will you marry me?

Venice, Italy (I was 4 mo. prego with Sam)

One of our funnest dates-Went to haunted house with Sam and his girfriend. I think we laughed all night long!


The proposal

Ricks College days. Hike with my sister Erika.

January 20th

At my sister's house. Our 3rd date or 3rd day of knowing eachother. My sister said, "I think he's the one!"

Kelly asks me this question quite often. I usually say "Sure, why not! After all, we have 4 children together." He likes to keep things interesting and that's what I love about him. We met on July 23, 1993 at our best friend's wedding. When I walked in the door, there he was in his tux (best man) and there I was, a brides maid to my dear friend, Kelly Bonk. I was instantly captivated and it only got more intense as the night progressed. We did alot of ogling and inquiry to our friends, "Who is he? Is he single?" Finally Kelly introduced himself to me and after the wedding was over, he asked me out to go dancing and of course I said yes! We got to the dance place and it only took one slow song...."This is no Ordinary Love (Sade)" and we were inseparable. After 3 days, we had to say goodbye as I was living in CT at the time. For the next year and a half we kept a long distance relationship while I moved from CT to ID for school and Kelly finished his degree in SLC. It was tough to be away from each other but it was also really good because we got to focus on our school work. We saw each other every other weekend sometimes every two weeks. One of my favorite things that Kelly did for me was one day, while up in ID, I was talking to Kelly on the phone, complaining about school, missing him...and 4 hours later, he came into the pottery classroom where I was at the time, and surprised me! He told me to pack my stuff and come back to UT with him! He drove 8 hours round trip to be with me and cheer me up! I loved that! What captured my attention from the beginning of our relationship was Kelly's maturity. He was responsible, smart, entrepreneurial, respectful and willing to do anything for me! I, in turn, was completely swept away. It was the happiest I'd ever been and I savored every minute with him. Both of us cannot deny how our meeting was "Love at first sight" if it can be explained that way. It felt like we already knew each other and fell into each other's lives with ease and perfect contentment. Kelly proposed marriage a year after we met while vacationing in upstate NY. Unfortunately Kelly put the ring in his luggage and it went to another state by accident! A very stressful situation! But he did get his luggage before popping the question while we sat in the gorgeous Sacred Grove. Looking back at how Kelly was then, I can see that the kindness and attention he gave then has only continued through our marriage of 14 years. He is a wonderful, supportive father, a true friend, a hard worker, a spiritual man, he is goofy sometimes, sarcastic sometimes, but very deep too. It's nice to know that the one person who sees first hand your weaknesses or flaws, can be the one who loves you most. It is a blessing to have a best friend in a husband or wife. Some of Kelly's letters then and to this day, have saved me from alot of grief. He is very sincere and expressive in his letters and I cherish them! One of our favorite memories is a trip we took to Carmel/Monterey for a weekend getaway. I surprised Kelly with the whole thing. I showed up at work, with our bags packed, babysitter with kids, and we set off to a weekend of fun! We were spontaneous-we went kayaking, we looked in antique shops, we hung out on the beach, etc. Our trips together are mutually the highlight of our lives besides our children. We love to go places and see new sights, learn history, adventure. After all these years, I am stronger and better because of Kelly. I love having a family with him, to see him in them. I love laughing and joking and being utterly ridiculous with him. But I also cherish our quiet time and our deep conversations. I am one lucky woman! In Hollywood years, we'd be married 30 years already! Quite an accomplishment, right? LNMW Kel!