Happy Father's Day, D.

I did a Father's Day post last year so I think I'll keep up the tradition. And let you in on the story of how Derek and I met. Six years ago...ON FATHER'S DAY!

Derek was assigned to speak in church. His topic was naturally on "Fathers". He was going on about how his Dad would grill steaks for the family on Father's Day. The girl behind me said, "Mmmm steaks" and it was not in her sacrament voice. It was pretty loud! So I laughed and turned around like...??? And that's when Derek paused his talk and looked at me. Way back in like the (I don't know) 15th row or something. Then he went back to his talk. I was SO embarrassed. Surely he didn't hear me chuckle? Maybe he heard the girl behind me when she reverently threw in her 2 cents about steaks? Well now I was feeling totally sheepish because I don't like drawing negative attention to myself. And I felt like by capturing the attention of the Sacrament Meeting speaker in the middle of his talk to where he pauses to give you a "shape up while I'm speaking" look, that's negative attention. I don't think I could concentrate the rest of the meeting. As SOON as Sacrament Meeting ended, I pursued him as he was coming off the stage. I said, "I am so sorry". He said, "For what?". I said, "So you didn't hear me?". He said, "Hear what?". I explained and told him I was so embarrassed and he laughed and assured me he had no idea what I was talking about. We went our separate ways to Sunday School and our 3rd hour meetings and then afterwards, he approached me in the foyer while talking to a handful of other girls. He pulled me aside and asked me if I'd like to go over to his apartment complex and play games with a bunch of his other friends that lived there. I said sure! When I returned to the group of girls, they were upset! There were at least 2 other girls who were supposedly pursuing Derek. I didn't know! And I wasn't the one who asked him- he asked ME so how could they be so mad?! They said I was too young for him. He is 3 1/2 years older than me. I brushed it off and thus began a summer of spending almost every day together. I never knew what love was until I met Derek. And I never knew love with anyone BUT him. Sometimes I think we know exactly the dynamics of love and what it means through and through. But we don't! I think until we find someone that compliments us, that makes us better individuals, that pushes us to our potential and respects us completely...we don't know love. This is Derek to me. I truly believe he is my Soul Mate. I don't think there is another human being in the history of life that would make a better eternal companion and friend to me than Derek does. I believe Heavenly Father made our paths meet because we are a killer team! If you ever want to know our entire story and how we went in a humongous circle and came back to one another, comment and I will do it in series because it is long but it is awesome! I can really see the Lord's hand in our being together.

So, with that being said, Happy Father's Day to the world's best person ever.

Love,

Lauren