10 years!!!

Little known tid-bit of John-and-Toria-trivia.

John and I just celebrated 10 years since the day we met!!!

1999- UT mutual friend Anne-Marie (the one who just came to visit) hosted a pre-Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving dinner at her parents house in Utah.  Both John and I were in attendance (along with a couple dozen others).  Neither of us remember meeting. However, I remember who I was sitting across from, and next to.

AND

He remembers who he was sitting next to, and across from.

AND

they are the SAME people (in reverse if you followed that?).  So that means we were sitting diagonally from each other!?!

Who would have thought?

2000- CA  "Dear John: Thank you for being such a good friend. Have fun in Oregon with your family, while I'm in AZ with mine.  Thank you for helping me get settled in this new city.  It's fun that we share common friends from college. I can tell we're going to be great friends here in Palo Alto."

(not really what I wrote- but I did leave a note in his car and I'm sure it was much cuter and much more confusing and misleading in real life)

2001- CA Again, we both went to our respective parents homes in AZ and OR.  This time with a kiss good-bye and possibly a note thanking him for the concert and football game he just took me to and looking forward to the holiday festivities and more dating when we returned.

2002- CA John took me, his girlfriend, home to his parents house in Oregon.  We were getting engaged(!) and what a way to celebrate the engagement(!) then having me come and officially be welcomed into the family? 

except

the engagement ring was forthcoming, and neither of us wanted to talk marriage until we could officially (ie permission from Dad, down on knee, ring on finger) talk marriage.

Everything became "official" just 2 weeks later on Friday Dec 13th in New York City-sigh!

2003- CA Newlyweds of 8 months. Headed home to OR in style- a private jet (thanks to our friend Dusty the pilot)! 

Made an offer on our first house and it was accepted!

2004- CA  We enjoyed our first "on our own" Thanksgiving with 5 other couples at Jessica's parents house in Danville.  It was a new experience to be the ones cooking the turkey and making the pies and not enjoying our respective parents' cooking and traditions.  We were well on our way to becoming full-fledged parents ourselves.  Asher was born just 4 weeks later.

2005- CA We hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner at our house with family and friends.  We roasted one turkey and John BBQ'd the other. We ate outside on our back patio. More friends joined later for Thanksgiving desserts and we played pictionary on our soon-to-be-torn-down living room walls.  

2006- MA to NY  Just found out that we'd be welcoming a daughter into our home in a few months. Drove to NY to be with family at my brother's house.  Explored church history, learned the ins and outs of normal rolls in my brother's newly opened bakery, and enjoyed one of the greatest BYU/ UTAH rivalry games EVER!

2007- OR We were homeless, jobless, living with two kids at the in-laws! (I wrote that in an attempt to be funny haha). We attempted to show our love and appreciation by tearing down a few walls, ripping out carpet, expanding the living room and laying down beautiful wood floors. Thanksgiving was prepared in a construction zone and enjoyed in the refuge next door which was Alan and Michelle's empty (for Thanksgiving) home.

2008- UAE Marriott hotel's Thanksgiving buffet dinner.  Thanksgiving was a regular work/ school day, but we gathered with a HUGE group of friends and enjoyed not lifting a finger to cook or clean up. Being pregnant, I uncharacteristically woke up dreaming about food, wishing I ate more turkey, sad that we didn't have any left-overs, and looking forward to an American Christmas.

2009- UAE.  I just made the pie crusts (click here if you need a quick, easy recipe, it works).  I have a few other recipes I'm be working on tomorrow.

and

since this Thursday just happens to be Arafat day we'll spend the holiday enjoying traditional home cooked Thanksgiving meal with our friends.

Happy Anniversary of the day/we met and didn't know it! 

someday I'll tell the story of how we really met or why we remember the people we were sitting next to and across from and not each other.