Ask anyone that was close to us when we were younger, I was head over heals for Dan from the moment I met him! And the stories I could tell about the many fights (I'm not just saying little petty bickering and stupid "I like him" "no I like him" fights that girls that age have, I'm talking all out brawls!!! Hair pulling and all!) I'm been in over him! I'm not the one that usually started the fight, but let me tell you, I was usually the one that ended it!!! That's another story for another time...
I always wrote in my diary that I was going to marry Dan! I didn't know then, but I was so right! I love him more than words can express! We were good friends before we started dating. Of course at that age, no one can keep secrets about who likes who, no matter how hard you try, it always gets out! So Dan of course knew that I liked him... and at a mutual friend's halloween party, he pulled me aside to talk. He made me a promise that when I was 16 and allowed to date that he would take me out on my first date.
The years passed and we slowly drifted apart. A lot of it had to do with stupid teenage fights and back talking. All I knew was at the beginning of the summer when I was 14 we were friends and then I went away for the summer. When I returned, all of my guy friends, including Dan, no longer wanted to speak to me! I don't know what I did and to this day still don't know what caused that... oh well! So for almost 2 years we went not speaking to each other. I completely forgot about his promise. After all that, I didn't think it would ever happen. I tried putting my feelings for him aside, but no matter how much I tried, my thoughts would always go back to him. I tried dating other guys and enjoying my life, but I always felt like there was something missing.
The summer of my 16th birthday came along and my parents sent me to Utah for EFY. I was so excited! This was going to be my first trip out west! And I was going alone! I felt so grown up!!! So I was away for 2 weeks, one week for EFY and another week visiting friends. I had a blast! I came back a whole new person! I felt like I had more confidence in myself! I don't know what it was, but something was different inside. I arrived at church that Sunday and went through my normal routine of Sacrament, Sunday school and Young Women's. When I got home, I went online and started chatting my new friends that I met at EFY. All of a sudden I got a message from a friend of Dan's asking how things were with me. We talked for a while and then out of nowhere he asked me if I liked anyone at church? What kind of question was that? Why would he care? I answered his questions as honestly as I could. I didn't come out and say that I still like Dan, he was Dan's friend. The he asked me if I was still interested in Dan. Little did I know that Dan was right there with him feeding him all the lines to ask me!!! I hesitated answering but then told him that I still liked him, but what difference would that make? His next line took me by surprise. "Would you say 'yes' if he asked you out?" WHAT??? I told him I probably would, trying my best to be "cool". The next thing I knew, I was getting a message from Dan himself! Was I being set up? YES!
We talked for hours online and then he called me and we talked through the night! We had a lot to catch up on, we hadn't talked for almost 2 years!!! Well, at 6:30 am we finally got off the phone. I had to catch a flight to visit my grandmother for the rest of the summer. This time we didn't let the summer apart get in our way. We talked almost every day! When I got back it was right before my birthday. He asked me out and I accepted. On my birthday, October 11, 2000, Dan took me on my first "official" date! "I kept my promise" he told me after our date was over. I had no idea what he was talking about, then I remembered the party! He did keep his promise!
The rest is history.... We've been inseperable ever since!
On August 26, 2003, Dan took me to Swarthmore College where we had gone several times before for long romantic walks through their scenic gardens. He took me to the Japanese garden and sat me on a bench in front of a small pond with large fish swimming around. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and simply asked, "what do you think?" I didn't even have to think
about this one! ABSOLUTELY!!! I knew long ago that he was the one for me!
January 3, 2009, I went into the hospital because I was dehydrated and feeling sick. 7 hours later at 4:13 am January 4th, we welcomed Hayden Madison Deininger into the world! She has changed our lives! Our world revolves around her now! We are loving every moment of this new life that we have created! We look forward to what the future has in store for us...
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