It was the BEST of times, It was the WORST of times

Although I had just married the love of my life & my best friend, our first year of marriage was one of the hardest times in my life. It all started when I found out I had a really bad sinus infection. YUCK!! I was in so much pain! My teeth were so sensitive, I didn't even want to talk because it hurt so bad and I had a burning sensation in my nose all the time. NOT FUN!! I was going to an ENT for my problems & later found out that I needed surgery!!

During that same time, I almost cut the tip of my left pointer finger off with a hand mixer while making cookies for a Christmas party & had to go to the ER for stitches. That was a very dramatic experience & I traumatized poor Gile. He was asleep on the couch & woke up to me screaming & a blender stuck to my hand. He was freaking out more than I was, so I knew I was on my own to get my finger free!!! While he frantically tried to control himself & searched for the keys and a towel to wrap around my finger, I was busy turing the blade the other way to free my finger. I had cut the tendons & it took a long time before I was able to bend my finger again, but now it's pretty much normal (minus the scars & that I don't have as much feeling in it).

And if being sick & hurting my finger wasn't enough, I got pneumonia that same week!! Once that passed, I had my sinus surgery & although I'm still in pain, it is much better than it used to be... so hopefully I will continue to heal. I don't know what I would've done without Gile by my side during that time in my life. He is so awesome and helped me get better!!! Love you Gile!! 

Where We Are Now...

Gile & I bought a beautiful condo in Pleasant Grove, UT. Although I was excited for our adventures too begin, I grew up in the same yellow house in Sandy, UT all my life... so I was a little nervous to move away from home. Gile has moved several times though, so he helped me through it. He also helped me get over my fear of driving on the freeway. He would make me drive no matter how much I kicked & screamed!! And even though, I'm the one driving in the slow lane and semi-trucks are passing me, I like to drive on the freeway now (as long as it's not rush hour). My parents always tease us, when they come & visit, that they had to stop & grab lunch & stay the night at a hotel on the way to our house because it's so far away. Haha.

Last Christmas, Gile gave me the cutest kitty! We named "her" Tink, however a few months later... we found out that our girl cat is actually a BOY!!! Now his name is Champ (aka Champmillion). Even though he is a naughty cat & not very friendly, he is still our best friend. 

Fun Facts about Us

- No joke- Gile's Kindergarten teacher's name was Mrs. Kimball (my madien name) & my Kindergarten teacher's name was Mrs. Empey.
- One day, Gile & I went to his dad's house up in Heber to visit for the weekend. I was looking at a picture they had hanging on their fridge of Gile's brother Chris & his grandpa at one of Gile's football games... all the sudden, I noticed my friend Alison & I were in the background of the picture. SO WEIRD!!! I didn't even know him when the picture was taken!!! I was in family pictures before I was even part of the fam. Haha.

- Gile lived just down the street from me when he was little & we didn't even know each other. If he would have stayed in that house, he would have been in my stake & would have gone to the same elementary and middle school as me.
- Gile's dad worked at a furniture shop up in Heber for many years & my 2nd cousin was actually the owner of the furniture shop. CRAZY STUFF!! 

- We got married on September 9th, 2009. Yes, that is 9/9/09!! It's kind of funny because I was born on 8/18/88 & graduated on 6/6/06. My cute mom, Lorraine, thinks that it's awesome that all the significant dates in my life have really cool numbers, so when we were talking about wedding dates in September... she got all excited & said that 9/9/09 should definitely be our date!! 

This is our story...

Gile & I were introduced by our friends (Katie Egbert Wiseman & Nate McDonald). He was a sophomore & I was a Junior. I had just gotten home from our Lacrosse game & wasn't lookin or smellin the cutest when my friend Katie called & told me she was with some people at the bowl park by my house & told me to come up. If I would have known that I was meeting my future husband, I probably would have showered & gotten all cute, but NO!! Once I got there, I was introduced to Gile. We instantly hit it off!! We were standing on the curb talking & he nudged me & I fell off the curb. Then we turned it into a little game & we tried to see who could get the other off the curb first (of course I wasn't successful since he's so manly & strong... Haha, but I sure tried). After that, we went to Nate's house & hung out in his backyard. Gile & I were still flirting & having a good time. Gile was driving his mom's white mustang convertible & I thought it was so cool, so I asked him for a ride. He took me for a ride & I was SO SCARED the entire time because he was going so fast, but it was lots of fun!!!

After that night, we didn't really hang out much besides ever now and then at a mutual friend's house or when all of our friends would hang out at the Draper Wendy's & the occasional hug in the halls at school. Then he asked me to the Christmas dance and we started hanging out more & more after. He asked me if I would be his girlfriend a couple of times, but I was always hesitant because he was a year younger than me in school & I enjoyed being single!! However, I started liking him more & more... till one day, I sent him a text & said, "Hey, are you good at math because I have a problem I need help on?" & he responded saying, "Yeah, what's the problem?" Then I said, "What does Gile + Kinzie =?" Haha looking back I can't believe how cheesy that was, but that's how it all went down. He immediately text me back & said, "Are you saying you want to be my girlfriend!?!"

And... We have been inseparable since!!