Tag

Tags are going around like the winter flu, and we decided it was time to offer our contribution.  Here is our response to a tag from our friend Rosalyn:

K. first:

Where we met:  At a party at our friend Amy-I-don't-remember-her-last-name's house.  Though I probably have her name written down somewhere else (in the attic) if I wanted to dig out really old photos.  April of 1998.  The second answer to that question is, at a similar party our freshman year when our mutual friends tell us we must have met, but neither of us noticed.

How long we dated before we got hitched:  Five months.

How long have we been married:  Ten years, baby!!

What's my favorite feature about him:  Well, bizarrely enough I really enjoy his profile, either because it's quite nice or I'm getting bored on long car trips and sitting in church pews through many meetings with kids between us.   He's also got extra-great calves, I hope a few of our kids have them too, rather than mine.

What's my favorite quality about him:  He's so completely genuine.  He's real.

What's his nickname for me:  Usually Bright-Eyes.  Otherwise just a random smattering of endearments.

His favorite color:  Blue, I believe.

His favorite food:  Hmm.  Does pie count as a food?  If not, then maybe grub mountain.  For all you non-family, that's mashed potatoes piled high with peas and whatever else you might be able to find, gravy over all.  He also really enjoys the Hairy Mexican sushi at Mikimoto's, if you ever want to order him takeout.

His favorite sport:    Walking/hiking/exploring, if that's a sport.  Solitary, interesting, non-coordinated.  He most wishes he could play basketball.

Who said the L word first:  I'm sure it was him, but I don't actually remember when.

First kiss when and where:  At the mouth of Provo Canyon, sometime in July of 1998.

Favorite couple thing to do:  Watch TV series through Netflix months and months after everyone else.  Don't ruin any season enders for us please, we'll get to them next year...

How many kids:  Four.

His hidden talent:  Composing poetry and song lyrics.  His off-the-cuff lyrics are usually stunningly good.

His age: 32.

His favorite music:  Whatever the old 107.5 "The End" used to play in Provo.  I don't know what to call the style, since I only really know classical music.

What I admire most about him:  He wants to do what's right, and sticks with it, even though it's not really his basic nature.  Not that he's bad or anything, but he's more distractible than I am and yet consistently overcomes those distractions through sheer good desire.  I, on the other hand, mostly am a boring rule-follower and when I'm tempted to get out of line duty and guilt kick in.

His favorite pastimes:  Films.  Books by Elmore Leonard, Patrick O'Brian and Cormac McCarthy.  And films.  Did I say films?

(Though, he's grown up quite a bit and doesn't obsess like he used to at all.)

Will he read this:  Yes, but not until after he does his half.

OK, this is S. now:

Where we met: A pre-finals party--apparently we both came out of the same group of freshmen friendships but didn't meet until K. was on the verge of graduation.

How long we dated before we got hitched: About five and a half months.

How long have we been married: Ten years of profound contentment (give or take a few weeks of discontent).

What's my favorite feature about her:  K. smiles in such a bright way.  I never get tired of hearing her voice, either.  I'll stick with those two features and save us all some embarrassment.

What's my favorite quality about her:  I fell in love with K. early on, but what really clinched it was her sense of priorities.  During our first real heart-to-heart it became clear to me that K. was willing to forego lesser things in order to do right by God and her family, and that combination of a clear head and a good heart has done more for our long-term happiness than anything else I can think of.

What's her nickname for me:  We both call each other Good-Lookin', as in, "Hey, Good-Lookin', have you signed our tax return yet?"

Her favorite color:  Um . . . Green?  (She wears a lot of brown tones because it goes well with her coloring, but I wouldn't call Brown a favorite...)

Her favorite food:  Mexican is probably her favorite despite having worked at Taco Bell and seeing how the food is made.  Generally speaking, K. loves legumes more than anyone I know.

Her favorite sport: Neither of us are too sporty, but she did play on a church basketball team for a while.  Other than that, I would say bread-making is her contact sport of choice.

Who said the L word first: I did.  She had no idea nor any reciprocal feelings until I told her.

First kiss when and where:  I remember it being on a foggy summer morning, in the foothills of Y Mountain, just after some early morning bird-watching.

Favorite couple thing to do: Giving each other knowing/loving/rueful looks when one of the kids has done something funny/adorable/exasperating.  We used to read more books aloud, but I think it's my turn to pick and I can never make up my mind.

How many kids: 1 boy followed by 3 girls.

Her hidden talent:  K. is a quick study when it comes to dancing.  Also, she's a crack-up, though I think I may be the only one who gets to see that side of her...

Her age: A year younger than me. 

Her favorite music: Classical.

What I admire most about her:  K. is a doer--she enjoys working something out intellectually but doesn't let that stand in the way of actually getting things done.  She inspires me daily to make something better of myself.

Her favorite pastimes: K. loves making lists, playing the piano, crunching numbers, cooking good food and reading books.

Will she read this:  Guaranteed.  We don't have any secrets anymore :)

Whew!  That was probably more of a tag than anyone wanted to read, but we've never been tagged before and there was a lot of self-indulgence that had to come out.  Thanks to Rosalyn for giving us the excuse.  We tag: Dave, Christie, Tiff, Jessica and Jean (and no need for both spouses to participate--ours just got a little out of hand...).