chapter ten: the proposal

There are so many fun stories I could share from the summer and the fall that lead to Aaron and I falling deeply in love, but I will only share a couple, and then I need to get to the proposal already, we are getting married in two weeks! Woot!

Best. Gift. Ever.

One of those stories is of my Birthday. This past summer in Utah broke records for the heat. So many days over 100 degrees, and the air conditioner in my house had broken and was going to cost an arm and a leg to fix. Aaron is so thoughtful. I came home from babysitting one night and he had installed a portable AC unit in my bedroom. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. My room had turned from a heat trap to a sactuary. It really was the best gift he could have given me, so perfect. He also came home from work early that day to swim and to take me to dinner. I loved it!

The other story I wanted to share is of Conference weekend. Aaron became very ill that Friday afternoon and by Saturday he needed to go to Instacare to see if they could help him get better. This was prime opportunity to take care of him. I distinctly remember falling more in love with him that weekend. Someone once told me that when you are serving someone it is easier to love them. Taking care of Aaron in the state that he was in proved to me that I would do absolutely anything for him. That is when I realized that I loved him beyond measure.

Bike Ride-Conference Weekend

That same weekend we went over to Aaron's mom's house for dinner. This is typical for us on a Sunday, but that day she was making more hints toward marriage. She had pulled Aaron aside at one point and I didn't really know what was happening. She had made reference to Aaron moving to Salt Lake and when I asked him about it on the way home he said he was thinking of moving up there and getting a roommate. I was only teasing when I said, "well, you could get a girl roommate...you know...like a wife roommate?! (another, "Did I just say that our loud?" moment. Yes, yes I did. Aaron's response was, "well...look in the glove box". There was an envelope and inside there were two wedding rings. They belonged to Aaron's mother and late father. I thought, "is he kidding me right now?"..."he better NOT be kidding?"...."wait, he better not be bringing this up at all unless he's serious about me!!" I tried to remain composed but of course my mind was spinning. When we got back to his house he asked if I would like to use his mom's diamond. After 18 months of knowing each other, I wanted to say..."Honey, I don't care if it's a mood ring at this point, just as long as it's round and fits around my finger!". Of course I loved the dimaond, especailly knowing how speacial it is to his mother. We started talking about some wedding plans, throwing dates out there, etc.  I really couldn't believe we were even having the conversation.

It was about a week later on a Wednesday and Aaron and I were headed to the temple and to dinner...so I thought, but I kind of knew what was to come. We got to the temple and I realized my record has expired after an hour drive to Brigham City. Smooth move Holly, real smooth! I felt awful. but Aaron kept going up the stairs to the temple. He sat down on a bench and motioned for me to join him. We sat there for a minute and stared at the temple and then Aaron got down on one knee and asked if I'd be his forever. He said more than that, but that's kinda personal, ya know? I couldn't believe it was finally that moment. Of course and without a second thought, I said Yes! He took me for dinner at Maddox. We ate fast, we couldn't wait to tell our families.

The ring was gorgeous!  He'd taken his mother's diamond from the ring she gave and put it into a new, stunning setting. I love it.

I cannot believe that our wedding is just two weeks away!  I cannot wait to marry my best friend. Aaron is my world.

chapter nine: summer lovin'

The summer of 2013 was full of fun activities, concerts, camping trips, and projects. Aaron and I were dating, we'd said those three little words, and things were moving right along. Really, this post doesn't have a huge plot, I just wanted to highlight some dates we'd gone on and show some pics from the summer.

Hiking around Strawberry Reservoir

Spending the 4th of July with S & K

Tim McGraw Concert

4th Annual White Trash Bash at the Mildon's

Hanging at the pool with Jammin'

Being goofy with our Cotton Candy

Kenny Chesney Concert at USANA Ampitheater

White Trash Bash close up

At the Ogden Rodeo

Aaron and S having a conversation with their Mickey's at the Harris Family Camping Trip

chapter eight: those three little words

By this point, Aaron and I had been solidly dating for a couple of months. We had started the big sprinkler project at his home and spent a lot of our weekends doing yard work and hanging out with nieces and nephews. Being the couple without kids, we had officially become babysitters for many, and we loved it. Still love it. Summer was here so we spent time at soccer games, baseball games, and swimming at my parent's condo pool. I took a nanny job with two kiddos for the summer, but had Friday's off. I loved taking Aaron lunch at work on Friday's,  and of course his co-workers would tease us all the time.

We had gone to dinner at his mom's house one Sunday. It was a great day and when we came back,  I boldly asked Aaron if he could see us married some day. It was one of those, "Did I just say that out loud?/Gulp) moments. To my surprise, Aaron did not hesitate and said yes. That was the night I told him I loved him. I always said I would wait for him to say it first, but I couldn't take it anymore. I felt it and I said it. Aaron, however...needed some more time to say it back. Are you surprised? Again, just one more lesson in patience for Holly, and that's ok.

One Friday, I had taken lunch to Aaron and asked him what his plans were for the evening. He said he was tired and he'd like to just head home and relax. However, that only lasted a few minutes and I received a text a few minutes later asking if I'd like to go to Maddox and the Brigham City Temple.  I met Aaron at his home in Clinton. He was different. Even more affectionate than usual, and he told me I looked really pretty when I had just come from the pool with wet hair and a thrown together outfit. It was a gorgeous summer night. We went to the temple and afterwards headed to dinner.

 Aaron is always a gentleman. he carried my purse as you will see by the picture. Upon arriving at Maddox, as I was getting out of the car Aaron came around to open my door. He met me with a kiss and said, "I love you". BEST. WORDS. EVER. I kissed him back and throughout the night I kept smiling. There is no better thing in all of this world than the man you love, loving you back. I was over the moon.

chapter seven: aaron's perspective

Well, based on the fact that this is the first post to ‘our’ blog that have contributed, it is probably apparent to you by now that I do things at my own speed at to the beat of my own drum.  You should be very appreciative that Holly has done most of these posts because she ads many more details than I do.  I give you the skeleton with a little skin and she gives you a being dressed to the nines with jewelry, make-up and a sweet smelling fragrance.

Without further adieu, I will touch on a few items.  Holly has detailed things well so I may stick a bit to the peripheral.  Holly and others have asked at what point I knew Holly was the one, or when I knew I wanted to date her exclusive and sorry folks but that isn’t how I’m wired.  I much more follow a natural slow progression than some singularly defining moment. It just felt like the right time to date exclusively and with a little encouragement from Holly it felt like the right time to get engaged.  Holly encourages  me but she knows that if I get encouraged too much I tend to back away, so she does well balancing that.

Holly is beautiful, funny, sweet and smart.  What really won me over was that she treats me better than anyone else has.  The point that we started talking seriously about marriage came after General Conference weekend, which for me health-wise was awful.  I hadn’t been that sick for a while and she just patiently took care of me all weekend. I wanted to get a priesthood blessing, but before I could mention that, she was already across the street introducing herself to my bishop whom she hadn’t met before and asked him to come over.

Holly has done so many considerate things for me.  It’s hard to name them all; she irons my shirts, helps me with all kinds of projects, she made me freezer meals; overall she has been encouraging and uplifting.  When I left my mission many moon ago, the advice President Tveten gave me what that I should get along with life with school and work and that along the way pursue marriage and finding an eternal companion.  She should be someone that in her presence I do my noblest deeds and that being around her helps me want to do and be better.  Holly does that for me.

My least favorite phase in the English language is probably “in due time” and I’ve heard mentioned a few times in blessings.  It can be a frustrating phrase because in due time could be today, could be tomorrow or could be in ten years.  In reality all that phrase simply means is to be patient. In regards to dating I was promised that in due time I meet my eternal companion whom had honored the covenants that she had made with the Lord, and that we would  both choose to get married in the temple, both of which is very important to me.   Life as a bachelor has been fun, crazy, awesome and frustrating at times, but Holly was definitely worth the wait!

chapter six: patience, persisitance, and projects

February came and went and Aaron and I were going out on dates about once per week. This whole,
"Holly is home for good" thing was new to him and in a way I think the thought of him dating me exclusively scared him at first. When I was all the way across the United States it was safe right? Now...I was home. Commitment is a big thing. So, he decided to date some other people when I got home as well.

I knew that I would not get anywhere with Aaron if I pushed the issue. I was going to have to be patient. REALLY patient. Heavenly Father had a hand in this as well. He wanted me to learn something important from this relationship, and that I did. I had heard several times throughout my life that "love is patient. love is kind." I made a plan. I would not push, but I would be interested when Aaron wanted to go out. I would do nice things for him, but not be overbearing. I would wait for him to pursue me.  As much as I disliked that he was dating others, and as much as I didn't want to date others myself, I had to give him that freedom. My little brother Steven set me up with his Principal and we went out. Fun, nice guy, not Aaron. Those of you that have done the "dating other people thing" before know that eventually you start to think about one person more than the others. Luckily, that happened for both Aaron and I.

After several weeks of the dating 1-2 times per week, and dating other people, I went to Aaron's house one night. We were running to the grocery store and he told me to pull over into a car wash. He jumped out and started washing my dirty car before I could even really think about it. I didn't even notice that he snuck a towel in to dry the car. Sneaky he is. When he got back in the car he kissed me for the first time in several weeks. Did this mean he'd chosen me? Really?

While making dinner he started telling me his thoughts on this whole daring thing. And that he was grateful that I was patient and he had almost figured things out. He kissed me again and although I didn't want to get false hope, I was positive.

He started inviting me to his mom's house for family dinners and we were spending more time together. We started doing projects on the house, projects on my parents house, setting goals, etc. We probably needed to have a long talk about what all of this was, but we didn't. I didn't push, I stayed the course. Patient. Persistent. Projects.

Finally, one Sunday night in April we had returned from dinner at his mother's house and were making cookies. Aaron was fiddling with his phone and then showed me what he had been doing. He had changed his status on Facebook to, "In a relationship with Holly Harris". I did a double take and then said, "Oh, are we to that point?". He kissed me and said, "yes...we are". That was it, we were officially a couple. Relief!

chapter five: i mustache you to be my valentine

I had been home a day or two and I hadn't seen Aaron yet. Unlike Christmas, he did not pick me up from the air port. I sensed that he was a little nervous about me coming home so soon after the holidays (I am sure in his mind he was asking how would this affect his independence?), but this was about my dad...and I had to brush it off. Valentine's was kind of up in the air because I was following my own rules. The rules I have passed on to roommates, and girlfriends for the past ten years. I am not a chaser, and have always been old fashioned when it comes to dating. Either Aaron was going to call and ask me out for Valentine's or I would plan a night with my girlfriends, but under no uncertain terms was I NOT going to ask him out. I had to see if he was interested. I've always been under the impression that if a guy doesn't call, "he's just not that into you"...especially when the guys is 32.

He called (whew)....

He asked me out for Valentines (woot)..

He made me breakfast for dinner (yum)...

He made me smile (awesome).

Life in Salt Lake was going to be good.

I brought a package of treats and fake mustaches...and here are the pics! We ate with the VanBeekum's and that night Stephanie joked that she would make our wedding cake.


Now Stephanie IS making our wedding cake, and we couldn't be more excited!

However...I still didn't have this Aaron+Holly thing in the bag. Not all love stories are perfect, but we got there eventually, and in the next post I will tell you how!

chapter four: home for the holidays

So all of the previous questions were weighing on my mind when Aaron called during my layover in Dallas. He asked if he could pick me up from the airport. It was a much shorter drive for my parents, but of course I was looking forward to seeing Aaron so I accepted the offer.

Those of you who have been to the Salt Lake airport, can picture the escalators...the ride down to those awaiting your arrival. Aaron had fallen asleep so was a few minutes late...but as I came out the doors he greeted me with a huge hug and a kiss. Yep, a kiss. So I guess we are doing the "more than friends thing?" 

We arrived to my parents place and Aaron said he wanted to give me my Christmas gift. I assured him it was fine if we waited til Christmas Eve, when we had plans to see Les Miserables, but he insisted. He pulled out a bag from Morgan Jewlers, and I unwrapped the pretty box. Sitting in the box were real pearl earings. What? He got me real pearl earings for Christmas? Followed by more kisses? What's going on here? He also surprised me with a book he wanted to read together, and a 5lb. bag of cinnamon bears, my favorite! So thoughtful. Since Aaron served his mission in Norway and loves the New York Mets, I had gotten him a Mets garden gnome and a dinner to a yurt in Park City. Hardly as nice as jewlery, but I was playing it safe...cause I didn't know...you know?

A few days later we went on our date to the Viking Yurt. The most amazing date I have been on ever. Like EVER! First of all, it was a full moon that night so as we arrived in Park City, the whole ski resort was lit up by the moon, peeking through the Aspen's. I had been to Norway and stayed with Mats Jensen's family. His mother had made me a gorgeous Norwegian sweater and Aaron had purchased one on his mission. We were greeted by a huge sled complete with the Norwegian flag on the back, attached to a snow cat. So. Much. Fun. The sled pulled us up a ski run to the top of a mountain. There, was the cutest little hut looking thing lit up with Christmas lights. We walked inside and were handed a hot berry drink in a pewter cup. The six course meal was fantastic, complete with Scandinavian cheeses, sorbet served in rocks from different regions in Norway, and cardamom ice cream. So magical! If you live in or ever come to Utah, I highly recommend this experience, especially if you are a foodie!


It seemed that as the week went on we kept finding excuses to spend time together. We made dinner with friends, ate dinner with Grandma Murray,  and spent New Year's Eve eating take out and talking. Yeah...we liked each other, but there was this looming distance that we couldn't get past for some reason. Not until there was more established between us. I know what some of you are thinking...isn't this enough to go off of? But, I still wasn't willing to give up my job without a commitment.

This all made sense until this Christmas vacation. Amongst seeing Aaron, I also was seeing my family. My dad was not doing well. He had fallen several times that winter because the heart attack and medications had affected his equilibrium. My mom had been taking it day by day, and because she is so strong hadn't told me what was really happening with my dad's health. She didn't want to worry me, or any of her children for that matter. But children know. I knew something wasn't right.  I came home from one of those dates with Aaron and I asked my mom straight out. How is dad REALLY doing? She couldn't deny the fact that his health had gotten much worse. The next question from me was, "Do you need help taking care of him mom?" She reluctantly admitted she couldn't do it by herself anymore and that was it for me. I needed to come home.  I returned to Connecticut without commitment from Aaron but knowing I had to give my notice and come help my family. I didn't want to leave the Mandell's but resolved to the fact that if anything drastic happened with me dad, I wouldn't forgive myself for not spending time with him.

I returned home a few days before Valentines Day. What was to happen with Aaron and I at that point was still very much to be determined...

chapter three: becoming best friends

So. Now I'm in Connecticut enjoying my new job as a personal chef. I had worked in Greenwich before and in the fall it is extraordinary. I also loved the three children I was cooking for, as I had been their nanny in years previous. Life wasn't bad, and I was getting into the groove but I wondered in the back of my mind what might have been with Aaron if I had stayed home. I just really felt when I left that for some reason we weren't ready for something serious with one another. We needed to develop our friendship.

Aaron was good about sending texts throughout the day and calling every night. We talked about everything and anything on Facetime and it was nice to have someone call and check in with me everyday, even if from a distance...especially someone as handsome as he is.  We read the Old Testament and discussed Conference talks together. We challenged each other. Aaron had started a book club with me in the summer and we had read The Book of Mormon. As we completed books, we would reward ourselves with special dinners. A fun tradition. It was nice to have someone to discuss spiritual topics with, and to complete reading goals with.

We also started sending packages to each other, just for no reason. One of my favorite's that Aaron sent was based off of a quote that I posted on Facebook. The quote said, "Women aren't complicated. They just need to be told their pretty and eat chocolate!" Aaron picked up on that and sent me a large Hershey bar and a card that said, "You're Pretty".  He's very sweet, but why is he saying this to his friend that he's decided not to date because she lives 2500 miles away? This was in November 2012 and I started to wonder if we really had something more than just a friendship and a summer fling. Could this really be something special?

Earlier that week, Hurricane Sandy had hit the East Coast and the very town where I lived. That same weekend, my father was in the hospital with another stroke related problem and then suffered from a heart attack. Both the Hurricane and my dad being sick were heavy on my mind and heart. I ached to see my family, just to know they were ok and to be near them. I had a plane ticket for Christmas and was looking forward to that. Aaron was there to comfort me through all of it. He was quickly becoming my best friend.

Fast forward one month. It's time to fly home for Christmas, and I still didn't know what in the world was happening with Aaron. Are we just friends? Are the activities we planned on Christmas break dates, or are we hanging out as buddies? Why does he call me every single day if we are not in a relationship? Do all men do that? These were just some of the questions going on in my head as I boarded the plane.

Keep checking back to find out what happened next! 

chapter two: where it all began...

A month went by before I got to see Aaron and I got to see each other in person again. I traveled home to Salt Lake in-between jobs. We weren't established as a couple by any means, and I knew that Aaron was dating some other girls as well. Why shouldn't he have? I was moving back to Connecticut for an indefinite amount of time. This was what I was telling myself anyway...you know, those little walls we put up to protect ourselves. I told Aaron that I would not be upset with him if he wanted to date other women, but that I didn't want to hear about it either. In girl language this translates to, "I really don't want you to have eyes for anyone else but me, but I am not going to be a psycho chic that chases you around and tells you what to do cause I am smart enough to know that won't work". 16 years of dating will teach you that.

We went on a few dates while I was home in that two week period. One thing I really like about Aaron is his playfulness. We went to Gateway for dinner and looked around the shops one night. We decided to play a game at Sur La Table where we would close our eyes and guess what the kitchen tool that the other person put in our hand was. I decided to video tape it without Aaron knowing. Here's the video, our second date...and the night I knew I wanted something more to happen with this guy.

Another fun story from those couple of weeks is that Aaron and I both happened to be rushing to the Bountiful temple, not knowing the other person was likewise. We had called each other as we were heading there and realized that we were going to the same place. As we arrived at the temple, I got there first and realized that it was closed for cleaning. We decided to rush to the Salt Lake Temple. Aaron was ahead, and arrived first. I sped the whole way there and arrived about 30 seconds before they started the session, completely out of breath. This was a really fun evening. 


We also went to a Salt Lake Bee's baseball game. After all of this, we had a big talk on the day I was flying out to Connecticut. We decided that we weren't long distance people and that we'd just keep it as friends...for the time being.

To be continued...

chapter one: where it all began...

April 2012. It all started in a Boston apartment, on an Apple computer, and an online LDS dating site. I will be completely honest and say that this is not a choice way of meeting (there's a lot of frogs and dishonest men out there), but it happened that way and whatever means I needed to use to find a prince, at the ripe age of 31, I was willing to try it. We lasted on on the site a few days before I wrote Aaron and said, "I'm getting off of this dating site, but here is my e-mail should you wish to contact me further".

One week later...an e-mail from Aaron in my in box, changed our lives...forever.

Shortly thereafter, we switched from e-mailing to phone calls and Facetime conversations. Thank goodness for technology. My teaching job in Boston was ending and I had a summer position as a chef in New York. All I kept thinking is..."When do I get to meet this guy? We talk everyday!" It didn't take us long to book a flight for Aaron to New York, since he had never seen Manhattan. I was very excited to show him around, but also nervous that we'd just be friends or go our separate ways when the weekend was over. I had taken a personal chef job in Connecticut, and I didn't think we'd make it through the distance.

I picked up Aaron at JFK on July 13, 2012. He was even more handsome in person than he was on the phone (usually it's the opposite). I was immediately impressed by his chivalry.  Aaron is a true gentleman...the kind who opens doors not only for his significant other, but for strangers, his mother, his sisters, his grandma. He has a high respect for women in general, and I love that about him.

the only picture we took all weekend

We spent the first day gallivanting around Manhattan and hopping on and off a tour bus. Aaron grabbed my hand walking out of Grand Central Station (girls don't forget these things), and we shared our first kiss on the Staten Island Fairy while staring at the Manhattan Bridge over the Hudson water, romantic eh?. We visited the Empire State Building, ate lunch in little Italy and spent that warm summer evening at Central Park eating rare fruits we purchased in China town. It was perfect! Ironically. at the end of the night, when we were all alone in the park...BAM!...there were fireworks in the sky! I like to say that we definitely had a spark! We finished the night with a train ride and a hot dog from Gray's Papaya (yum).

The next day we drove up to Palmyra for the Hill Cumorah Pageant. We visited the sacred grove that afternoon and spent a good amount of time walking through the trees and sitting on the benches, Aaron is so considerate, and I remember the exact spot where I first thought, "this guy would be such a good husband". He was spiritual and kind, and I could see after only a couple of days that he was the kind of man that would do all he could to take care of his wife. This had a big impression on me!

I had to work the next day and it was brunch day at the camp. We'd arrived back at the camp extremely late, and I told Aaron to sleep in. I was just prepping the berries and cream when Aaron came into the kitchen, put an apron on, and kissed me on the cheek. I thought, "is this guy for real?"
He then whipped up over 160 pieces of french toast for the campers, and proceeded to start on the dishes when he was done. What? Who does that? Aaron does that. Since Aaron served his mission in Norway, and the campers are from all over the world...that night we teamed up with the Scandanavian campers and made Swedish meatballs, potatoes, cabbage. and added the lingon berries we'd purchased in New York. Aaron didn't skip a bit, and refilled the dishes before they were even empty. He's good like that.

Our last day of the weekend was spent at Six Flags New Jersey. Aaron and I both love roller coasters, so this was a perfect adventure for both of us. Afterwards, I took him to the airport and we said goodbye until my visit home in August. So many questions in my mind at that time...and I just remember thinking, "Crap! We had this amazing weekend...and now what?" I think I half expected it to turn out the opposite, and it would have been easier at the time if it did. I was committed to my job in Connecticut and the relationship was only in a beginning stage, not anywhere near the point where I could turn back and move home to Salt Lake for him. The only way I could make sense of it wasto tell myself, "If it's meant to be, and you miss each other, it will work out someday". It did!

Stay tuned...part two of this story to come!