Our Story

She says:

Get ready for some conflicting details!  Nelson and I met late in the summer of 2009 as program directors (PD) for the Y-Serve program "Service Dates" (no, we don't give out pity dates... you bring a date and do service).  Before this all happened, I told one of the directors in the Y-Serve office that I wanted to have a cute PD as a partner.. but she must have taken that as personality because Kaeli was my partner-- obviously a girl! :)  Anyway, I was on a study abroad in Korea when I got an email from one of the directors saying that a stats major was wanting to volunteer and that I had the first choice if I wanted him in our program, and she emphasized he was cute.  So I took her up on her offer.  And it's a good thing I did!  So this started our friendship.  And it was a friendship: poor guy had to listen to me talk about the most random things, but he always listened.  I think if you ask either of us, we will both say (hopefully he feels this way...) that this time of friendship helped us become a better couple in the future.  We went on our first date in February and I had so much fun.  The best part was talking with Nelson.  This part has not changed and we can still sit and talk for hours.  After this date, I felt that I could go out with Nelson again, however, when he did ask again, I was prepping for conferences I needed to speak at and a senior capstone thesis for my Women's Studies minor. I felt that I couldn't go out with ANYONE because of it was the final countdown before my first conference.  I told him this and he takes this as me blowing him off.. which I did NOT.  Time passes... we have an awesome lunch together in the summer and I pretty much die laughing.  Nelson is really funny and I have always loved talking to him for an hour... two hours... three... six.... ;) 

Things never worked out for us to start dating until September 18th when we went to his sister's (Korean) BBQ.  I knew I wanted to start dating him that night.  So, I made that clear.  The timing was great.  Previously, that timing piece was missing.  But now, I was getting ready to graduate, gearing up for law school, and ready to take on some new adventures.  Well, this definitely was a new adventure. 

I was really surprised at how well we meshed as a couple and how well we worked together... and how easy it was to transition from being friends to.. well, becoming best friends.   

Five months later, we got engaged.  It happened on a Friday night at Utah Lake.  I had no idea it was happening because we hadn't gone ring shopping or anything together.  We had talked about getting married but I thought it was going to happen much later in the summer.  I was taken by surprise when he proposed, especially since he had just seen me running in my hobo sweats.  

I'm deliriously happy with Nelson.  I think most people become shocked when they hear how quickly we are getting married... but I knew I wanted to marry Nelson, and when he asked me to marry him on March 4, 2011, I knew that I didn't want to wait.  Who knew so many things could change... So many wonderful changes.  I love him, and I will always love him. 

He says:

The summer of 2009 I became involved at the Center for Service and Learning at Brigham Young University. I read a quote from President Hinckley on a poster facing the CougarEat. It encouraged students to help one another in their academic pursuits by volunteering their time to those who may be struggling. After reading this quote, I signed up to be a tutor from Calculus and Spanish, in which I had always earned “A”. I began tutroing a freshman named Kelsey Gooch for Calculus II. As Spring term progressed, I wanted to be more involved in the Center for Service and Learning. I found out about opportunities to be a program director in the Center over a particular service organization. Sign-ups had been completed the semester before, put I really wanted to be a program director. I filled out a form which I gave to Nicole detailing my interest in a few programs. She replied that she would do what she could to see if there were an openings, but it seemed that I would be just a representative were I to be involved in one of the organizations, not a full-fledged PD (program director). Using my ways and perhaps by divine help, a still pursued a PD position. Kaeli Widmer, one of the new Service Dates program directors, got news that I was interested in helping out and she sent me an email. She invited me to a training, which was actually just for PD’s. I met her there along with Scotty, the service dates service council member for the upcoming year. Seeing that Ginnie Kim, the co-PD of Kaeli, was not present and would not be around until the beginning of the year, I became a PD for Service Dates (essentially the Bread and Butter service program of BYU - you know what I mean? :) ). Scotty said that if they (Kaeli) wanted another program director (in a leading voice) that it would be that way. Kaeli and I planned New Student Orientation while Ginnie was in Korea and then before the start of school, once Ginnie was back in town, we all coordinated. I believe we all first met on July 18, 2011. This was my first interaction with this girl who I so dearly love now. I made the connection with her at the end of a meeting that my sister and brother-in-law both served in Korea and she commented on that.

Our Next Interaction, NSO -- Kaeli was busy handling other things so Ginnie and I were in charge of the service booth. Tons of freshman ad transfer students meandered through the terrace, I would direct them to our both and we would attempt to "sell" them on Service Dates while giving them a Hershey’s Kiss and grabbing there email for our massive email list, which I started for service dates. We got it to around 300 names that semester. She indicated to me that if I want to get to know any certain girls that came by just to let her know and she would sort of make it happen (hehehe... look at us now).

As semester proceeded, we worked together and stressed over the activities/service projects for our program. Ginnie first met part of my family (Lorin and Lindy) at lunch sometime in September. She was surprised by how healthy we were eating. I did not think I eat super healthly, but she saw it that way.

In February I asked Ginnie out on our first date. The next week I followed up with her and asked again. She told me it would have to wait a month and a half because she was busy. I told her to call me when she was free. Our next date was not until May and things did not work out again. We had a sort of lunch date in July, but the rest of the summer we were far apart and things just did not come together. Then I ran a marathon and took her on a date that evening. Apparently that impressed her sufficiently to encourage me further. Months have passed and we been together since then. I could not be happier to be marrying Ginnie. My heart is such that oxygen is not enough anymore. I am grateful for the many miracles that have put us in each other's paths and brought us together.