My Crystal Joy

I want all to know that this post is an attempt to put in words some of the things that happened while Crystal and I were "dating". I'm sure that it will not be complete.....or even strictly factual....but hey, this is part of my story....or my contribution to "our" story!

So.... our story begins way back in the latter end of the year 2002. I had been home from my mission for roughly 1 1/2 years and was if I might say so....was an object of much desire. Okay...so maybe I was still a rather mixed up RM. I was going to BYU and had begun my 2nd term since my triumphal return. At this point I had recently moved into the Sparks II apartment complex! It was a lower budget housing arrangement but the ward there was awesome! Not terribly long after moving in, one of our room mates, Seth, was visited by some lady friends...one of whom had lived in the apartment complex prior to my arrival on the scene. What is more, both of these lovely ladies spoke Portuguese...the celestial language. So I spent a little time chatting with them along with my cousin who also spoke Portuguese. Their names were Crystal Coombs and Julie Christie. It was a very pleasant visit but before long they left and headed on their way. It would be a little while before I would see them again.

Next semester (Jan 2003) I had decided to take a dance class (formal dancing or something like that). Also taking that class was none other than Julie Christie. We talked a little but really didn't know each other very well. Around this time, this is when fate stepped in and changed my life forever.

One Saturday morning, I was hanging out around the apartment....I don't think I had any plans for the day....when I got a phone call. It was Julie Christie. She said that her room mate and her were going on a group date later on but that her room mate's date had canceled at the last minute and they were wondering if I wanted to come. I'm not sure if I remembered Crystal exactly....but I felt that if a girl asked a guy on a date I should say yes. So I said yes! It turns out that Julie and a date, Crystal and I and another couple (Melissa from South Africa and Dan) were going to go snow shoeing. Now the date was going to begin only a couple of hours from when they called(must have been scraping the bottom of the barrel when they called me ;-) ) So...I had never gone snow shoeing before....and so I'm wondering what kind of gear I need to wear to the date. Should I dress warm....or is it the type of activity that you get so warm tromping around in the snow that you wish you were in short sleeves. These options were discussed with Ed and eventually I decided to go in a long sleeve shirt and blue jeans. Let me just tell you..............it was sooooooo cold! Fortunately Julie lent me a sweat shirt to save me from frost bite when, upon arriving at our destination, we found that indeed, a mountain valley full of snow...in the shadow of the mountains....is cold...is very cold! So thank heavens for that sweat shirt! Now the date! It was a lot of fun! Having been asked on the date and so not having to be responsible for how things turn out is wonderfully relaxing! Also, at this point in my "single" life, I was not looking for a relationship.....and so I was freed from the pressure of "evaluating" Crystal and my feelings at least for the time being! It was a wonderful date! We tromped around in the snow for a while and talked about our families! I remember learning that Crystal and some of her family were converts to the church. It was so pleasant and so easy to talk! Afterwards we had hot chocolate and then headed back to Crystal's apartment to watch a movie.....which I picked out(I was a bit particular about movies at the time....and so I wanted to make sure it was something I would feel comfortable with). I picked 7 brides for 7 brothers....which besides teaching great dating tactics, is pretty fun . So...that is my memories of our first date! I don't remember a whole lot about the next few weeks! I know I did make her a Valentine's card on Valentine's day....but then again, I made about 20 of them as I sat watching Beauty and the Beast, by myself on Valentines(probably one of my top 10 Valentine's days).

In my recollection, it seems that gradually over the next month or so, I began to spend more time with Crystal and probably even went on another date or 2 with her. She was so easy to talk to. We would sit and talk for hours! However, during this time, I also began to get nervous about our "relationship" and probably began to over analyze things. I eventually decided I needed to talk to her and distance myself from her. So....I would call to talk with her.....and end up talking to Julie; or...I would call her and we would end up talking about other things! It just seemed like it never worked out to talk about that subject. One day in March, I called with the afore said purpose and I got Julie Christie on the phone. As we talked, she told me that Crystal was going to Colorado to go to a job fair that weekend and that none of her room mates could go with her. She then asked if I would go with her saying that She wanted me to come....but that she would never ask me herself. And then, despite my purpose in the phone call, despite all my confusion, I answered yes! And immediately I had a sense of peace and that everything was going to be okay!