OK, so i have to tell my side now (if you don’t like cheese, skip this post).  We first met because my roommate was dating her roommate.  I went over to her apartment and here was this LOUD and PROUD woman saying crazy stuff and laughing hysterically with her other roommate (Gina–they feed off each other).  I’ll admit, I thought it was a little strange, but it was funny.

The next semester, we end up in the same accounting class and sit by each other.  The class was awful, but I was actually so excited to go to accounting, because we would have such a good time: discussions about the trivial, the serious, the mundane, the hilarious.  Marissa has this–I don’t know what else to call it (but once you’ve been around her, you know what I’m talking about)–love of life, that is magnetic and infectious and hilarious.  Accounting 210 brought us together as friends. 

There was always a little something more there, but it went unspoken.  After the semester was over, I hadn’t seen Marissa for almost a month, and she called me up and chewed me out.  I think that was when I first recognized it.  She took a little longer.  In fact, it wasn’t until after we had a fight (I like to think it was all the romantic tension), had emailed back and forth, and I apologized and took her out to dinner.  That was our first date.  And a month and half later, we were engaged.

The first time we met with our Bishop in Ohio, for tithing settlement, he had never met us, but he told us that with two strong-willed people, you’ll have more fights and worse fights in the beginning, but in the long-term it will be worth it.  That’s been true for us.  I mean, a fight is what brought us together.

Marissa is amazing in many ways–not least her statuesque body–but the best thing about her is how she makes it fun and exciting (and occasionally a little bit scary) to be around her.  She makes you comfortable to be yourself.  She celebrates life every day.  I can’t imagine it any other way.

I wish I had taken a picture of it, but yesterday I came home after a long day of meetings at church about a half an hour before my parents and sister and family were coming over for dinner to what looked like a crime scene.  Two diaper bags were completely dumped out right in front of the door, all of the cushions were thrown off the couches, and toys were everywhere.  Marissa’s car was gone, so at first I thought she’d just decided to take the kids to the park or something to get out of the house real quick.  But when I tried to call her cell phone, I realized that it was on the floor by the front door with everything else dumped out of her bags. 

That’s when I started to get worried.  You wouldn’t believe the scenarios I was coming up with in my mind – armed robbery, rush to the emergency room, etc.  So I called my mom to see if she had talked to Marissa; she hadn’t, but she called about every other person from our church to try to find out anything.  No luck.  I was about to have her start calling hospitals when Marissa pulled up.  Turns out she couldn’t find any of Rocky’s pacifiers and everyone was crying, so she took a “quick” trip to get one. 

So, I suppose I overreacted, but you can’t blame me.  I’m glad that everyone’s alive and that there were no guns or injuries involved.  I’m sure Marissa’s embarrassed that I’m posting this, but it’s too good a story (in retrospect) not to.  And like I told her, at least I was worried!

Leo had her first soccer game yesterday.  After some initial confusion about the direction of the goal for her team, she did awesome.  They don’t keep score, but she had at least three goals.  We had the whole fam plus grandma and her friend beth there cheering her on (and Marissa on the sidelines trash-talking the other team).  Check out the pictures below (Leo’s #8) – I was there with both of my cameras (one video) looking like every over-wraught parent – all so you could see her in action. 

Leo’s team is the Leopards — they’re fast and fierce. Leo even caused one injury (accidently–I think).