Life is interesting... perhaps it is when you don't feel like new will come into your life, or that the monotonous cycle of daily life will never change, that your whole world gets turned upside down. Now, the dizziness and nausea that was once the result of an endless battle of monotony and ennui is from the excitement and roller coaster called marriage. Perhaps I see things differently, perhaps life is just more interesting, perhaps I have more things to do. Perhaps it is because now there is not only one to think about (myself) but two; and the mixing of thoughts, traditions, habits, and lifestyle is anything but monotonous. If you are reading this you probably know me well enough that on September 8th, 2012, in the Rexburg, ID temple, I was married for time and all Eternity.
Who was the one to save me from the monotonous life of singletude and risk everything for a tired, overstudied, engineering major from Misery? Her name is Juanita, formerly Juanita Millyard, now Juanita Cardwell. I am honored and humbled to be able to call her my wife. We met at the beginning of this year, I suppose only a week or two after my last post where I lamented on my life, and the cycle of hopeful relationships and hopeless heartbreaks. I was the Executive Secretary in our ward so I went out to all the apartments to meet all the people and introduce myself to them. She was one of the people I introduced myself to, but I didn't have the courage to ask her out for another two months, rather, I spent my time beating around the bush and feeding on the generosity of many sisters who were kind enough to feed me. Eventually, I was invited to help set up a birthday party for one of Juanita's roommates. They had cupcakes, so of course I helped. That's when I really first met and talked with her. Not too long after, I was at a meeting with plans to go to the Idaho Falls temple afterwards (the Rexburg temple happened to be closed at the time). I wanted someone to go with but no one was really available. One of my friends mentioned to me that a girl was wanting to go to the temple, so, using my super ward directory powers, I called her up. She agreed, awkwardly, to go with me. I picked her up about an hour later and we went. I consider this to be our first "social excursion together just the two of us" but at that time didn't really call it a date, it wasn't planned (for more than an hour), and I never paid for it (it was to the temple). We had a good time, but at that time I wasn't having any serious romantic feelings, and neither was she, so we didn't really go on any dates soon after.
However, not too long after there was a Valentine's Day dance that we both helped set up. I think she was one of the few girls I danced with... not because I had any strong interest at that time (there was starting to be some) but because I lacked courage (only 20 seconds worth). Occasionally I would see her in the MC and talk with her and her room mate Kara (now married) but still didn't have the courage to ask her out. Eventually they invited me to go country dancing, and I agreed. However I didn't last too long after the instruction period because that's when I was actually expected to cognitively dance. I think Juanita and Kara were the only ones I danced with, mainly because they made me. I soon gave into fear and left. Juanita soon texted me, sternly, stating "you better not have left." I lamented that I was too anxious and lacked courage to dance, and the social skills to speak intelligently to a female. She then proceeded to lecture me about having courage and how there will be dancing in heaven, or something like that... The next day I asked her out. We went on our first official date the next day (February 24th). I intended to go to comic frenzy, but they didn't have a show that night (we found out at the door) so we got gator jacks and went ballroom dancing. We saw each other almost every day for the next week and our first kiss (and the official start of our relationship) was March 4th (my dad's birthday, ironically). The rest is history. I proposed (officially) on June 3rd. Here's my version of what happened...
I had been thinking up for some time how I would want to propose (even before meeting Juanita). I decided to base it off of the three greek words for Love, namely Philia, Eros, and Agape. Philia denotes a more friendly, brotherly love; Eros indicates a more romantic love, and Agape is more of a Christlike love. I put each one of these on a note talking about it, complete with music lyrics (that I sing to her in her head). I also had three different colored roses to go along with each. A yellow rose, symbolizing friendship, a red rose, symbolizing romance and passion, and a white rose symbolizing purity and holiness. I had one of my friends stand with the rose and a note at three places around Rexburg, The MC, where we first danced, Gator Jacks, our first date, and the Rexburg Temple, where we first started talking about getting married. I was also at the Temple. She got an initiatory note along with a pink rose from a friend of mine which led her to her first destination, the MC. there was a clue on the note at the MC to go to Gator Jacks, and from there a clue to go to the temple. I waited anxiously at the temple for her to come (when she finally got the first note, it didn't take long). She eventually met me there with all the notes and roses and I popped the question there in front of the temple. SHE SAID YES!!
We did take a trip out to Missouri and Alaska to say hi to parents and to get away from Rexburg for a while. That was a lot of fun. I drove Juanita's car (now our car) from Denver to Rexburg after the trip.
Since being married, life has been great. We are doing very well and staying very busy. I'm taking one of the hardest classes of my life (principles of physiology) and she is finishing up her degree. Hopefully she will be placed locally near Rexburg so that we don't have to move anywhere.
Well, that's about it. perhaps I'll try and post some pictures soon....
