Singles Ward Camp Out

Our relationship got started at a week long church camp the second to last week in June 2014.
We had met just a few weeks earlier and hadn't really hung out much, but I asked if he was going to the Camp out and he said he would try.
He couldn't get the time off work, so he would drive into town every morning for work, and then come back up the mountain as soon as he got off. It seemed crazy to drive over an hour into the mountains every evening, just to have a few hours before going to bed and then having to leave early every morning, but Im glad he did.
Everyday I would wait for him to come back after work, and then we would spend every minute together late into the night until he had to go to sleep to work the next day.
Being out in nature with no distractions of technology or things gave us the opportunity to really get to know each other on a deeper level. We would hang out at the firesides and evening activities, and then we were the last people to watch the fire go out late at night. We would sit and talk, and make sandwiches as we sat under the stars.
On day one Michael was just a friend I kinda crushed on but hardly knew. By the end of the week he was the person I spent every minute with.  Nothing brings you closer than sitting alone by a fire late at night under the stars and talking for hours.

Even though I was the crazy girl who ran around in camo hats with no makeup, and hadn't had a real shower for at least 3 days, for some reason he still found me somewhat attractive? 

 I guess he saw my craziness as adventurous or something. 

The Day we Met... Our Singles Ward Story

In February of 2014 I was working 13 hour days between 2 jobs, and had no social life. I decided to quit my second job and try to enjoy what was left of my teenage years. And I started going to Singles Ward Activities on Monday nights.

Michael would work all day, and then go home to his apartment and watch TV until he fell asleep every night. He had just moved back to Vernal and didn't have many friends to hang out with. His parents told him repeatedly to go to Singles Ward but he always had an excuse not to go. He felt like he wouldn't get along with the people there since he wasn't super religious. 

About the end of May of 2014 he finally decided to go to one of the Monday night activities. It was a kickball game at the Stake center. He showed up and didn't really know anyone so he sat down at the pavilion and watched the game that was in progress.

I was hanging out with my friend Natalie I knew from school. She pointed out Michael sitting there and asked me to go over with her so she could get his number. I said "I don't know, he doesn't really look like he wants to be bothered" but she insisted, so being the good wing woman I am I went over with her so she could talk to him. 

She tried small talk for a few minutes and then took off running. I awkwardly looked at Michael and said "I uh... gonna go." And followed her. She was upset because she said he was too busy checking me out to pay attention to what she was saying. I laughed and told her she was over reacting, but we did not go back over to talk to him that night. 

He told me that he was obsessed with my eyes being so blue and he honestly wasn't paying attention to Natalie at all.

I saw him at the following activities over the next couple weeks. He hung out with the same group of friends I did. One day we went to Sonic after long boarding all night and one of the other guys asked me what I like to do for fun. I said "drive my beater truck through the woods and mud." to which Michael said from another table "Thats hott" Which is the first words Id ever heard come out of his "shy" mouth. That night before he left he came over and told me that he would be having some people over for a movie at his place soon and wanted my number so he could invite me. So I put my number in his phone.

A few days later he called me and told me he was inviting some of the friend group over. I asked specifically who would be going and he listed off a few names including one of the other guys from singles ward I was hanging out with. I didn't want to be in an award situation, or want Michael to think I was more than friends with this other guy who I knew liked me, so I told him I was busy and couldn't come. Later I found out I was the first person he invited and when I declined he canceled the whole idea and spend the night at home all alone. I still feel bad about that. 

The Singles Ward was having their big YSA Camp Out Activity the next week so I asked Mike if he was going. He said he was going to try.