SWEETHEART TAG

About 3 weeks ago, my sister ASHLEIGH Tagged me with this sweetheart tag and maybe she will thank me, maybe she will regret it. I mean. do you really want to know how Andy and I met and fell in love and now have 3 kids?

CITY GIRL FROM WASHINGTON falls in love with COWBOY FROM BAGDAD? Do you want the truth? Or do you want the fairy tale version where we ride off into the sunset...but keep driving until we can't go any further because we are bound for Alaska?

1.WHERE DID YOU FIRST MEET YOUR SWEETHEART?
First, I have to explain. I moved to a town called Spring Creek, Nevada where I knew no one. The 3 things that keep this town running is Casinos, Ranches, and Mining.There wasn't any jobs in television in this small country town, so what is a girl to do? After a couple of months, I got a call from a lady at church and she was interviewing for Underground Dispatchers at this company called Newmont Gold...a mining company. My job was to sit in an office all day and talk to men...and log all the activity done underground by the miners.

So, the first time I met Andy...lets see...I was constantly being harassed by about 30 miners that there was this single guy on the crew. Me, being a young blond around 30 miners...it was bound to happen. So,my first time meeting the crew, I went around the room and introduced myself, like any new person would do.
WHEN I GOT TO ANDY...to shake his hand, he was very polite with a cute smile on his face. I had no idea that all the guys were going to give him a hard time over it. And it didn't stop there. For weeks, every time he walked into the room there was constant snickering...you see, Andy hadn't had very many girlfriends, ever. And these guys were going to set him up on a date with the dispatcher.

2. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT HIM?

I remember the crew loved to give him a hard time about me. The first time I realized who he was, was the first time I went underground. We rode this tractor into the dark tunnel and came to this heading where 2 miners were working in this musty, muddy, hole. They were running this jackleg installing ground support and happen to have the bolt stuck. So this guy running the equipment was jumping on it, trying to get it down, but he looked like he was smaller than the bolt...but very strong. Come to find out, that was my Andy...very embarrassed that 8 women showed up to watch him try to undo the bolt.

3.WHO ASKED WHO OUT FIRST?
ONE DAY, WE ALL LOADED UP ON THIS OLD SCHOOL BUS THAT HAD BEEN HANDED DOWN TO THE MINERS AND BARELY RAN. IT WAS SO DIRTY AND THE MAN DRIVING THE BUS WAS IN HIS 60'S AND ALWAYS CALLED ME HIS SUGAR MOMMA. But, this day in particular, the bus was loaded and I was in the front seat with the boss. You see, he was my protector, but he was in on it too. There was a loud uproar behind me of grown men laughing and spitting chew on the ground.

I turn around to see what all the ruckus is about and I see grown men pushing Andy to the front of the bus as he is fighting back with all his strength. He was so skinny.Then, the biggest guy on the crew (weighed about 240pds and tall)picks Andy up, carrys him all the way to the front of the bus,and sits him in the seat directly beside me.

He looks at me and says "WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?...."I look back and there are about 60 eyes on me waiting for my response. He says "PLEASE! DON'T SAY NO..."A complete plea. It was sooo funny, but I said I yes.

When we got to the lineout trailer, the boss started the meeting with the anouncement that Andy finally popped the question...

4.WHAT DID YOU DO ON YOUR FIRST DATE?

We got off of work around 6 and went to dinner at 8. After driving around trying to decide, we ended up at a casino restaurant. Not the best food, but me being such a talker, didn't stop talking. It was so easy to talk to him, I don't know why. Andy was so polite and shy...which I found very cute.
After a nice dinner, I thought we should just go somewhere and RELAX. At this point of a long shift, that was all I wanted to do. I thought we could just go back to his little apartment and watch some TV.
THIS IS THE PART WHERE I SHOULD HAVE RAN. As we got to his front door, nerves weren't what was bothering me, it was what was behind the door. Probably a years worth of garbage completely filled his apartment! I thought, Is this a typical bachelor? But, instead of running, I told him to grab as many garbage bags as possible and lets fill them up...so that we could sit on the couch. SO, THAT IS HOW HE FELL IN LOVE WITH ME. I didn't run but instead, I conquered!


5.WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE THINGS TO DO TOGETHER?
COOK FOOD, GO ON DRIVES, HANG OUT AT HIS APARTMENT AND WATCH MOVIES. WE THEN HUNG OUT AT MY APARTMENT WHEN HIS APARTMENT WAS UNBEARABLE

6.WHEN WAS YOUR FIRST KISS?
After our second date actually! Andy went to Colorado on a turkey hunt and came back 3 days early without a turkey, just to see me. Little did I know what a HUGE sacrifice this was. His sister actually cleaned his apartment while he was gone (she couldn't believe I stayed either). So our second date, we went to the store and I was going to cook him dinner. I soon realized he loved to cook, which was so cool. We cooked together and watched a movie. I really started to like him after that night and stayed up talking until 2am. He drove me home and walked me to the back door and kissed me goodnight. THIS WAS THE START OF OUR LONG RELATIONSHIP.

7.WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALIZE YOU LOVED HIM?
I didn't realize that I really loved him until I realized he was my best friend. He was so important to me in the small little mining town and he treated me like gold. I remember being so mean to him sometimes because he ALWAYS wanted to hold my hand at work! But, he never was rude to me and still was there for me.

-I also realized I loved him when my family loved him. He brought me on a road trip with him to visit all his family in Arizona. I had never been to Arizona so he spoiled me. We went to:

Sadona, Arizona

And then took a plane ride over the Grand Canyon!! It was the best trip ever.

8.WHO SAID IT (I LOVE YOU) FIRST?
Andy did. He always told me he loved me....It was right before we went to visit his family that I finally told him that I loved him. I wonder if he remembers that....

9.HOW DID HE PROPOSE?
He proposed on February 14, 2003...the same day Ashleigh got proposed to. We were in the Tri-Cities, WA visiting family and friends this day. We drove all down Kennewick Blvd and Columbia Center Blvd trying to find a restaurant to eat at and the lines were out the door and around the corner. Sometimes when all you want to do is eat, you don't want to stand in the lines. So we ended up at this more local Thai Restaurant down on Clearwater. The food wasn't that great and Andy was sweating bullets...I thought it was because he was in the city. He excused himself from the table to use the bathroom...and he was gone for like 10 minutes!

We really didn't have much time to eat because we were going to a hockey game also that night. So, I got our food to go and we boogied out of the restaurant. It was still really chilly, so I was running and jumped in the truck as fast as I could.

BUT THERE...sitting in the middle of the front seat of the truck was a dozen roses and a bear. On the card to the roses it said "I LOVE YOU. LOOK AT THE BEAR"
SO, I LOOKED AT THE BEAR AND THERE WAS A RING IN ITS ARMS. I sat there looking at it...looking at him...looking at the ring....waiting for a speech....but nothing. So, he says "SO?!?..." and I said "so?" (It definitely was a little weird because he was so nervous and didn't want to say it) I finally just said yes I will marry you and was in complete shock and awe for the rest of the night...I felt like I was walking on clouds with a permanent smile on my face.

10.WHAT ARE 2 THINGS YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT YOUR WEDDING DAY?

I remember the sun was shining and it was a beautiful evening when it had been raining the whole week before.


I remember all the hard work into everything. Andys family did all the decorations and my family did all the food. It was soooo beautiful!

I tag: RAVEN SMITH AND RACHAEL PHELPS