The Way We Were

I sometimes wonder what would have happened if Brent and I had met in high school. We were both such different people then. We might have gotten along as friends or we may have hated each other. When Brent and I first met in October 2008 we could not stand each other. It was only through a summer of working together that we got over it. But this post is not about where we are now, it is about who we were before.

Brent-the jock

Brent has always had a love for the game of basketball. He played on all the city leagues and made the high school team. He was the kid who was in the gym everyday, even in the summer. He practiced and practiced and practiced. It definitely payed off, Brent was an amazing basketball player. He started for varsity his junior and senior years, averaging 16 points a game his senior year.

Brent playing in the Spectrum against Logan... MC won :)

One of the greatest blessings in Brent's life has been his friends. I am so grateful that he had the friends he did growing up. They all grew up together and stayed close from elementary school to now. Even though they all have very different personalities, they still did everything together. We don't get to see everyone as much as we would like, but every time we get together we laugh a ton :)

Here are a few of the guys at Ryan's wedding (Ryan had not come out yet)

Brent's ambition in life was to be a high school basketball coach. He decided to go and play basketball for year at a junior college in Wyoming. He learned a lot about basketball, made some great friends and had some interesting roommates. Although he had fun that year, he still hates everything about the state of Wyoming.

The summer of 2006 as I was graduating high school, Brent was leaving for Quetzaltenango, Guatemala on his mission. Brent's mission is a big part of who he is today. His mission president, President Morales, is an incredible man who taught Brent about being a husband and a father. Brent really grew up on his mission and I am grateful every day that he had those experiences.

Brent as a missionary

Katie-the geek

In high school I was very much a "red" "type-A" personality. I was voted most likely to be President of the US by my graduating class. I was the overachiever who was involved in as much as I could possibly handle. I had a flair for the dramatic and I now regret all of the drama I dealt with.

I was on the yearbook staff and was co-editor in chief two years in a row. I loved being a part of something creative. I was on the debate team. I spent weekends at debate tournaments: running through schools in heels pulling carts with heavy boxes of evidence around. I can say without a doubt that debate is the reason I can write as a grad student. I played cello in the chamber orchestra for three years of high school. We were a very close group. The tours to Seattle, St. George and San Francisco were a blast. I participated in pit orchestras for two musicals, was in National Honor Society and took 4 AP classes.

This was one of the orchestra tours... I think Seattle?

Looking back it was probably too much, but I don't know what I would change. I envy Brent because I did not have that group of friends he did. In fact, I had a hard time keeping friends. It wasn't until the end of my senior year that I became good friends with Lee, Libby, and Tess. I had friends in all of my activities, but they all had friends to hang out with on the weekends. For the most part I stayed too busy to worry about it. If I could do it over again I would build more friendships.

This was taken a few days before graduation. It's a shame we didn't become close sooner.

After high school my ambition was to be an investigative reporter. I headed to USU as a double major in Political Science and Journalism. The first two years were tough. Really tough. I survived and made it to my junior year which is when I found the greatest group of friends. Maren, Kelsha and the boys of 105 made me a much better person. They loved me for being a geek and showed me that I could be other things too.

On the left: the combo meal at the Preston Parade. On the Right: me and three of the 105 guys playing after finals week.

And Now?

A lot has changed. Brent wants to be a pediatrician. He is preparing for medical school (and doing an awesome job). I am becoming an ESL-social studies teacher. For health reasons Brent cannot play basketball (which makes both of us very sad). I can barely play my cello, because I stopped practicing. Brent has become more confident. I have chilled out a lot and am not nearly as red as I once was.

I never imagined anything like the life we have today. I had a lot of dreams about traveling, scholarships, law school, politics, etc. A friend asked me if I regret marrying young. If I wish I had done more, accomplished more, seen more before I tied myself down. The truth is I have no regrets about where I am. Falling in love with Brent was like finding a pair of shoes that fit perfectly. I had no doubts he was my someone. There was once a Katie who would have been a great lawyer, but that's not me anymore. I am different and so much more than that person was. Brent has grown as a person too. He still loves sports but he is so much more than that. He has new interests like: photography, fly fishing and playing mah jong.

Our life might not be what others expected for us, but in our eyes what we have is so much better.

Coming out of the temple as newlyweds