On June 11, 1999 Maria and I were married. Tomorrow it will be 10 years. To some 10 years may not be that special, but to me it has been the best 10 years of my life so I figured I would make a big deal about it. :)

Maria and I met here. Weber State University, she had always dreamed of attending here, and after completing her two years at Ricks she jumped at the chance to enroll. Actually it was the last thing she wanted to, but for some reason she found herself walking these sidewalks.
Below is where Maria and I met. "WILDCAT LANES" They have cleaned it up a little bit since we were there, but it is still the same.


We actually worked here! It had been a week since we had started. We'd met and worked with everyone but eachother. The other employees kept telling us, "Oh, I think you'll really like working with Maria", or "I think you'll really like working with Ryan." So at least for me I was pretty excited and nervous to work my first Saturday with the cute girl everyone was talking about.

You were late for work, our first day, which just added to the anticipation of meeting you. Your face was all red and you looked annoyed as you walked in. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember where I was standing when you walked in, I remember which door you came through, I remember the excitement I had in my chest when I first heard your voice. I remember thinking how grateful I already was that I would get to work with you every Saturday night that semester.

You were late for work because your Mercury Topaz was over heating. Which half sealed the deal for me there, I couldn't count how many times my family's Mercury Topaz started to over heat and we had to drive around in the hot summer sun with the heater on just to get anywhere. We were relating to eachother from the very beginning. I never thought I would say this, but thank goodness for our Topaz cars.

It took us a month or two to get warmed up, but once our relationship started we became close very quickly, so quickly I got nervous. :) As I'm sure you'll remember. I had been home from my mission for just a couple of months and here I was getting real serious real quick. I had a girlfriend through most of High School so I wanted to experience life. My goal was to kiss 50 girls before I got married.

But you were wise and in tune from the beginning. From the day I met you you've kept me in line and that I'm grateful beyond words for. You're my best friend and I don't know where I'd be without you.

We started our life here. We kneeled across from each other and said our I do's. I'll never live this down, so I'll share with everyone. You know the whole, "you may now kiss the Bride?" Well I kissed the bride and for one spilt second my brain stopped working and my arm came up by itself and my hand totally wiped the kiss off my lips. I'm a guy! My brain registered, "There is lipstick on your lips, wipe it off!" So I did, and our families have and will never let me live it down. Either way this was the best day of my life!
Our first apartment was here. The duplex staight ahead. We loved it. Playing house rhat first year was incredible. It was like having your best friends sleep over every night when you're younger. If we could find a way to have our whole family live in the small duplex I think we'd do it.

Maria I'm grateful for you and love you so much. I look forward to spending the rest of our lives together. Happy Anniversary Mooshie.