How I met my Devin

Today in sacrament meeting a couple was speaking and, like usual, they introduced themselves by telling the story about how they met.  I started thinking about how Devin and I became “Devin and Brittany.”  Usually, when people ask, “how did you meet?” I say, “basically, through a singles ward in Washington.”  Well, as I started thinking about it today, that certainly doesn’t do our story justice.  So here it goes…a short story…made long.

I was living at home in Washington on a much needed break from the same old BYU singles ward crap.  Mom my made the rule that as long as I wasn’t going to school, I either had  to go to the singles ward, FHE, and or Institute.  Since our stake didn’t do Institute and the singles ward was even more of a meat market than the BYU wards, I settled for FHE.  Eventually, I made some “friends” (mostly boys who now that I think about it I haven’t talked to since I got engaged….hmmm, funny).  There were some girls too but not too many that hung around often enough and were not crazy like some of those desperate girls in the singles ward (you know how it is).

So, like usual, I drug myself to FHE one night.  I remember there being this girl, Sarah, who I had met and was somewhat acquainted with because of a friend from a few years earlier.  With Sarah was Devin.  But I didn’t remember “Devin.”  I just remember some boy saying he just moved to the area and was looking for a cheap apartment.

A few weeks later, someone convinced me to go to a combined FHE where all the FHE groups joined for a big activity on Memorial Day. It was soft ball. Oddly enough I was just there to socialize (obviously not to play…at all). So I was hanging out with my good “friend” Dave when the next thing I knew Devin and his friend Chellane had joined our conversation. During the entire conversation I kept thinking to myself, “I know this guy from somewhere” but couldn’t think of where. Later I asked Dave if he had come to our FHE before and he ever-so-confidently said no. Trying to feel me out he then said, “you should ask him out.”  I wasn’t going to give into that one.  At least, not yet.  That day I went home and told my mom about Devin. Not too much but just that I might be interested in him and he was really funny.

A few weeks later, I was once again conned into going to the singles ward big summer bash activity. I loaded up my car with a few friends including one of those “friends” and we went to the party.  There was a big bonfire and we all sat down in our little group to chat. Then, I saw Devin.  Totally out of character and without thinking of my next move, I shouted to him.  “Hey Devin!”  Then to myself I though, “oh, crap…now what? What the heck did you do that for?”  He walked over and said, “hey…uh, you’re…..uh….umm….don’t tell me….what’s your name?…uh….what does it start with….?”  (Oh, crap.  How awkward is this?!  He doesn’t even remember my name….or me!)  So I told him and then he sat down and joined our group where we sat and talked for a bit.

On the way back to my car I said to my friend Katie, “I want him.” She said with enthusiasm, “yeah, you can have him!  Go for it!!!”  But no exchanges were made and I was left wanting.

A few more weeks later, a few friends and I decided to go to “break the fast” at the singles ward. My mission: make my presence known by Devin and *hopefully* he will come and talk to me. I watched his every move during the activity but nothing. I did talk to someone from the ward and introduced myself.  “Oh, you are Brittany?!”  Wait, what? Moving on.

Later, as we were working on leaving, I knew I just couldn’t pass this opportunity up but wasn’t about to make a move.  Not after the whole, “what’s your name again?” incident.  So one of my friends (who oddly enough was my ex boyfriends sister) made an arrangement. She went up to Devin and told him that she needed him to double with her on a date…and that he’d be going with me as a favor. (ok?)

To make matters more complicated, I already had a date during that next week with one of those “friends”. (And yes, that was the first–and last time I had two dates with two different people in the same week…crazy I know).  The next thing I knew I was in a group of people which included Devin and this “friend” that I was supposed to be going on a date with.  After a few minutes, they were the only two there.  I just kept saying to myself, “please don’t say anything about our date…please don’t say anything about our date…”  Then Devin started to ask about it and before he could really say anything I said, “yeah I’ll call you about that later.”  Fortunately, neither one of them really caught on to what was going on. Dodged that one.

Fast forward to date night–It was quite strange.  It was me and Devin and another couple which consisted of my ex boyfriends little sister who at the time was engaged to this boy who lived in England. Since she couldn’t really date, she took with her the cousin of her fiance as her “safe” date. So on our first date, we doubled with my ex boyfriends sister and watched a movie at my ex boyfriends house.  *weird*  I’m not sure that the old bf knows about that.

And Devin and I have been together ever since….

Oh, yeah.  Devin’s side of it all.  He apparently remembered me from the first time he saw me at FHE. He told all of his new friends about me but since I didn’t go to the singles ward and no one knew who I was I became widely known as “mystery Brittany.”  I guess some of his friends thought that I was some made up girl that didn’t really exists. So when I introduced myself to someone in the singles ward and explained that I just went to FHE, they realized that I was a real person. The day that I actually met Devin at the softball game, he already knew who I was and so did his friends.

And as for all those “friends” that I made at FHE, well, who knows.