Our New Car

So, we bought a car a few months ago. It's a 2007 spicy orange Chevrolet Aveo. We love it to death. It's cute, stylish, and it gets great gas milage. Also, we got zero percent interest on it which was a huge plus. I need to post some pictures to truly do it justice though.

Our Best Friends

One day after we'd been married about 7 months, I asked, "Corey, can we get a pet hamster?" He said, "No." I said, "What if we name it Goomba?" Well, with his newfound obsession with the little mushroom type things on Mario, he couldn't help but smile and say, "Fine."

So, a few nights later, I ventured to the pet store to get a new furry friend. There were two female teddy bear hamsters in stock and they were both simply adorable. I was with the Petco employee trying to decide which one to get when I said something like, "They're both so cute! Too bad they can't live together." The over eager employee assured me that they could in fact live together, so I happily bought both of them and we named the second one Yoshi.

So, we lived in bliss with our new little friends. They slept together, ate together, and ran on their ball together. Then, one night a few weeks later, Corey noticed that Yoshi was trying to kill Goomba. So it turns out that pet store lady was wrong and that every single web site about hamsters was right... I was so sad and was trying to decide which of our little friends to get rid of when Corey had a great suggestion. He suggested we just keep both of them and buy a new cage. So we did.

They really are very cute. Goomba loves food and periodically stuffs her cheeks until they look like they're about to burst. Yoshi chews on the bars of her cage non stop and has developed a bald spot on her nose because of it. They have both become very friendly. We love them :).

Our First Apartment

Our first apartment was quite the adventure. It was a little basement apartment east of campus in the tree streets. It had pipes sticking out all over the place, wood panelling, and an infestation of huge spiders. The owner's dog would bark at us every time he saw us. The bedroom was carpeted to the extreme. Really. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all carpeted and the ceiling had some really odd stains. The kitchen floor had a huge drain in it. It also didn't have an oven or a stove. It wasn't really what you'd call a kitchen. It was always cold in the winter and the upstairs neighbors were often incredibly noisy. Now, this sounds like it would be miserable, and maybe for some people it would be, but we kind of liked it. It was cheap, close to campus, and we were just so happy to be together that we didn't care what our surroundings looked like. Plus, I'd been sharing an apartment and a single bathroom with five other girls for a year, so the amount of space I suddenly had was wonderful. When we look back at that apartment, we do so with fondness, but I don't think we'll be moving back in anytime soon... :)

Happily Ever After, a History; Part 7: Paradise

On the evening of the 26th, Allison and her fantastic husband were preparing to fly to Puerto Rico thanks to the generosity of Allie's uncle Mark. They were excited to travel together for the first time. They took a red eye flight on Jet Blue, had one layover, and arrived in Puerto Rico Monday afternoon. They went to the hotel room that Allison had found for them at a fantastic price. They were excited to see that it was literally on the beach just like the website had promised. They checked in and went up the elevator to their temporary home for the week. They walked into the room and were assaulted by a musty, moldy smell. They were so tired that they ignored it for the time being and fell asleep. Honestly, they didn't mind the smell/slight ghettoness of the hotel. They were happy to be together and to not be going broke by staying somewhere nicer. They went to dinner later, vowing that they'd have the energy to explore the island the next day.

So, on Tuesday morning, they explored their part of the city. They got dozens of brochures and recommendations from people for what to do. Everybody kept saying, "Make sure you go to Old San Juan and walk around. It's great!" So, they decided to do that. They got a taxi after much tribulation missing the bus and they went to Old San Juan. It was full of lots and lots of shops. So, they went shopping. They saw lots of random things and bought a few knickknacks. It was fun, but honestly, they thought that it was a bit overrated.

On Wednesday, they had bigger and better plans. They'd seen a brochure about a rain forest and decided that would be a great way to spend a day. So, they rented a car (a little red Corolla that they became quite attached to) and drove to the rainforest. Allison was very grateful to have Corey there because she never would have found her way anywhere on her own.

The rainforest was beautiful! Everything was lush and green and there were waterfalls everywhere. They did a few hikes. One of the hikes ended at a beautiful waterfall with a huge pool that they swam in. It was remarkably idyllic. Well, besides all the tourists... They saw an ancient tower, they went to a rainforest museum and had a great day.

Once Allison was too tired to hike anymore, they went to dinner at a little restaurant on the beach. After dinner, they decided to check out what looked like one of the best things to do on the island. They went to the beach and walked up to a company that did guided kayak tours and signed themselves up. As the sun set, the guides taught the group the basics of kayaking. These particular kayaks were two person kayaks. The guides warned that each pair would have to work as a team. Allison and Corey weren't worried about that :).

The group started to follow the leader through the ocean. He led them to a Mangrove Orchard. The group rowed their way through a canal. It was amazingly romantic. The moon was full, the water was warm, and Allison and Corey were together. As they kayaked in the canal, the other pairs kept arguing and running into things, but not Allison and Corey. They cooperated and were mishap free. The canal led to a large bay. As the couple kayaked in, they noticed the water doing funny things. Every time one of their paddles moved in the water, it would light up like it was full of diamond dust. It was amazing! Once they reached the center of the bay, the guide told them there were bio luminescent organisms that lived in the water that would light up with any movement. It was fantastic. After about 15 minutes in the bay, they turned around and went back to the beach. It was a great trip.

The couple had some issues getting home that night. They got lost multiple times. Corey ran two red lights! The first was accidental, and then it was so much fun that he did it at the next light when he saw no one was coming. Allison had always known he was crazy. Eventually, after a stop at Wal-mart to buy a cd and some air fresheners for their room, the couple made it back to their hotel.

The next morning they got really adventurous. They decided to take a ferry to a gorgeous island they'd heard about. They were very excited. After a few mishaps and a long line, they were on the ferry and ready for adventure. When they got to the island, they were a bit disappointed... It was kind of scary and non-touristy. There didn't seem like a lot to do and all the restaurants were closed. They eventually found a place to get some pizza. After that, they found a visitor's center that told them where to rent snorkeling equipment. Allison had never been snorkeling and was very excited.

So, they rented their equipment for $75 and went to explore. There was an old rusty ship that was kind of creepy right by them, but off in the distance they could see what looked like a lovely beach. The only way to get to the beach without being forced to walk over thousands of very sharp rocks was to swim out there, so they did. They saw a few cute fish on the way and it was lots of fun.

The beach they swam to was very pretty. It was empty except for one Puerto Rican family. They left their snorkeling gear on the beach and decided to go exploring. They went around a bend and Corey noticed one of the little boys from the family dart out and look at us and then run back. Corey thought this was weird, but Allison didn't think much of it.

After exploring a bit, the happy couple decided to swim back. To their utter dismay, their snorkeling stuff was gone! They looked everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found. They hated to assume the worst about people, but it appeared that the family had stolen it. So, they were forced to walk across many sharp rocks barefooted while Allie's back fried. Her sunscreen must have washed off. It was sad.

So, the couple finally made their way back and was relieved to find out that none of their other stuff had been stolen. Luckily, the nice rental shop man didn't make them pay anything more than their $50 deposit for the missing stuff. After eating at a little place where Corey taught Allie to order in Spanish, they drove back to their hotel.

That night, Allison insisted that Corey take her gambling. In Puerto Rico, you only have to be 18 to gamble. So, they went to a nearby hotel with a casino and they gambled away their life savings. By life savings, I mean $5. Corey was doing really well, but Allie was not. They had so much fun though! In the end, Corey started to lose the $3 he had gained and so they cashed in their chips and left with $5 in their pockets. They might not have been as hard core as everyone else, but they sure were smiling more.

The next day it was rainy, but they'd already paid for a day trip, so they decided to brace the weather. Allison was actually a little grateful for the rain because direct sunlight hurt her back very much. They drove to a dock and got on a boat. The boat was cool. The trip included all you could eat and drink and that was exciting too. Allie and Corey did feel like they deserved a partial refund since they alone didn't drink any alcohol, but they didn't say anything. The boat went out to an island called Culebra. They stopped at a beach that has been ranked one of the top 10 in the world. It was easy to see why. The sand was pure white, the water was warm and a lovely clear blue. The beach turned into a forest of lush green trees about 30 yards back from the water. It really was just like paradise.

So, they played on the beach and in the water. They snorkeled and it was amazing! They saw so many fish! After lunch, the boat went to deeper water for better snorkeling. The fish were even better there! They took some leftover rolls from lunch and dropped the pieces in the water and the fish swarmed them. It was really amazing. At one point, they saw a tiny jellyfish. Allison's mom had been stung by one once, so Corey saw just how fast Allison could swim if she wanted to. He still mocks her about that... After snorkeling for a while, everyone got back on the boat and went back.

On Saturday, they decided to visit the Camuy Cave. They'd seen a brochure and it looked amazing. It was. It was a giant cave with amazing formations. Unfortunately, their camera's flash decided to break that day, so none of the pictures were very good/possible. The day was spent exploring the cave. On the little bus ride from the parking lot to the cave, there were several spider's webs with giant black and yellow spiders. Allie still gets scared even thinking about them.

Sunday was sadly the date of departure and the plane left around 6 a.m. The couple went to bed early and decided to wake up around 3:45 a.m. to get to their plane on time. So, the alarm went of at 3:45. They woke up and then promptly fell back asleep. About an hour later, Allison awoke with a start and realized that they had to book it or they would miss their flight. So, Corey ran to the car which was parked several blocks away in order to avoid paying $20 a night for parking and Allison hastily packed up all the odds and ends they'd neglected the night before and then managed to get all the luggage downstairs all by herself. Luckily, they had enough driving experience in the area to know exactly how to get to the airport. They drove as fast as was reasonable, turned in their rental car, and hitched a ride on an airport shuttle. When they walked into the airport, they saw a huge line to check in! They patiently waited and then when they got to the front, they were informed that they had to go have their bags x-rayed first. Time was tight, but they did what they were told. Then, the x-raying took twice as long as it should have because the airport employee didn't notice the bags the first time they went through because she was too busy talking to her coworker. Needless to say, the couple was frustrated, but against all odds, they still made it to their flight on time.

So, they flew home and relaxed for a day and a half before starting school again. And yes, the honeymoon was over, but the wonderful marriage was just beginning.

The End

Happily Ever After, a History; Part 6: The Best Day

Allison woke up nervous and excited on August 25th, 2007. Here it was! The day she'd been waiting for! She was about to get married! She woke up her wonderful friend Tara and they went upstairs together to start preparing for the day. Allison sat down at the kitchen table while her fabulous friend Jill did her hair beautifully. Then she put on her make up, hugged her sisters and friends for the last time as a Butterfield, and her and her mom got in the van to go to Bountiful.

Their first stop was to pick up the wedding cake. Allison was so excited! She'd picked out a gorgeous cake. It was three tiered with dark green vines with purple flowers climbing up the sides. It was going to be half chocolate and half vanilla with raspberry filling. The picture of it was the most gorgeous cake Allison had ever seen and she couldn't wait to pick it up.

Allison and her mom pulled into the driveway of the family friend who was making the cake. They were invited into the kitchen. Allison saw a cake on the table and thought, "That can't be my cake. That must be a cake for a birthday party or something." To her dismay, Cake Maker Lady* walked in and said, "There's your cake! Do you like it?" Allison was distraught. This cake was very mint green with neon and pastel flowers on it! This wasn't what she'd picked out. Allison said, "I love it! It's beautiful." Allison lied. She quickly got in the car so she could hide her true feelings from Cake Maker Lady who her dad happened to home teach.

As Allison and her mom drove away, Lori (her mom) asked, "Do you really like the cake?"

"Well, I kind of wanted my wedding cake to be white..."

"Yeah, I know. Maybe we can fix it. We have Rachael bring her special cake decorating frosting and we'll have Jeanette try to help us fix it. If anyone can, she can."

So, Allison felt a little better and started to think about the upcoming ceremony again. Then she looked behind her.

"Um, mom? The cake keeps swaying."

"Don't worry Allie, Cake Maker Lady said that type of cake will be fine to go to Bountiful."

"Okay..."

Then Lori tapped the brakes. The cake tipped over. They immediately pulled over into the Ream's parking lot to assess the situation. As they looked at the toppled cake and scraped it up from the dirty van floor, they started to laugh hysterically. Allison no longer cared that her cake was green because this was hilarious. And, it was her wedding day. How could she let baked goods ruin that?

So, with elaborate schemes involving styrofoam and tons of frosting, Allison and Lori went to Corey's grandparent's house to pick him up and drop off the cake. He looked so handsome. Allison was so excited! At first he was worried that Allison would be very sad about her cake, but when he saw the way her and her mom kept giggling, he decided no to worry about it.

The three drove to the temple. As Allison and Lori went into the dressing room, Allison was a little sad that she would be wearing her temple dress to the ceremony instead of her wedding dress. But, it was what the matron of the Mount Timpanogas Temple had strongly suggested and Allison was always one for obedience. As she started to change into her temple dress, a nice temple worker asked if she wanted to wear her wedding dress instead. Allison asked, "Is that really okay?" The wonderful lady told her of course it was and Allison excitedly left her little locker and went to the beautiful bride's dressing room. After she was ready, she looked in the mirror and smiled. She was ready to marry the man of her dreams.

The look on Corey's face as she walked out of the dressing room was priceless. He couldn't stop grinning and looking at her in her dress. The couple had a couple of minutes together in the Celestial room and then they went to their ceremony.

The ceremony was wonderful. Allison had been warning Corey that she would cry and that it would probably be the first time in their courtship that she would see him cry. But, as they kneeled across the altar and looked into each other's eyes, neither of them could help but smile. It was all they could do to stop themselves from grinning out right, which neither of them felt would fit the solemnity of the occasion. It was the best that either of them had ever felt. When the ceremony was over, the sealer said, "Everyone, come greet the new Merrill family. As Allison's mom hugged her, she started to cry from sheer happiness. This was exactly what she'd always hoped and prayed for.

After the ceremony, there was much rejoicing with everyone who wasn't able to go inside the temple with the couple. Allison didn't mind that she had to keep smiling for dozens of pictures because she didn't want to stop smiling anyway. Once pictures were done, the couple left to drive to Ogden for the reception. Their first stop as a married couple was Arby's. In defense of the utter non-romanticness of this, they were in a hurry and hungry.

When they arrived at the reception center, they saw all the brave people stoically trying to save their cake. It wasn't going well. The bottom layer had been thrown away and the remaining cake was small, lopsided, and pitiful. Allison tried not to think about it as she rejoiced with her fantastic bridesmaids and got ready for the reception.

When she left the dressing room, her Aunt Jeanette walked up and said, "This cake is hopeless. I'm going to have Harmon's make you a new one. It will be done in about 45 minutes. We'll decorate it with tons of fresh flowers and it will be pretty." Allison was very grateful to her fantastic aunt. And, when the cake was done, it was very pretty. Not as pretty as Allison's dream cake, but she was happy nonetheless.

The reception was so much fun! There was dancing and good food. Allison and Corey couldn't stop smiling at each other and hugging. It was a fantastic party. When it was over, the couple walked out with bubbles being blown all around and stepped into the Blazer that had been decorated with lipstick and glowsticks of all things. And the happy couple drove into the future with glowsticks to light their way.




*Name has been changed to protect the nice yet clueless

Happily Ever After, a History; Part 5: A Birthday Surprise

The morning of June 2nd, 2007 dawned bright and fair. At least it probably did, Allison didn't know anyone who would wake up early enough to know for sure. When she awoke that morning, she realized with a thrill that her days of being a teenager were officially over. Allison Leigh Butterfield was 20-years-old and excited to finally feel a little more grown up.

She and Corey had been discussing wedding plans for quite a few months. They had a date, dress, and ring picked out, but they were not officially engaged. Corey sadly told her it would be about a month until her ring would be ready. Allison was sad about this because she wanted to be officially engaged, but she wasn't going to let it bother her on her birthday.

The first thing the couple did that day was register for wedding gifts at Target. That was incredibly fun! It's like shopping without having to pay money. The couple would highly recommend it to anyone. After that, they went and saw the third Pirates of the Carribean movie. After the movie, they drove back to Allie's apartment. Corey told her he was going to wear a suit and tie to dinner, so she should dress up too. Allie was thrilled to do so. She wore her favorite blue dress.

Corey had borrowed his step-dad's Mercedes for the weekend, so the two set off for dinner in style. Corey pulled up to a little Italian restaurant on Center Street called Ottavio's. The restaurant was fantastic! The food was superb and there was a man playing the accordion. It was very romantic.

After dinner, Corey started driving without asking Allison what she wanted to do next. This was unusual behavior for him. He started to play one of their favorite songs.

Find me here

Speak to me

I want to feel you

I need to hear you

You are the light

That's leading me

To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.

You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.

You are the light to my soul.

You are my purpose...you're everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?

Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms, and you give me rest.

You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall.

You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.

Would you take me in?

Take me deeper now?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?

Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?

Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Cause you're all I want,

You're all I need

You're everything,everything

You're all I want you're all I need

You're everything, everything.

You're all I want you're all I need.

You're everything, everything

You're all I want you're all I need, you're everything, everything.

And How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?

Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?

Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Allison was so touched that she was on the verge of tears already. She couldn't help but marvel at the fact that she was lucky enough to be loved ny someone so fantastic. As the song played, Corey drove north. Right as the song ended, they found themselves in front of the Provo Temple. Allison kept wishing that he could propose that night, but she wouldn't get her hopes up. After all, it wasn't his fault the ring wasn't ready. At first the two walked around the temple grounds. Then Corey suggested that they go to the car and get a blanket to sit on. They went and sat on the hill behind the temple and looked up at the stars.

Corey started to say the most wonderful things. He said that he'd never imagined that someone would ever make him as happy as Allison had. He said that he'd been looking forward to finding the person who wanted to be with him forever for a long time and he was so excited that he'd found her. Then he said, "I wrote you a birthday poem." Allison was so excited! Corey began whispering,

Allie dear, Allie dear

Don't you know I want you near?

You are my rhyme and reason

To leave you would be treason

You are my one and only

With me you'll never be lonely

I need you, I want you to have and to hold

You're better than gold

You make me so happy and you know you make me crazy

I know you are so beautiful, can't wait to go to Bountiful

I know with whom I want to be, so Allison, will you marry me?

As he said the last line, he pulled a ring box out of his pocket with Allison's dream ring inside. Allison immediately said, "yes yes, yes!" and started to cry, laugh, kiss, and hug simultaneously. It was a perfect night.

Happily Ever After, a History; Part 4: Rumors of Marriage and the Dishroom of Love

The couple continued to date and have ridiculous amounts of fun. They were inseparable. Allison was having a wonderful time with it all. Her good friend Casey was convinced that any day now Corey was going to propose. Allison scoffed at him. Of course Corey wasn't going to propose. It had only been a month and a half!

Then Corey started making strange comments. One day while they were driving home from a party, Corey said, "You know, my patriarchal blessing says I'm going to marry a girl named Allison." Allison was embarrassed, but intelligently responded, "Oh, is that so? That's weird." then Corey laughed and said of course it didn't. Allison knew he was joking, but didn't know why he was joking about such things. So, a few nights later, she asked him where he thought things were going with them. He said, "Oh, I don't know, but I think we'll be together a long time." That was good enough for her and she figured that was the end of it for a while.

However, the next Friday night she discovered that was not the end of it. After a very romantic evening, Corey asked Allie, "So, do you think we'll ever break up?" Allie thought about it and said, "No, I really don't think we will." So, from that point on, our protagonists were happily unofficially engaged.

A few weeks later, Allison was mad. She was mad because Corey was suddenly working 5 nights a week instead of three and he wasn't getting home until midnight or later. She wasn't mad at Corey because he was just trying to help out his place of employment. No, she was mad at the Cougareat. Obviously, they should hire more people to replace those that quit so she could spend more time with her beloved. One day, it occurred to Corey to ask Allie to leave her beloved Teriyaki Stix and hated Freschetta to work with him in the dishroom. After all, she had already helped him close the dishroom a few times and she had claimed to not mind it (she had lied). At first Allie was hesitant. She hated washing dishes. A lot. But, with Corey's persistence she finally agreed because she loved him so dearly. The promise of a 50 cent raise didn't hurt either...

At first Allison was only planning on working three nights a week in the dishroom, but she has a difficult time saying no. When the student manager asked her, "So, are you working 5 days a week?" she automatically said yes. She regretted it immediately. She's dumb sometimes. Then she talked Katie into working 2 nights a week with them.

So, Allison and Corey started working together for 20 hours every week. Believe it or not, they look back on that time with fondness. They had numerous water fights. They even had one whipped cream fight. They learned to work together and deal with stress together. They learned how to have fun even in the most mundane circumstances. And, most importantly, they learned how to get the most from their Cougareat coupons.

Happily Ever After, a History; Part 3: The L Word

We left our heroes as they were on the brink of becoming "official". After an easy DTR via texting a few days later, they were. The couple continued to spend a lot of time together. Allison was becoming happier than she'd ever been before. She had an appalling lack of previous relationship experience, but she felt like things were going well and she liked Corey a whole lot.

One day when Allison arrived at work, one of her friends started talking to her as she walked to the locker room. She said, "So, I hear from Corey that he's pretty in love. Are you in love too?" In love? Allison said, "Well, I'm definitely very much in like...". Her friend laughed and said, "Yeah, whatever Allie. We all know." Maybe they all knew, but Allison sure didn't!

So, she went upstairs and went to the walk-in freezer to get pizzas. She then proceeded to Freak OutTM. She didn't think it was possible for someone to be in love with her! Especially not someone as cute, kind, and flirted with as Corey was. She told herself that he probably had never said that and made it through the rest of her shift with no major mishaps. That night, she went home and related to her roommates what she had been told. Katie, of course, was delighted. "You're in love! You're going to get married! Yay Allie!" Allison responded with, "I can't be in love! Love is big and I'm very, very small." Allison was afraid, to say the least. What was she afraid of? No one knows, she's not a very rational person. Maybe she was afraid of heartbreak. Maybe she was afraid of marriage. Either way, she was definitely afraid. Katie helped her decide that if Corey professed his love before she was ready, she would say something like, "I really care about you too. I don't know if I'm in love yet, but I think I will be soon."

The next day at work, Corey slipped her a note that said "Let's watch a movie at my place tonight. <3, Corey" Allison probably looked at that little heart 20 times over the course of her shift, wondering what it could possibly mean.

That night they watched a movie and then Corey walked Allison home. She wasn't ready to go in yet because in her mind staying out until 2 a.m. is always a fantastic idea. It was a warm night anyway, so they wouldn't even be miserable. She suggestd that they hop the pool fence and sit on the deck swing. Corey agreed.

So the couple sat up there talking, cuddling, and doing other fun couple things. At one point, the couple was hugging and Allison heard Corey whisper, "I love you." Allison Freaked OutTM again, but was very subtle about it. After staring at the pool for a few seconds, Allison said, "I love you too." She wasn't sure that she meant it, but she really wanted to. So much for Katie's plan. Shortly after, the couple said goodnight.

The next day Allison spent a lot of time thinking about her and Corey. She called her mom and wandered campus just trying to figure things out. She went to work not having seen Corey all day and she wondered how she'd react when she saw him next. At work, Allison got a brilliant, yet completely completely unrelated to her dilemma, idea. She gathered up frozen pizza scraps to make Corey an amazing, free pepperoni calzone. He loved those. As she worked, she kept thinking about how excited she was to see him and how much fun ti was to do something to make him smile, even it was small. And the lyrics from one of her favorite love songs kept going through her head:

Never knew I could feel like this

Like I've never seen the sky before

Want to vanish inside your kiss

Every day I love you more and more

Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings

Telling me to give you everything

Seasons may change, winter to spring

But I love you until the end of time

Come what may

Come what may

I will love you until my dying day

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place

Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace

Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste

It all revolves around you

And there's no mountain too high

No river too wide

Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side

Storm clouds may gather

And stars may collide

But I love you until the end of time

Oh, come what may, come what may

I will love you until my dying day

As she sang softly to herself and thought about how excited she was to see Corey, she realized it was true. She was in love with him. For the first time, the words from that song seemed to apply to her. The world suddenly did seem like a perfect place with Corey by her side.

Happily Ever After, a History; Part 2: First Joint Viewing of Cars

By the next Tuesday, Allison was certifiably in like with Corey, but she dreaded that he didn't feel the same way. That morning, she staked her claim in N109 (top bunk, right room) and went to go work at Freschetta in the Cougareat. This was only her second day at work and she was worried because nobody had ever trained her and she was expected to close the store by herself.

As Allison served overpriced, personal pizzas to delightful freshman attending New Student Orientation and helped them figure out the Wonderful World of Dining Plus, her thoughts kept drifting to Corey. She wondered if their date had meant anything to him or if he ever wanted to see her again. She was so nervous that she had a horrible pit in her stomach. This happens quite often to her. At one point, she glanced into the back hallway. Her heart skipped a beat. There, in all his glory, stood Corey (rhyming totally unintentional). He looked at her and grinned. The pit in her stomach was suddenly replaced by butterflies. She smiled back, and when he was done looking at the schedules, he came over. They talked until it was time for Freschetta to close. This was the part of the day that Allison had been dreading. She had no idea how to close and she also needed to figure out how to complete the arduous task of stocking the fridge. She expected Corey to leave, but her prince was kind enough to offer to stay and help. So, with Corey's unsolicited yet much appreciated help, the store was quickly closed. Much to Corey's delight there were leftover pizzas. Allison was extraordinarily brave and said, "Well, if you want to wait for me to change, we could eat lunch together." Besotted as he was, he quickly agreed.

The pair ate lunch together and the more they talked, the more Allison was impressed with Corey. He seemed intelligent, caring, and funny. What more could she ask for? After they'd finished eating, Allison reluctantly said, "I really ought to head home and start moving in. Cathryn will wonder where I am." Corey said, "Well, we can walk home together." For a minute, Allison had forgotten they lived in the same complex.

So, they started walking. Corey started going in a different direction than Allison thought was right, but she figured he knew his way around better than she did (not hard to do). Eventually though, Allison knew she was wrong. And right there and then, they had their first disagreement.

Allison said, "Isn't this the wrong way?"

"No"

"Actually, it really is. Look over there. I can see the roof of Campus Plaza."

"Oh... You live in Campus Plaza?"

"Yeah..."

"I thought you lived Park Plaza (two blocks from Campus Plaza). That's where I live."

"Oh. Nope. That's funny."

"Well, I thought it was weird when I went to visit 109 and it was a guy's apartment..."

So, with a very embarrassed Corey in tow, Allison led the way to Campus Plaza. Even though she'd already lost her key, the door was unlocked, so the pair was able to get in. Much to Allison's surprise, Cathryn wasn't there even though she'd said she was getting there hours ago. Cathryn was never late! So, instead of getting any work done, Allison and Corey talked and talked for hours. A few hours her mom and brother came by to bring her some things. So, lucky Corey got to meet Allie's family right at the start. Corey even convinced Nate to give him a candy bar.

That day led into another movie together that night. Then the couple was tragically split up for a week while they both went on family vacations. The texted each other constantly and drove both of their families crazy. Allie lost her appetite, was unable to sleep, and couldn't stop singing and smiling, much to the amusement of her super romantic roommate Katie.

When the couple was reunited, they went on several dates and saw each other often at work. On September 9th, our protagonists had plans to spend the entire day together. They were going to run errands for Corey, go grocery shopping for Allie (her first time!), watch a NASCAR race together (another first for Allie, imagine that), and go see the movie Cars in the dollar theater (a movie they'd both seen and enjoyed).

The day went well. Allie had fun buying food, she learned that NASCAR races really are 300 laps long, she watched Kevin Harvick win and consequently had Corey squeeze her hand so tightly in his excitement that it hurt for a while afterwards, and they saw a great movie.

After the movie, the couple stood on N109's doorstep. As they talked and smiled Allie said, "You're very lucky you know. I wouldn't watch a whole race with just anyone." Corey said, "I am lucky". Then he kissed her. Allison was so in shock that she quickly returned the kiss, hugged him, and said goodnight. She walked, dazed, into her apartment. Caitlin took one look at her, yelled, "Oh my gosh, he kissed you!" Then chaos ensued.

Happily Ever After, a History; Part 1: First Date

Once upon a time in the far off land of Spanish Fork, there dwelt a semi-fair maiden. Let's call her Allison. One day, Allison and her partner in crime Cathryn decided that it would be a great idea to venture to BYU to be educated for the week (or the day...). While at that fine institution of learning, Allison decided to show Cathryn her new place of employment (the Cougareat/Grab & Go). When the lovely girls walked into the establishment, one of the cashiers caught Allison's eye. He was incredibly handsome. When Allison purchased her frozen strawberry lemonade, she made sure to be in his line. When she paid for her oblations, her heart skipped a beat when she looked into the beautiful blue eyes of this cashier. As she and Cathryn walked away, Allison said, "I sure hope I get to work with that guy later because he's my future husband; so, it would be nice if we got to know each other first." Allison was, of course, joking. She was far too practical to believe in anything as silly as love at first sight.


A few hours later, Allison was delighted when she got to work because standing heroically at his register was the object of her recent affection. She got to work cashiering right away because it was a busy time of the day, but she was incredibly aware of the attractive man standing merely inches behind her. When things slowed down, the employees turned around and started to chat. The young man turned to Allison and said, "Hi, I'm Corey. It's nice to meet you." Allison was of course nervous, but she suavely answered, "I'm Allie, it's nice to meet you too." With an introduction like this, how could they not be meant for each other?


The rest of the shift was spent with a ridiculous amount of smiling and laughing from both parties. Neither of them had ever felt quite so happy. Allison couldn't stop singing to herself and smiling. Even the customers noticed and they left her money in the penny cups... The 5 employees used the money from the "extra pennies" cups and bought BYU brownies. Corey slyly suggested that it would be silly for just him to take a break to eat them, so Allison breathlessly joined him and they got to know each other a little better. They discovered that they were about to move in to the same complex! This was very exciting for both of them although they acted nonchalant. The day ended with hidden high hopes of seeing one another the next day and the two went their different ways. Corey was so elated from his day that he texted his dad a message about meeting his wife that day...


The next day Allison actually did her gorgeous, waist-length hair for once, wore a cute outfit, and put on make-up in the hope of seeing Corey again. She was lucky; he was there again. The two had another great day. Through the help of a friend, Corey got up the courage to say to Allison, "So, this is crazy, but I'm thinking of seeing a movie after work tonight..." He got off at 11:30. Allison, being the infatuated night owl she was, agreed immediately. Corey felt bad that she would have nothing to do for two hours while she waited for him to get off, but she assured him that a library full of books was more than enough to keep her occupied. Little did she know that the library was closed and she would be forced to stare at the wall for two hours. She sat on the uncomfortable couch in the Wilk, getting more and more nervous by the second, waiting for her destiny.

At approximately 11:30, Corey called Allison and they walked together to his car. They drove to the movie theater and in the car Corey played Jimmy Eat World's Futures c.d. It was his favorite and she was pleased to find out she liked it. She even knew one of the songs! Too bad it was only because she and her sisters had mocked it endlessly on their karaoke game.

The couple arrived at the theater and Corey asked if Allison wanted popcorn. If anyone knows Corey well, they should realize that this was a Big Deal. He must have really wanted to impress. Anyway, the couple proceeded into the theater to watch X-Men 3 which both of them had seen and enjoyed before. They talked through the entire movie. This is ironic because normally both of them hate talking in movies. About halfway through the movie, Allison was very pleased to feel Corey's hand on her's. It was a bold move on his part, but not unappreciated. When the movie ended, Allison started to get up, but Corey just sat there. So, she did too. They talked until the movie theater employees asked them to leave. Corey drove Allison to her car. They talked some more, hugged, and said goodbye, with a promise to try to see each other when Corey moved to Provo the next Tuesday. Allison immediately called Cathryn (who was awake, even though it was 3:30 a.m.) and told her all about it. The world's greatest love story had begun.