When Don and I started dating over a year ago, I was done wasting time on the wrong guys... and I wanted to get married and start a family as soon as possible! I told Don a year ago... that we would try this relationship out for 3 months, then re-evaluate. Well, things went great the first three months, the next three months after that, he moved to Utah and things were still OK. I knew that he was totally marriage material for me, Don needed more time and would ask me to be patient with him.
We set a year mark for a goal to make a decision about our relationship... (at least that's how I took the conversations we'd had). Came and went the end of June (our 1 year dating mark) with no proposal, I felt like I was getting dragged along again, only this time by a really neat guy! I felt like he should know by now how he felt for me by now, and if he didn't know by now... then I was done waiting for him to figure it out.
It was a rough time, I was tired of him asking me to be patient. We hadn't talked in a few days, then I get a text from him to look up one of his cameras of a house he was building on the internet. I texted back, OK. These cameras were video only, no sound. I logged on to his job site camera at the appointed time and there Don was with a spiral notebook with messages written on them... these were the messages... He first said sorry, then asked me to be PATIENT, but had crossed out patient... and wrote MINE FOREVER, then the last note that said, will you marry me... then the "thank you".
I immediately went to call him, but first had to text him to say, "YES!" We had to keep the whole technology thing going. teehee In these pictures, Don is sitting down talking with me on the cell phone. I made him sit there and flip through the notebook so I could get pictures of each note... teehee We got engaged on July 10, 2006 and set our wedding date for September 23, 2006... just 10 weeks later!
This was the 3rd year in a row that I had been to the Ghiraradelli Chocolate Festival... and this year we had a very small group with us! Bummer for everyone that didn't make it with us! We did the normal, eat all the chocolate you can without splitting your pants open... then we took a drive over to Oakland to the temple... as we were getting married in two weeks from then! It was freezing cold... but come the day of our wedding... it was beautiful! LUCKY US!! :)
I graduated High School in June of 1993, went to 1.5 years of college at Utah State... went on a mission, took a few classes at Foothill college in hopes to become a dental hygienist, got a dental office assistant job... worked my way up to dental office manager... then decided I hated all the germs, hated having to wash my dry skinned hands all day long... and felt like a dental office was a dead-end job. So I left that job for an Executive Assistant job in the Semiconductor industry! I LOVED IT! My boss there told me over and over that I needed to get my degree. I made great money for not having a degree, but he always encouraged me to get my degree as to open up more opportunities for my self in the future... and to take advantage of TUITION REIMBURSEMENT! So I did... I took just enough classes for my work, Applied Materials to pay for my education... and finally graduated with my Bachelor's in Business Management in June of 2006. WAHOOO! Don came out to California for my graduation on July 15... and we went to San Francisco to go ring shopping the morning before my graduation!
When Don and I started dating over a year ago, I was done wasting time on the wrong guys... and I wanted to get married and start a family as soon as possible! I told Don a year ago... that we would try this relationship out for 3 months, then re-evaluate. Well, things went great the first three months, the next three months after that, he moved to Utah and things were still OK. I knew that he was totally marriage material for me, Don needed more time and would ask me to be patient with him.
Over the next 6 months after Don had moved to Utah and I was still in California... we made an effort to see each other about 2 times a month, taking turns going to Utah and California. We went to Yosemite, I went snowboarding with my niece, I attended the Singles Winter Retreat (sad Don wasn't there), we went to the Homestead in Utah, Carmel, Rexburg and Jackson Hole for my brother's graduation from BYU-Idaho, we met in Las Vegas and Winnemucca, I spent a weekend on the lake with my sister's family and called Don to tell him about the big catfish I caught... then we flew together to Oregon for Don and Dan's 20 year High School reunion late June.
Don started the Utah job in January... and at the end of the month, he came back to have a last party with us and to pack up and move out. There were many friends at both his farewell and move day. A good friend Sai, put together a slideshow of Don and friends over the years. Several friends and I put together a photo album of pictures and memories from several people of Don. Several people came to his place on his move day to help pack, load the truck, including his dad from Oregon. Several girls were there cleaning his place! Don is loved and will be missed by many, especially me!
