Episode #1: [insert catchy title here]

I was going to try and do this all in one post, but it’s turning out to be way longer than I anticipated…so here’s installment #1 to be continued tomorrow night…

This is going to be the post of all posts…at least for me, but before I dive into the back story and everything that implies, I have a few other comments to make.

We went and talked to Drex’s bishop tonight and it was really good. I didn’t say much, Drex talked the whole time (which is as it should have been), but I was able to get a blessing from the bishop and I was very much intrigued by the fact that much of what he said was lifted directly from my patriarchal blessing. It was a great strength to me and I hope I can remember what he said and keep on keepin’ on.

Yesterday was an academic day from hell, but my midterms and big papers are done for the moment and I can breathe for a few days before the barrage starts again, hence the post.

The moment you’ve been waiting for: the story of us...(Drex will most likely be appalled at the detail I remember ;) )
So we started almost 5 years ago when I was a freshman at BYU and he a sophomore. The first time I ever saw him was a little awkward for me. It was my first week in the dorms and I had come into my dorm after midnight on a Friday and he was sitting there talking to one of my roommates and another friend. Keep in mind that I didn’t know that BYU curfew was extended on Friday nights, so I was slightly appalled that he was there, but one of my other roommates quickly quelled my fears and I went to bed.

That first impression kind of made me feel intimidated after that because I felt kind of stupid for freaking out. Drex, his cousin, and two of my roommates started a scripture study group in the first couple weeks of school and I really wanted to be a part of it, but was too intimidated to ask if I could join in. Eventually my roommate invited me to join in with them and that’s pretty much where the friendship got its start.

Bit of an aside…keep in mind that Drex had dated my roommate (who he refers to as Psycho) the previous year and she was still chasing him while he was completely disinterested and occasionally annoyed by her behavior.

So I start developing a pretty big crush on Drex, but not wanting to cross lines with my roommate I just kind of kept it on friendship level for a while and that was my plan…until Preference (BYU girl’s choice dance) comes along and Psycho convinces me to ask Drex and that she’s totally fine with it. I waffled for a few days, but then decided to go for it. He said yes after I filled his dorm room with balloons and it was pretty much over after that for me.

We started spending ridiculous amounts of time together and discovered that we were essentially the same person. At that point I think it was more on a superficial level, but I think deep down we knew it went deeper. We struck up a pretty tight friendship in pretty short time. And as Drex has said before, he doesn’t make friends super easily…and I don’t either. Though neither of us acknowledged it out loud at that time, we were best friends and would continue that friendship through his mission.

My roommate (aka Psycho) really did go psycho right before Christmas. She was jealous that I was spending so much time with Drex and his cousin and told me that they were no longer welcome at our house. Yeah, that didn’t last for long. I got really angry and pretty much decided that she was not going to dictate anything for me.

The semester ended and I realized that Drex was going on his mission and it scared me because I didn’t want our friendship to end. We were leaving to go home on the same day, but I was leaving before he was, so he came down to say goodbye to me and drop some stuff off for me to store while he was on the mission. My feelings didn’t hit me until I got off the plane and saw my parents. I walked into my mother’s arms in tears, not because I was excited to see them, but because I had said goodbye to my best friend and I didn’t know if I was going to see him again. I know it sounds really melodramatic, but the feelings were real.

He went into the MTC at the end of January and I was able to go to the MTC with him and literally send him off. It was hard, but I managed not to cry (I get points for that one). Three days later I was smacked in the face with the reality of how long 2 years is and ended up bawling on the phone to my mom for a while. Then I decided to pick myself up and get through the next 2 years.

TO BE CONTINUED...

S.