the Hollow

Trying to explain about Granny's in my previous post made me realize I should blog about how Beorn and I met... and since yesterday was our 13th anniversary, it seems very appropriate.

Beorn and I met at Mill Hollow, a school district summer camp. I had worked there several years before and had an "in" with the manager, since my dad's store supplied the camp with craft supplies. I decided to work there again while still on my mission. I thought it would be good, since the job paid well and I'd be out in nature and away from the world as I readjusted to the real, post-mission, world. An added plus was knowing the boys who worked there were always young, pre-mission kids saving money, so I wouldn't have to worry about dating, either. Perfect job.

I was hired to be the assistant cook, so I ran one of the two teams that rotated cooking shifts. We prepared food for about 200 kids, three meals a day. Once a week we had 400 kids for lunch when two groups overlapped. It was a lot of cooking and was where I learned to truly enjoy cooking. I did the "terrible" thing of altering the spaghetti sauce recipe so it was palatable, to the joy of everyone but Gary (the manager) who liked the sauce the way it was (shutter). He didn't insist I go back to the old recipe, since my sauce was met by such applause. I worked alot of early mornings, but I also had a lot of free time out in the mountains. It was a wonderful job. Except for one thing... this guy! There wasn't supposed to be an older, returned missionary there!

Beorn ended up at camp at the suggestion of his sister. She was going up for her second year and when the janitor position suddenly came open at the last minute, she told him to apply. After all, the head cook was just getting home from a mission and she had red hair... (Beorn had a thing for red-heads, but no, the girl in question was not me...)


Don't worry if you can't find me in the picture, the head cook and I had just come running from the kitchen (busy making lunch for the staff) so neither of us got to primp before the picture was taken. So, I'll probably feel better if it takes you a minute to find me.

I was part of the crew that went up early to open the camp and clean up the winter's mess. My dad dropped me off that morning at the District offices. There were some other staff there, but honestly, I don't remember noticing anyone. When Beorn tells the story, however, it is very different. There he was, waiting in the office, when in walked the "most beautiful girl." Now, what you have to know is I was wearing my grubbies (all ready to clean up dirt and mouse poop, after all), had my hair all pulled back and no make up on. Beorn also knew immediately who I was, even though we had never met before. You see, my dad walked in with me and Beorn knew my dad. Beorn had, previously, been working for the same company my dad worked for, although at a different location. In fact, Beorn's boss had been an employee at my dad's store (she got promoted to manage her own store) and she and I had worked together at my dad's store several years before. Only a few months before she had offered to set Beorn up with me... "Dave's daughter is getting home from a mission soon, she's really cute, I could set you up with her..." He had turned the offer down and so was mentally kicking himself when I walked in and he saw "Dave's daughter" in person. Love at first sight.

My first memory of Beorn is from the moment it was time to leave. There were four of us heading up in two trucks that day... the manager, me, a young guy (pre-mission, like I expected) and this large, not pre-mission guy. I didn't want to ride up alone with the manager and the younger guy seemed the safer of the other two, so I made sure things worked out that way. Yup, for me it was avoidance at first sight.

I wasn't so lucky on the way back down a week later. I ended up in the truck with Thor (that was his camp alias). My initial thoughts were along the lines of "wow, he's opinionated" and "oh, no. He likes me." But honestly, we really had a good time talking for that hour and a half and found we had a lot of similar interests.

So, we spent almost every day together that summer. Beorn's schedule, as janitor, was flexible... so somehow he always managed to be free when I was. The better we got to know each other, the more Beorn liked me (and yes, I liked him more too, just not in a romantic way. I really wasn't interested at all, I was anti-dating, remember?). I knew I was in trouble the day my Stake President (who was at camp several times as a teacher) started talking me up to Beorn. I saw Beorn's eyes the moment President Summers said to him: "...and have you seen her artwork?" Beorn looked at me and I knew I was in trouble. He was thoroughly twittered. Turns out he had been listening to all this praise of me while in his mind thinking it could never really work out because I would never truly understand him since I wasn't an artist. Once he discovered I was... oh boy.

Then came the day Beorn had THE DREAM. I had worked the early shift and now, just after lunch, I was up in the Spruce Room (the big lodge room) playing the piano. (I did that a lot) Beorn's bedroom was just off the Spruce Room and he was in there napping, since his job entailed some late hours. I didn't realize he was around and my heart kind of sank when I heard his door open. I just kept playing and ignored him as he pulled up a chair and sat behind me. Then he asked if he could talk to me. I must give Beorn full marks here, he did pick a beautiful, romantic spot for such a talk. He walked me out onto one of the little bridges over the creek between the Lodge and the parking lot. Then he told me he had had a dream. All the warnings from seminary came flooding into my mind as I prepared myself for some declaration that he had received a revelation that I should be his wife. Luckily it wasn't that kind of dream. In his dream we had met again, by chance, several years down the road. I, of course, looked fabulous and as we talked and then went our separate ways, Beorn kicked himself for having missed the chance to pursue a relationship with me, for although we were both still single, that window of opportunity had closed. Beorn woke up from that dream to hear me playing in the other room. Just as he closed his eyes to go back to sleep he had the distinct impression - "what more do you want?!" After several bad break-ups, Beorn had sworn off relationships, telling the Lord that if He wanted him to get married, He would need to literally THROW someone into his path. So, after this dream, Beorn decided he should break his personal "don't date co-workers" rule. After telling me all this, he asked if I'd would be amenable. I said Ok, since I didn't see any reason to say No. My personal rule had been to give everyone one date, unless I felt strongly that I shouldn't. So, I didn't see any harm in going out once with Beorn. Famous last words, I know.

Our first official date (ie. away from work) was an outdoor symphony concert at Deer Valley. This boy knew how to get right to my heart. I did find myself in a slightly awkward position when we ran into a dear friend's parents at the concert and I had no idea how to introduce Beorn. We weren't really dating, after all... Beorn and I still joke about how uncomfortable I was on that date - I think I was ready to bolt the whole evening. I had managed to reach the age of 22 1/2 without kissing anyone and only holding hands twice (but that's a whole other story...). I didn't know how to handle this boy who wanted to hold my hand and kept putting his arm around me. Beorn truly was the answer to my prayer - a boy who loved me enough, from the beginning, to be patient while I learned to trust him.

And well, the rest, as the say, is history. Beorn asked me to marry him before I moved back up to school in the fall and we got married a few months later, just six months and one day after we met.