How we got started

Derek and I were married August 17, 2007, after dating off and on for a year and a half. Most of our relationship was spent long distance; him being in Arizona working and going to school, and me being off going to school at BYU-Idaho.We started dating on April 2, 2006 and dated a month before I had to leave for Idaho.
We continued a long distance courtship for three months, when we decided the distance was too hard. We remained friend until I came home from school and we tried the dating thing again. We dated three months before I had to leave for school once again. This time leaving we knew where we were heading and we had plans for Derek to come up to BYU-I for a visit. He came up the end of May and proposed on June 1, 2007.

The Proposal

Derek proposed on June 1, 2007 in Island Park, Idaho. Mom and Dad came into town, because they knew that Derek was coming to propose, and they wanted to be there for that. Mom and Dad were staying in Island Park in a cabin, and they invited us to join them for the weekend. We went there and it was so beautiful. That night we went for a walk, and I knew that Derek was going to propose sometime on that walk, because I saw the shape of the ring box in his pocket; he was trying to hide it by replacing his cellphone with the ring box, but it was a different shape than the phone. As we walked we found a creek with some rocks around it, and we sat down and just started talking. I could tell that the more time that went by the more nervous Derek was getting. Derek says that I tried to push him into the creek, but I don't know if I would do that. Right before he proposed I was talking about mountains and trees and how I love how beautiful they are. He then said, " I can't promise you mountains and trees but I can promise that I will love you forever... will you marry me?" I waited a few seconds before answering him, he says that it was like twenty minutes.