as possible with her, and even with her living in Logan, that wasn’t going to stop me! 

The weekend after MMT, I drove up to Logan to spend the weekend. 9 months later, here we are, engaged and getting married on June 25th.  I’m so grateful to have Maddie in my life. I love her with all my heart. I’m so excited to marry her and build a life with her. She is my best friend.

----- Oh hey, it's Maddie again. I promised I would publish his version even though it irks me to read. It's soo not accurate and he left out some VERY important details. But there it is. Written for everyone to see. 
Even though his memory must be failing him at the young age of 27, I remember what REALLY happened and have it written down so we never forget. Call it a "Notebook" type situation if you will. 
Even if he is bonkers, I love him unconditionally. I am so blessed to have him in my life. 

Our Unadulterated Story of Love

How two people come together in a world full of adversity is a mystery to me. All I know is that we found each other through a tangled web of events that began a few years ago.

It all began on an adventure trip in Moab, Utah. I was with a small group of friends, one who mutually knew Braden, and he was with a group of friends (girls mainly.. although he swears there were boys there too.) I first noticed his dark hair and big jeep when he made it nearly impossible for me, or anyone else, not to. Hot doggin' in his jeep with a new girl in the front seat everyday made him stand out to most of the females in our group, although not in the best way. The trip came and went and we exchanged names. Later we became friends on Facebook and followed each other on Instagram, but that was the extent of our relationship. Every now and then I would see a picture in my feed about him traveling to China one week and Costa Rica the next, thinking to myself that he was just an arrogant playboy.

Years passed and another Moab trip approached at the start of the summer. It's called the MMT-Massive Moab Trip. Hundreds of adventurous people go to engage in every outdoor activity imaginable with people who share similar interests. Every year people into jeeping attend, and naturally Braden would be there. I hadn't thought of him in what felt like ages until I stumbled across his payment on Venmo. (Venmo is a money transferring app that connects you to your friends on Facebook. It's great for paying a few dollars here and there to contribute to bills, pizza, gas, or to pitch in for any group expense. You can also see a feed of your friend's payments and like them or comment on them.) Because Braden and I were Facebook friends, I could see his payments. As I was creepily scrolling through the payments after paying my portion of the utilities bill, I saw he paid his fee for the MMT and I liked it. The next thing I know I got a Facebook message from Braden with some cheesy comment alluding to the idea that he didn't know he was going to get to talk to a cute girl today. Blah, blah.. It was crap to me at the time.

He invited me to the MMT with him and his friends. I accepted. Of course with the condition that I could take two of my best friends.

On the third day we jeeped to the top of a mountain late at night to see the stars in a caravan of vehicles. Everyone in the group admired the stars for a while and when it was time to leave, we all went back to the jeeps. I was the copilot in Braden's jeep. As I sat in the passenger seat, he began to flirt, and I mean hard. He was intense and I knew where it was going. I let him lean in and I even leaned in a bit. I let him go further. I stayed put. He went further and when I could almost feel his breath I asked in my sassy tone, "What are you doing? You haven't even taken me on a date yet!!"

Dumbfounded and slightly uncomfortable, he looked at me and smiled an awkward smile. He pulled away and put his jeep into gear and proceeded down the trail. A few minutes later I realized what I had done and timidly asked, "Are you mad?"

"Not at all," he said.

I was so relieved. I can't remember who made the first move next but I knew we were holding hands and we held hands every second we could from that moment on. While the caravan was taking forever, and I mean forever, Braden and I were dying of hunger. We ditched the group, took off and headed to Denny's. Thus began our first date. Eating hashbrowns and eggs at 3 a.m. has never been so fun. We talked and laughed until we couldn't keep our eyes open a minute longer.

After the Massive Moab Trip ended we both returned to our homes. PLOT TWIST! I lived in Logan and he lived in Spanish Fork. That's a 2.5 hour drive from one place to the other. So that was fun... NOT! Braden came up two to three times a week for the next few months until I graduated from college and moved back down to Salt Lake City. He saved my life that summer. I lived with 9 girls and my room was over 100 degrees with a major Box Elder Bug infestation. Braden provided me with an air conditioner and vacuum that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford. He helped me find the perfect car within my budget instead of my 1995 Tahoe with no a/c that got 10 mpg and took a pint of oil every hundred miles. He helped me push through my last semester of college taking 24 credits and he kept me sane while waking up at 4 a.m. for work.

Braden is a blessing to me. He is my adventure partner and my emotional support. He helps me practice patience and solve problems in every aspect of my life. We have been blessed with opportunities to travel together and explore new things. I even conquered my worst fear with him by my side. My biggest fear is heights and a few months ago I rappelled myself off the edge of a 120 foot cliff with him easing me through it.

All in all, Braden is my best friend. He's my companion and my confidant. He's the biggest gentleman I know and I never doubt his ability to get through a situation or protect me. He's burly and manly yet he's sensitive and sweet. He's kind and selfless to everyone he meets and he's one of the hardest workers I know. He supports my dreams and helps me make them realities.  I am whimsical, he is logical. I am emotional, he is reasonable. I am the dreamer and he's the achiever. I am his and he is mine.

We are opposites that fit perfectly together.

J.O.Y.

Today Choose Joy is more than just a phrase about choosing to be happy.  It's more than a blog to rant about my life. 
It's about becoming a better person and always trying to progress. It's documenting my journey to finding myself and hoping someone is inspired along the way. 
It's about choosing JOY to find happiness and bring it to others. We receive joy and happiness by serving first Jesus, others, and finally ourselves. 

I hope by following with me along my journey, you will be one step closer to finding joy.