OUR STORY

MORE THAN NATURAL

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Travis always says that if you want something to work out, you have to stop caring about it so much.

Well, I'm not sure that's always the case, but I think it did help us find each other!

Part 1: Time for Ourselves

Last summer, Travis and I both said goodbye to great people as they left for some adventures of their own.  Travis felt like he had been too focused on dating for so long, he needed a break.  He had plans to have one more fun semester at BYU before heading off to France on his own.  Realizing I had been in "serious" relationships nonstop for two and a half years, I was also ready for a break.  I loaded up my schedule with 18 credits of classes, got a job, and armed myself with my favorite T-shirt in case any boys got close:

Add my dad's glasses from elementary school and this face
and I'm guaranteed not to be asked on any dates!

I think it's safe to say that Travis & I, in our separate little worlds, had finally decided to give ourselves time to focus on "us."

Part 2: A Magical Place Called Park Plaza

So back to Provo I went, looking forward to a busy semester.  I'm what Travis calls a "Guys' Girl," meaning I'm usually more comfortable hanging out with the guys and I kinda have a hard time connecting with girls.  Girls intimidate me!  Thankfully, I made some great friends my freshman year and was excited to be living with them this year!

Elyse, Heather, & Marcie

  

Travis was living with a cousin and some friends while Braden spent the semester in Jerusalem under the alias of "Jay."  Travis was sad to leave Dallas, but they decided it was for their own good.  Travis has since told me that he thinks he needed to "break up with Dallas" before he could really let a girl in (I love you, Dallas). So there was Travis, more "on his own" at BYU than he had been for while.

Part 3: The Party in Draper

Travie & I like to say that we met "at a party in Draper." It sounds way less cliché than "at our Bishop's house during FHE," so go along with it, k? Thanks.

I reluctantly went to this ward social with my roommates; I only agreed to go after deciding to wear my Indy500 shirt so I wouldn't look any kind of attractive to any guys.

We proved awful at making friends.  We knew no one, we didn't know how to introduce ourselves, but we didn't want to be anti-social.  We finally decided to sit in the grass in an open circle.  Close enough that no one needed to think we looked lonely, but open enough that we looked inviting if anyone wanted to join us.

And guess what--it worked!

A few minutes later, two guys headed our way and asked to join us.  "Hi, I'm Travis.  And this is my cousin Gary."  We then had one of the weirdest conversations that have ever been held.  Travis hates surface questions, so after getting our names, he just started digging.  He called it "digging into our souls" to see what really makes us who we are, which really is a great idea.  It's especially refreshing during the first week of a new semester when everyone is asking where you're from, how far along you are in school, and what your major is.

But seriously?? He was weird.  He ticked me off.  He was just so intense and, honestly, reminded me of an old boyfriend and I wanted little to do with him.  To add to the frustration, he LIKED my Indy500 shirt.

The conversation broke up and I found myself talking alone with him with two roommates looking on.

"So, you're a sophomore, yes?"

"Yeah," I replied, bored.

Smirking, Travis asked, "So you have a missionary, don't you?"

I was insulted. "Are you going to make fun of me if I do?"

"Well, yeah."

I had never called him "my" missionary, but Travis was infuriating.  I stared him down and said, "Well then yeah.  I have a missionary."

And in that moment when I wanted to hate this kid standing in front of me representing everyone who has an opinion about other people's relationships, I felt nothing but attraction. (Get ready to gag, because this is good stuff.)  We locked eyes for probably just a second, but in that second we understood each other as if we'd been in love for ages.

Then Heather tapped me and asked if I was ready to leave.

"Yes, please!"  I was angry again.  I turned on the spot and followed my roommates to the car.  The whole way home my roommates and I ranted about "that weird Travis kid."  Who did he think he was, digging into our souls like that?!  Well, I knew who he was: A jerk.  Too bad I couldn't stop thinking about him and that second of all-too-significant eye contact.

Part 4: "103 Is the Place to Be!"

I decided not to go to any more activities during welcome week for fear of running into Travis.  The next Sunday I went to WP with Marcie.  We walked in and I immediately saw Travis in the middle of the room--we would have to walk past him to find empty seats.  I faced forward and walk with a purpose (ignoring him), but he's just too good.  He put his hand on my shoulder as I passed, looked down, smiled, and said, "Oh, hey Holly!"  I muttered out a, "Hey," and kept going.  Marcie and I sat in the front row next to the wall--no extra seats around for Travis to decide to sit in.  Well, Travis could play games, too.  So he grabbed a chair, put it next to mine against the wall, and just sat, listening to the announcements. (I was mad).  At one point, he pretended he hadn't heard one of the announcements, put his hand on my knee, and asked if I had heard it.

Marcie and I decided to go home and watch Harry Potter rather than stay to play games.  While we were watching our movie, someone knocked on our door.  It was Travis and he just stopped by to tell us he beat everyone in a game of Mafia.  "Cool, I don't care. Go away," is what I wanted to say (I know, I know--I'M the jerk), but we talked for a bit because I was wearing my Hoosier Girls' State shirt and Travis had gone to Ohio Boys' State.  I cursed my T-shirt choice for the second time.  Travis invited himself in to watch Harry Potter with us, but only stayed 14 minutes, (I have a thing for remembering small little details.  Mom, Alyssa was born at 11:07, k?) before running out.  When he left, Marcie and I just looked at each other.  What a weird kid!

A couple days later Travis stopped by again.  He asked if he could come study with me "for, like, half an hour?" I was just finishing up my homework and I thought it was a super weird request, but I couldn't say no (another inability of mine).  I pretended to be studying for a bit, and we had a pleasant enough time.  As Travis was packing up, he turned and asked me, as smoothly as he could, I'm sure, if I wanted to "do something...sometime...”

Inside I groaned.  I just wanted him to stop!  It was the second week of school and I had already gone on too many dates for my liking. Plus, I was trying to suppress the very real feeling that I knew I actually liked Travis.  Plus, by the sound of it, he had never asked a girl on a date in his life.  I felt bad.  I asked what he had in mind, and he told me about a rooftop concert on Friday night. "Yes!" I thought--I had a legit excuse and didn't have to straight up tell him no.

"My dad is coming into town for my niece's baby blessing on Sunday.  I don't know if I'll be able to that night."

"Oh, well why don't you check your schedule with your dad and I'll come back tomorrow?"

Grrrrrrr.  Please, poor boy, please just understand that when a girl has an excuse but doesn't ask to reschedule that it means NO! It makes sense to me.

When he left Marcie came out of her room and just laughed at me. Thanks, Marce.

When Travis came back the next day we had some friends over and were playing games at our apartment.  Seeing it as an opportunity to not be alone with Travis and avoid jumping into figuring out how to tell him no, I told him to join us in our game of Go Fish!  After a while, Travis announced that he had to go meet someone on campus.  Inside I think I was relieved he was leaving, but according to Travis I got a little frown on my face.  Seeing that gave him hope and he said I could come with him!  Oops.  That was awkward.  I put on some shoes and followed him to his car.

We talked about our parents, I remember.  And the color code (adding to my suspicion that he was an ex in disguise).  We got to the Tanner, got his book, and got back in the car.  And then I broke.

I let myself think about how much I really liked him, about our eye contact, about how much I wanted to go on the date with him.  I blurted out something to the effect of, “If your offer still stands, I’d like to go with you this weekend.”  After all, my dad was going to be with my sister in Salt Lake and I wouldn’t see him until he came down Saturday night.

We ended the little adventure with Travis asking for my number.  Again, the way he asked made me think he had never gotten a girl’s number before.

...sneaky little guy...

I felt defeated.  But I think I fought hard, so I was okay with it ;)

Part 5: THE Date

Because I was so busy with school and work, Travis texted me the details of our date.  Most important was that he was going to pick me up at 6:22. Okay, whatever.  Weird guy.

But here’s some info about me: I don’t like going on dates.  I don’t like doing first date after first date after first date.  When I find someone I like, I make him stay, hehe.  So I was confused that I was really looking forward to our date.  I even wrote it in my journal.  That’s probably the only date I’ve looked forward to (aside from one in high school with this guy I really liked).  I even told Travis that I wasn’t sure why, but I was excited.  He said he felt the same way.

One of the many upsides from living two doors down from Travis was that he was able to be at my door at exactly 6:22 Friday night.  We went to DT fields for the Marriott School opening social where we had J-Dawg’s and ran into some of his cousins and friends.  I was surprised to see that he knew Grace & AJ Hamner.  I didn’t know Grace super well, but AJ and I were in the same stake back home and was my sister’s age.  We had hung out a few times.  I was happy to see someone I knew!

We left the party and headed to Center Street for an art scavenger hunt around downtown.  I should mention that being together felt more than natural.  It almost felt like the fact that we were going to be something was assumed.  We found interesting things to talk about, and it wasn’t awkward when silence came.

The art scavenger hunt was perfect.  I enjoy art.  I enjoy thinking about the artist, the process they used, and the thoughts and events that lead to the creation of their work.  I especially liked the exhibit in the Covey Center.  It told me a lot about Travis—he actually was pretty smooth and intelligent.

We made our way over to the concert.  It was pretty good, but by this time, Travis and I were too into each other to sit and listen to loud music.  We found a park bench where we could still hear the band, but it was quiet enough to hear each other. We sat at opposite ends of the bench just...listening.  To each other.  I don’t feel like we were really talking to each other.  I mea, we weren’t trying to one-up each other or just say stuff to say stuff.  I honestly don’t remember all we discussed, but I know it was a great conversation.  We learned a lot about each other by listening to each other.
It was the best date I’d ever been on.  So much more than natural.  Too real.  Travis says things behind the car in between shutting the girl’s door and opening his own.  It bugged me that I couldn’t hear him and he wouldn’t tell me what he was saying.

After a couple hours, Travis did the classic, ”Well, normally I would take you home now, but I’m having a really great time.  So the choice is yours: end the date, or keep going?” We decided to go back to my apartment and watch a movie.  I had told him that I don’t like Tom Hanks, so he was determined to find a movie that I would like with him in it.  I also don’t really like baseball, so he picked “A League of Their Own.”  What a winner.  I hated it.  But somehow, that sneaky little Travis got me to cuddle up to him (NOT something I do on first dates.  Or second or third or fourth, usually).  And we held hands.  Grr.

Oh, and we did a little foam craft.  We made a monkey and Travis named him Frederick.  I have a thing against naming inanimate objects and getting attached to them.  I threw Frederick in the trash a couple days later.

And Here We Are.

And the rest is history.  Travis & I have had a million adventures since we met, and we learn new things every day.  I'm such a lucky girl!

Maybe there's a better way to say it...maybe something more like, "I think and think and think...I've thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.”  Like, it's easy to over-think, and that can lead you away from things that might make you happy.  So sometimes, you have to just let yourself be happy and stop trying so hard <3

---T&H---