claire & phil are best friends
The story of Phil and me starts about a week before we actually met. And it's actually slightly embarrassing.
I think I was 14, and Kayli Decker and I were spending the night at Meagan Stewarts' house for her birthday. I knew the girls from an Stake Girl's Camp we went to every summer. It goes without saying that the topic of boys came up at our sleep over. I don't remember who I had a crush on at the time, but I do remember that Kayli had a mondo crush on some guy named Phil Brown who went to her school. The next week there was a *Stake Dance (notoriously lame ) that I went to with my friends, where Kayli introduced me to this notorious Phil Brown. Kayli had done good. He was cute, and nice... and that was about the extent of my thoughts.
After we both graduated from separate high schools, we both went on to different colleges. He went to Oregon State, and I was shipped off to Brigham Young University-Idaho.
That year was a big learning and growing year for me. By the end of the year, I had finally broken up with a guy who didn't make me happy, and I was ready to finally understand this silly church I was born into. Also by this time Phil and I had been corresponding over Facebook, and I was intrigued that this devout LDS member was actually cool.
That summer we spent some time together. The first time we hung out (I say, 'hung out' he says it was out first official 'date') we went to Portland. I remember walking up and down Burnside having a really intriguing, really hilarious conversation about anything and everything with this really fun, really honest, happy, good looking guy, and just thinking, "This is the kind of guy I want tot be with. It is so amazing to laugh like this. I shouldn't settle for anything less than someone like him." Obviously, I developed a crush on Phil that summer. We talked and watched movies, and played tennis, volleyball, went to *Institute, treated ourselves to Gelato and threw tennis balls at bats. There were three reasons I didn't tell Phil I liked him that summer: 1: I had no idea if he liked me too, it seemed like it, but maybe he was just a super nice guy. 2: He was leaving at the end of the summer for his Mission. And 3: I was just a big 'ole chicken.
Phil got his call to the Milan Italy Mission, and left at the end of September. I returned to Idaho completely twitter painted and thoroughly inspired to become a better person. Phil and I wrote for those 2 years. I never told him I liked him. I wrote as his friend, I told him of what I was learning about our faith and the progress I was making. I made him a stellar postcard and drew him a picture of Willy Wonka when I worked at a telemarketing center. He was "my missionary who didn't know he was my missionary". I was creepy, oops.
After two years Phil came home. I went to his open house to see him, and he asked me out on a date. It was amazing. We were best friends, and it was not awkward at all to be hanging out again.
We became a 'couple' a month later, and 11 months later Phil asked me to marry him. It has been surreal and amazing. I feel so blessed, and so lucky. Sometimes I feel like I'm too lucky and the universe made a mistake somewhere. I have never had a better friend than Phil. He is always there when I am down, and when he doesn't know how to lift me up, he keeps holding on. He lets me be me. From the beginning he has always inspired me to be better, to reach my potential, but has NEVER belittled who I am. He supports me in everything I do -- even if it means we are a state away for my last four (now only one) semesters of school, so I can reach my goal of getting a BFA. Being excited to marry the love of my life is an understatement. I am not just excited. I am thrilled, ecstatic... and just soo soooo happy.
*Some LDS terminology
Ward A single congregation of LDS members in a community that meet every Sunday.
Stake A group of wards in a larger area that meet together semi-yearly, and for various activities throughout the year.
Institute Religion classes outside of church for Young Adults.
Mission A 2-year period when 19-year-old young men are called to proselyte about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
