Becoming Seth and Julie: Falling in Love

Warning: The title of today's episode should clue you in that you may be in for some cheese. Continue at your own risk.

So we left off with a broken up, but friendly, Seth and Julie. At first we still talked occasionally and then, as is the case with most break-ups we ceased to talk at all. During the broken up months lots of things changed. That is a story all in itself. But the most important change that took place was that both me and Seth gained testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You may think that is irrelevant, but I know that because of this change we were ready to be what Heavenly Father intended us to be when we met up again.

When Seth reentered my life I was a bit surprised. I really did not expect to ever see him again. I know I am leaving a lot out but it really is a very long story.

When Seth contacted me again we decided to be friends. We hung out A LOT but we really were not a couple. No one believed us and we had people telling us all the time that we were meant to be together. I loved hanging out with Seth but he was dating someone else and I had decided to go on a mission so it was really best to just stay friends, right?

That is what I thought but one day when Seth was over and we were chatting he just stops and says, all casually, "You know I am going to marry you someday." I have witnesses to this because my roommates were in the next room and overheard it. I laughed at first but then he told me he was serious and held my hand. No big deal, we held hands all the time (which is one of the reasons no one believed we weren't dating) but something felt different this time. Perhaps it was the marriage proposal still fresh in the air.

Anyhow, that same night when I walked Seth to his car, I gave him a hug. Again that was very normal for us but what came next was a bit out of the ordinary. He kissed me. He will say that I kissed him but who is going to believe that when he had just told me he wanted to marry me. He definitely kissed me. Did I kiss him back? Sure. It wasn't our first kiss but we consider it to be because this time around we were ready.

Of course there was one small matter of business to take care of. The girlfriend. After we kissed I stepped back and said, "I thought you had a girlfriend." Seth responded, "I think we just broke up." I know that is so cruel but that is one of my all time favorite Seth lines. Did I mention this kid was cocky?

After he informed the other party of their break-up, Seth and I became inseparable. With me getting ready to go on a mission we knew that our time was short so we never even slept. If we weren't together we were on the phone. About a month after we got back together was my 22nd birthday and Seth gave me a very sweet card trying to explain his feelings for me. As I read it I knew I was somewhere I had never been before.

Just a few weeks later we went up to Wyoming to see Seth's mom and visit his home town. Before that trip I did not think that we would stay together during the mission but after that trip I knew that Seth was permanent. I remember just sitting by the fire in his mom's basement and talking all weekend and I knew that there was no longer a Julie without Seth. I can't give you words for what I felt because those words have not been given to us in mortality.

On December 16, 1997 Seth told me that he loved me and although those words may not be strong enough, they were the strongest words we knew. I was so nervous. I couldn't say anything for probably 20 minutes (Have you ever seen me speechless?). I am not an "I love you" kind of person so that was big for me. Finally I said, with the shakiest voice ever, "Guess what?" When Seth said, "What?", I somehow made the words come out, "I love you." Everything was perfect, right? Almost, except that the next day when I went to the mailbox, there it was....

THE MISSION CALL!!!