New Years Eve 1994

Everyone,

It was 11 years ago today that Juice and I met. Our church was having a youth dance. It was going to be my first one ever (you're not allowed to go until you're 14). All of my friends had been going to them all summer and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I was obsessive about writing in my journal at the time so I know exactly what was going on that day.

I was mad at my friend Jordan because he didn't want to go with me to the dance. I really liked Jordan but he was not Mormon and I don't think he really wanted to go to a Mormon dance. Andrew had to drive me to the stake center (which was just up the road) and we were late. As always. As I walked in, all of my friends were there and hanging out in a big circle. Kristie ran up to me to tell me that Deborah had brought some boys that we didn't know. That was a big thing since these dances are organized by stakes (a group of congregations in the same area, if you will) and you can only dance with the same boys so many times. Apparently. I didn't know, being a virgin stake dancer at the time. Kristie and I walked up to the circle, introductions were made and a slow song started. Juice turned to me and said, "You're tall. Want to dance?" Of course I said yes and was probably happy I was tall for the first time in a long time.

Through the course of the evening, Juice and I danced almost all of the slow songs. Much to the chagrin of Deborah (the girl he came with) and Melanie and Kristie (who had major crushes on him). Juice and I also played on the giant twister board that they had set up in another room of the church. The end game came down to me and Juice, and he beat me only because I was very embarrassed about so close to him. He gave me the candy he won in front of everyone. I remember offering some to Melanie and she hissed "NO! He gave it to you! Keep it all!" I think I still have a wrapper of the starbursts taped in my journal. He danced the last two dances with me. Kristie (being a very good friend at the time) gave him my number because I was too shy to do it myself.

Little did I know that Juice did like me because I was tall, and pretty. But did he like me enough to remember my name from that night? No. He had to call around and ask who I was before he could use my number. In Juice's journal, he mentions me as the "pretty tall girl I danced most of the night with" and that's it.

He did call me a few days later and we got together with friends and played Pictionary in my basement. Juice and I soundly beat Melanie and Max (his best friend, also at the dance that night) and we even slaughtered them at Charades. I think we hung out once more and then didn't see each other until September that year. I was still in junior high and he went to high school.

My 10th grade year I don't remember hanging out with him very much. I liked him a lot, but so did a lot of other girls. At the beginning of my junior year, he asked me to Homecoming [see above picture] (my first date!) and hung out every day after that. Okay, not EVERY day, but it was close. We were off and on dating until he went on his mission. I wrote him in Germany, and didn't see him until a few months after he got back. We were both at BYU by then (my junior year again) and within 2 weeks of school starting, we were looking at rings together.

We were engaged on Nov 2, and 10 months later, married on Aug 4, 2001. We've been married 4 years now and I still love to watch him walk in a room. He's a wonderful husband, a fantastic father and my best friend.
We still love being together. It's nice!

Safire and Juice