I can’t take my eyes off of you.

Emma here! Aren’t we cute? This photo is from our second date, we went to a play, and Ben snapped this before we headed out for ice cream. But let’s rewind a bit!

After graduating from BYU-Idaho with my Bachelor of Fine Arts, I started working at the Springville Museum of Art as an Event Host (which mostly meant facilitating weddings, hence our reception is there). Since the commute from Mapleton was easy, I stayed living at home. Eventually, I was promoted to Exhibition Specialist, where I helped with artwork intake and pickups, installation and de-installation of exhibitions, and the behind-the-scenes work that keeps a museum running. In my free time, I was building my art career and staying involved in my local Young Single Adult ward, where Ben and I met. He was living with extended family while finishing his degree at BYU.

On one of his very first Sundays, he randomly sat next to me. If you’ve ever been to a YSA meeting, you know people usually sit with friends — or alone. So when he plopped down beside me and introduced himself, I took notice.

1. He was rockin’ a shaved head (bold move since he was the only one).

2. He wore a fun suit coat with a floral tie.

3. He had the kindest eyes.

After that, I couldn’t stop noticing him. I swear he thought I was a crazy person because we made lots of eye contact, little did I know, he was oblivious to this. I took the long way to Relief Society just to catch a glimpse of him preparing to teach his Elders Quorum class. I even texted him after he spoke in church. I was planning to talk to him afterward … until a gorgeous girl beat me to it, so I made a quick exit.

But then he started showing up more, lingering at Linger Longer, sitting by me at FHE, timing his exit so we could leave together. My first journal entry about him reads: “I hope to chat with him again.”

Time moved on, and I thought about asking him out, but didn’t. I went on a date with another guy off of Hinge, and it wasn’t great. I started a YouTube channel. I took a solo trip to Colorado for a painting workshop and even taught a gouache class at the museum. Work happened. A crazy Disney vacation happened. Life just happened.

Then a ward trip to Lake Powell was announced. I asked him if he was going, and he said yes. Later that day, I sat by him in Sunday School for the first time. He smelled good, had nice hands, shared thoughtful comments, and at one point, our shoulders brushed. So scandalous! That’s when I decided: if the vibes were good at Lake Powell, I’d ask him out.

The Sunday before the trip, I sat in my usual pew. Ben walked past, made eye contact, then doubled back and sat right next to me. He complimented my dress, my singing voice, and my nails over the course of the sacrament meeting. Finally, I knew he was interested and not just being friendly.

Lake Powell was an adventure. I’d never been before and was already pre-mourning my friends departure for grad school, missions, and upcoming ward changes. When Ben offered to see if I needed a ride down, I said no because I was going to hang with my girls as much as I could. Once on the houseboat, I immediately embarrassed myself by losing my balance and accidentally blasting the foghorn with no idea how to turn it off. During the trip, I was also fully covered in sunglasses, a safari hat, a sun shirt, and long shorts (the sun and I have a complicated relationship). Sleep-deprived and dry-eyed, I was quite the look. And there was Ben.

All week, he’d go off on his own adventures — swimming across the lake, catching tiny fish, hiking, paddleboarding, finding lizards and even scorpions, but he always came back to find me. Once, he sat next to me at a devotional while I was dripping wet and trying not to look like a drowned cat. Another time, he helped rescue our tent when the wind nearly took it away. He even went paddleboarding with my friends and ended up rescuing them when a storm rolled in. He was simply being his wonderful self, brushing unwanted sand out of my hair unasked (which alarmed my friends and me), building sandcastles at the foot of my camp chair, patiently waiting to get a henna tattoo from me, and sitting in silence next to me on the long drive back to the marina. I didn’t know him well enough to understand his flirting.

I had spent so long hoping he’d notice me that when he finally did … I froze. I didn’t ask him out.

But at the very next FHE, a Concert in the Park in Mapleton, he asked me out. IN PERSON. To Ginger’s Café. No one had asked me out face-to-face in years, so I awkwardly told him I needed to check my calendar at home … even though my calendar is on my phone.

We went to lunch, I invited him to see my museum afterwards, and we’ve gone on a date nearly every week since.

Somewhere between the conversations, the laughter, the quiet moments, and the way he consistently chose me, I realized something: life felt lighter and more joyful with him in it. He is kind, thoughtful, adventurous, and faithful. He makes me feel known, supported, and deeply loved.

I truly can’t imagine my life without him.

And now, I get to marry my best friend. I’m so grateful that we’re choosing each other, not just for today, but for forever. Being sealed together for time and all eternity is the greatest joy and blessing I could ever hope for.