We Are Getting Married!

Taylor and Helaman's very first encounter was December 15th, just 6 days after Taylor returned home from her mission and a few days after Helaman arrived to the United States from Peru. Helaman had become friends with Taylor's brother Trevor on their Church mission where they served together in Uraguay. When Helaman was searching for a new start, Trevor helped him get everything in order to come to the United States to learn English and go to school. Meanwhile, Taylor was in Houston, Texas where she would spend 18 months learning Spanish as she served as a missionary. The weekend they met, Taylor was on the way back from a wedding in Idaho and had stopped in Provo to see Trevor on their way home to Arizona. Helaman was living there with Trev at the time before he got settled into his own apartment. Even though it wasn't love at first sight (Taylor was still in missionary mode and Helaman was just getting settled), there were definitely some special feelings that started a spark. "I remember feeling happy that I knew Spanish and was able to talk with Helaman. I was worried that I wouldn't have many opportunities to use my Spanish and I remember thinking 'I know I was called to speak Spanish for a reason' and it made me feel really good."- Taylor "I felt really relieved to hear Taylor speak Spanish when we first met. I thought, 'Finally, someone I can speak Spanish with!', and it made me feel more relaxed and very good."- Helaman All things happen for a reason, and though they didn't know at the time, both of their missions and time serving the Lord led them to meet each other. From that began a friendship, and it became a friendship that would last forever.

After Helaman spend all of Winter break with Taylor's family they both headed up to Utah to start school. During that time though, they both became good friends and both wondered if the other was interested in turning their friendship into something more. Before they knew it they had their first kiss on Jan 2nd and Helaman asked Taylor's father for his permission to date her exclusively on Jan 13th. From then on they spent every possible second together. From fishing, painting, cooking, and binge watching their favorite movie series they enjoyed every moment. Of course there were rough parts, just like any relationship, but they both were committed to do whatever it took to know if they should spend the rest of their lives together, forever. Around September they went though the most difficult step of their relationship when they decided to spend some time as just friends to find themselves and receive their own answers of whether they should be together or not. After several months, Taylor was preparing to go on a study abroad to Peru to find herself and Helaman was getting ready to go home for Christmas break. One day Helaman felt inspired to ask Taylor if she would like to go with him over break to Peru. She felt like she should go, it would give her a chance to find her apartment and visit the school she would be going to after all, and she really loved the idea of being able to meet Helaman's family. This time spending Christmas break with His family at His house, the enduring feelings of their relationship came flooding back and they decided to get back together. On Jan 2, exactly one year after their first kiss, they shared their 2nd first kiss as they started their relationship again. And this time, it was a relationship to last forever. (:

The weekend following Valentine's day, Helaman drove 8 hours to Lake Havasu City to spend President's day weekend with her and her family. On Sunday they decided to get all dressed up and go down to the London bridge to take pictures and put a lock on the bridge. In Paris there is a bridge that people connect locks to and make promises or wishes and then throw the key into the water below to seal their vows and desires. Helaman had heard that people began doing the same on the London Bridge that is located in Lake Havasu, Arizona and told Taylor that he wanted them to get a lock and do the same. As they walked up the steps to the top of where people connected their locks to the bridge, Taylor's sister walked down and gave her a bouquet of roses that Helaman had gotten her. A few steps more and you could hear the tune of their favorite song, the song they had chosen for their first dance at their future wedding, "Love Someone" by Lucas Graham, playing in the distance. Clearing the top steps you could then see tea light candles scattered around where all the locks were placed and Helaman got down on one knee and revealed a heart shaped lock with the inscription "Will you marry me mi Amor?" Taylor beamed and said yes and hugged and kissed Helaman as they went and put their lock on the fence. She turned around and Helaman was on one knee again, this time with the engagement ring that had been designed especially for Taylor, and that's when tears started to flow. They cried and hugged and kissed some more as Taylor's sisters and cousin shouted for the world to hear "They are engaged!! She said yes!!" Teary eyed they then both made their way out to the top of the bridge where they made promises to love each other, no matter what, for forever. "The only way to break this promise is to go get the key at the bottom of the Lake" Taylor said after they tossed the key over the bridge and into the water. Their future together took off from there, their forever had begun.