Firsts

Ah, Valentine’s Day. The day to celebrate amour. Thinking about this day has brought back memories of the significant “moments of love” from my life. Everyone has these moments. Everyone loves hearing about these moments. And everyone loves sharing their own moments. For your enjoyment, and our own, here are some of our moments…

First Crush

Jessica: I think this category can be split in two – the first crush I had on someone, and the first crush someone else had on me. For me, the latter is easier to remember. I was in first grade (I think), and a new boy moved to our school because his dad was the new vice principle. David was his name. He liked me, and he had no hesitation in telling everyone. I’m sure this is hard for you all to believe (ahem), but I was a quiet, shy child and didn’t like attention drawn to me. One day, our class was working on an art project. My best friend Heather sat next to me at the round table, and David sat across from me. The entire time, David told everyone at the table what his plan for our lives would be. Just at the end of his fantasy, the teacher turned out the lights, which she did to get everyone to quiet down. As soon as everything went black, the entire room went silent, except for David, who yelled out, “And then we’ll get MARRIED!” The whole class laughed, I went bright red, and my friends teased me about it for days.

Maybe the reason I was so embarrassed about David liking me was because I had a crush on another boy in my class. I went to year-round elementary school, so I had the same kids in my class from kindergarten through 4^th grade. While my crushes did rotate, I always had a crush on Cameron. I remember one day at recess, a couple of my friends and I were discussing which boys we liked. I admitted to liking Cameron, and unbeknownst to me, one of Cameron’s friends was spying on us, listening. It took the rest of recess to convince him that the Cameron I liked was not the one in our class, but a different Cameron in another state. And yes, my parents did get the idea to name my brother Cameron from this boy.

Jonathan: Ok, this one could be construed to mean a lot of different people. You know, like, say a neighborhood mom that was really nice to you when you were five or something. But, so you all know, it means the first available-to-available, near-each-other’s-age crush, also known as the “standard crush.” So let’s get down to the nitty gritty. The first person I had a crush on was in first grade. It was Jessica Francis. She had red hair and a voice that made me smile when I wasn’t playing football during recess or picking my nose. The best part was we were to put on a Christmas play and Jessica had volunteered to be Mrs. Clause. So what did I do? I volunteered to be Mr. Clause hoping for a kissing scene which never came to fruition. But I did do my job well and it was fun. THE END.

First Valentine

Jessica: In elementary and middle school, Valentine’s Day is kind of a big deal. Everyone makes a little mailbox and brings valentines for everyone in the class. One year, I think in 3^rd grade, a boy in my class, Jordan, gave me a valentine that asked me if I would be his girlfriend. But this was not the first time he had asked. Jordan used to call me and ask if I could come over and play at his house, or go swimming in his pool, or even have a sleepover at his house. I knew I wasn’t supposed to have a boyfriend, but I didn’t want to tell him no, so I think I ignored him. The next year, a new girl had moved into our class, and Jordan’s affections transferred to her. He gave her a heart-shaped box of chocolate. I was jealous and never liked the girl after that. Jordan and I didn’t see or talk to each other much after elementary school. But my senior year of high school, Jordan asked to sign my yearbook. He wrote that he had been too shy to ask me out again in high school, but that I would always be his “elementary school sweetheart.”

Jonathan: My first Valentine was some girl in sixth grade. I don’t really remember her name because I was in a different sixth grade class than she was. Her friend, Jennifer Price, had asked me if I liked her so I told her "yes" and then she came back and asked if I wanted to “go out" with whatever her name was, and I said "yes." So we were elementarily official. Valentine’s Day was coming up and Jen came to inform me that the girl I was dating wanted some kind of present and so I started saving my money. I must have really liked her because I had saved up 15 dollars and was going to by a necklace that came in a rose shaped ring box. (The flower opened like a ring box and the necklace was inside.) I was on my way to the mall when my dad asked why we were going there. I told him, figuring he would understand, that I really needed to get that necklace. But as soon as he knew what I was buying and for whom, the car spun around and we went right back home. The most embarrassing part was I had to tell my mom what my plan was.

I ended up getting a Valentine stuffed animal, and all I got her (or my parents got her) was some chocolate kisses with a heart saying, “I kiss the ground you walk on.” Lame I know.

First Date

Jessica: In high school, a friend of mine introduced me to her friend, Andrew. We would chat on IM or talk on the phone for hours. We really knew and understood each other completely. He was just the friend I needed during those turbulent high school years. I remember one night very clearly. I had just learned that I would have to move high schools after my sophomore year because of boundary changes. I was sitting on the front porch crying about it when my mom came out to hand me the phone, telling me that Andrew was on the line. He listened while I explained what happened and how I felt, and then he just encouraged me and gave me some advice, making sure I knew that my friends would not forget about me and promising me that it wouldn’t be as bad as I thought. And he was right. When I turned 16, he asked if he could be the first one to take me out. We played tennis and got snow cones and talked. Andrew cared about me very much, and I couldn’t have found a better friend. Looking back, he was the perfect person to take me on my first date.

Jonathan: Melissa Hawkins probably was my first date (51% sure) but I don’t really remember so I’ll just go with it. I had just entered into high school and my brother was a senior and I was a huge tag along. I went where ever he and his friends did, and I spent weekends with them. So it was kind of natural that I got asked to a dance by a senior. They were the only girls I hung out with. I was sitting at the computer when the phone rang and I was handed the phone. I think I was a second or third option because the dance was coming up that weekend, and Melissa called and asked a sophomore to go with her. The date was awkward due to the fact that puberty hadn’t even touched me yet and I wasn’t sure if a date was suppose to be romantic. The hug at the end nearly made me pass out due to fright that she was making a move! ;)

First Kiss

Jonathan: Lake Powell is a magical place!

I had endured the travel all the way down. I remember listening to Harry Potter one on CD. I was 16 years old. It was an annual trip and I was looking forward to seeing some pretty girls. Well to my surprise there was a whole camp of just girls and a few brothers right next to our camp of seven boys. Competition was fierce for the prettiest ladies. We hung out, swam around, and basically got to know each other. The night of my first kiss we were all surrounding a fire and Ariel and I, yes her name was Ariel, were slowly excluded from the group by my friends who were trying to screen us from the view of the adults who were on the other side, away from the group by about a row. Well, her braces hurt but other than that it was really nice. She was new and I was new too, so I couldn’t complain. I went to bed and woke up on the last day of our trip to find I had left my life jacket over at the other camp. I didn’t want to go back over there and get it - her father was sure to have heard and would probably caber toss me out into the lake. So my friends went over and told her to bring it over because I wanted seconds. She came over and sat on my lap. I couldn’t have been more embarrassed because now everyone was staring at me... And did I mention this was a Priest Quorum activity and my leader was right there? No?Well it was, and he was. Ariel was looking for another kiss, but I wasn’t going to give it. So I came back home and never heard from her again. I severed all contact. Oh, one more really quick embarrassing fact. She told me she was 16 too. Nope, 14. I have to go take a shower now….brrr.

First Love

Jessica: My first kiss and first love were one and the same. The first time I was around Scott, I wanted to be a part of his life. One of our mutual friends and I used to play ping pong at my house after school. Before one of our matches, I made him promise that if I won, he would set us up on a date. I won, and he kept his promise. That first date was perfect. Our conversation never lulled. I don’t think either of us thought someone like the other actually existed in the world until we met. I loved everything about him. About four months after we met, and exactly one week before my 18^th birthday, he kissed me. I can still see it perfectly in my mind. We were on my driveway talking. It was summertime. I’m not sure if he had told our friends he was thinking about kissing me, or if they just knew, but Chad and Rhen drove by us about 5 times, yelling from the car window. Finally, after they turned the corner for the last time, he kissed me. It seemed like a dream to me when it happened – a dream come true. I know a lot of people who regret their first kiss either because they wish they would’ve waited longer, or because they wish it was with someone else. I’m not one of them. My first kiss was everything I dreamed it would be. We were together every possible second that summer and fall until he left on his mission. So many of my best memories from my senior year of high school and my first year of college revolve around him. When I moved away to go to BYU, I cried the whole way there. But he wrote me the most clever, funny, loving letters and called me whenever he could. When he left on his mission, I put on a brave face and didn't shed a tear until I got in the car to drive back to Provo...and then I cried the whole way again. I read a quote once that said something like, “The magic of our first love is our ignorance that it can ever end.” Although it did end, I wouldn’t trade the happiness, the memories, the lessons learned, or the eventual heartbreak for anything. And I think what people say is true – you never really forget your first love.

Jonathan: I was a senior in high school and life was pretty crazy. Our house was constantly getting the electricity or water turned off. If not, food would run thin. It was a rollercoaster emotionally too. My parents and I got along but I was discovering that I was as strong or stronger than my father and that does something to a boy. I was rebellious and anxious for life to begin. School seemed to be a joke but I had a few good classes. This is where the story begins. There was a girl named Courtney. She was a junior and was in my AP psychology class. She was taking geology just like I was and we talked a few times in class. I thought she was pretty and she seemed to be receptive to my jokes and advances. One day Bryce, one of my best friends, said he had to go on a date for sociology. I said I would come along and turned toward Courtney in the hallway and walked up and asked her to go with me. We went to downtown Provo and got hot chocolate and held hands and snuggled during “The Emperor’s New Groove.” Things just clicked and made sense when I was with her. The next weekend I crashed her girl party and went with them to The Count of Monte Cristo. I talked the whole movie and made people really upset. When we got home, Courtney and I danced outside of my truck with the window down because the night before she missed the stag dance. She said something and mid sentence I just kissed her. She smiled and told me I’m trouble and pushed me into my lifted truck. I left feeling on top of the world. We spent quite a bit of time together. Months passed, I asked her to go to Prom with me. Before Prom was a field trip for geology, which Courtney and I went both went on. I had fun, but had to leave early for the Nauvoo Temple open house. The pain of leaving her for a week almost crushed me. I came back and she hugged me and things continued on. Soon I was graduating and life kept moving on. Courtney moved on. I still wanted to be a part of her life but she had begun dating someone else. The fact is she was always dating someone else while we were together. I had given my heart away and to find out she was collecting them... the extent and depth of the pain was quite beyond anything I had ever felt before. I think for a few months depression set in. I functioned on the outside but inside I felt dead. After some time I began feeling beyond the numbing darkness. I turned in my mission papers and would be off like the rest of my friends. She came and said goodbye, we wrote for about a year, but a person like Courtney can’t stay with one guy, without attention, and soon was engaged. Love gone sour can be a terrible thing.

True Love

Jessica: And then there was Jonathan. Jonathan was one of those guys that I thought never in a million years would like me. He was loud, outgoing, friendly, flirty. From my experience, guys like that didn’t notice me, unless in passing. The summer I met him, I was kind of a wreck. Communication with my best friend was cut off, and I had become isolated from many of my close friends who were either home for the summer or on missions. My life was not turning out how I wanted it to, and I dealt with it mostly by shutting out and keeping to myself. But Jonathan had other plans. He brought me out of my shell and taught me to have fun again. He made me laugh and treated me like his princess. His family and friends welcomed me with open arms. I instantly felt like I belonged in his world. We planned and dreamed about what we could do and be together. We were just comfortable together. At one point after we had been dating for a couple of months, we decided to break up. Worst decision we ever made. We were both heartbroken and devastated. The next day, Jonathan texted me as I was walking to class, bleary-eyed, and asked, “Did we make the right decision?” Soon we were back together and knew we never wanted to be without each other. My Dad made the comment to me once that Jonathan and I looked like we had a lot of fun together. He could tell how happy I am when I am with Jonathan. He is my perfect complement. He is the guy who tells me that I am beautiful every chance he gets. When I get grumpy or upset, he is the one who laughs, kisses me on the forehead, and says, “You’re cute.” He is the guy who brings home flowers for me just because he saw them and thought of me. He is the guy who tells me that I’m doing fine, but that I can do better. He is the one who teaches me again and again that it is okay to dream, and dream big. He is the guy who takes his priesthood responsibilities seriously and makes the Gospel of Jesus Christ his top priority. He is the guy who convinces me that I can do things that I think are too hard, and gives me the push I need. He is the guy that picks Pride and Prejudice to watch on Friday night just because he knows it’s my favorite. He is the guy who makes me laugh until I can’t breathe and holds my hand when we drive. He is the guy who holds me at night and doesn’t go to sleep until he knows I am asleep. He is the guy who forces me to rest and eat peppers when I am sick. He is the guy who reminds me to slow down and enjoy life and not rush through it. He is the guy who cleans the house, does the laundry, and makes dinner when I feel overwhelmed with stress. He is the guy who takes my hand and dances and sings to me in the living room or the kitchen just for fun. He is the guy who makes me try new things because he knows I’ll love it. He is the guy who emails me every day on his lunch break to tell me he misses me and can’t wait to see me that night. He is the guy who looks at me with tears in his eyes and says, “I’m so proud of you” and “I’m so glad you’re mine.” He is the guy who does whatever he can to provide for me and make sure I am happy, even if it means sacrificing something he wants or needs. He is the guy who reads to me at night until I fall asleep and wakes me up in the morning with a kiss and a “Good morning, princess.” He is the guy who will still ask me this Valentine’s Day if I will be his Valentine, even though he knows I’ll say yes. So much of who I am and what I do today is because of who he is. He is my true love and my best friend. And he is mine forever. I love you, Jonathan!

Jonathan: Jessica, I’m sure, has conveyed a history of us, so I will not dwell on it here.

Let it be known that Jessica is every sunny summer morning. She is every petal on every flower. Her kindness, beauty, mind are so vivid, animated and beyond my own that I am unable to express the majesty of heaven even as it lays open before me continually! My only goal is to make her happy and help her achieve her full potential which is nearly infinite. She is in every sense of the word “perfect.” I love her and there is nothing more I need in this life. Thank you for letting me into your life Jessica.

We would love to hear your own "First" stories if you don't mind sharing!

Happy Valentine's Day to you and your sweetheart!

PS - Since not too many people entered the giveaway, I have decided to make a CD for any of you who entered who would like one. Just email me at jessicamtyler@gmail.com with your address. :)