The Trip that Changed Everything!

Saturday morning came quickly with the 7am start time at the cornfield. Normally Saturdays go a lot longer than you expect or they go faster than you expect. It seems the majority of the time they take longer because there is more to do to make up for the fact that the field work isn't being worked in on Sunday. This particular Saturday must have been really lucky though because we were done by 10am. Only 3 hrs! That had to be some kind of record for a Saturday! As soon as Keith and I got home I showered and started getting ready. I had convinced Keith to change my oil (I told him if he would change the oil then he didn't need to pay his part of gas for driving to work) but it had been pushed back due to other events coming up so he had to do it right before I went to Boise. There were a few problems he encountered when changing the oil so it took longer than possible (but I didn't complain because it gave me more time to get ready). But, when I realized I still wasn't going to get to Boise until 1pm even with getting off so late I was a little disappointed, knowing that it would probably only be four hours to spend with Brandon.

As I approached the entrance to the Boise Mall, I nervously got out my phone and called Brandon (as he had asked me to do, so that we could figure out a good place to meet up). As I dialed I felt my heart pounding, waiting for him to answer. When he picked up I asked where he and his family were at. He said I had great timing because they had just decided to stop at the food court for lunch. He then asked me if I had eaten already. I admitted I had not (to be honest, the thought didn't even cross my mind when I was getting ready). But I was hungry now so I was grateful for the offer. Brandon said he would be waiting for me at the escalator to the food court. As I stepped onto the escalator it seemed like all I could hear was my heart beating wildly, anticipating this long awaited moment. And then I saw Brandon. I stared into his amazing blue eyes and smiled. A second later it finally registered that there was a cute little girl standing next to him, holding his hand. He then introduced me to his niece Rylee. I bent down to say hi to her and introduce myself, willing my heart to stop pounding so loud. When I stood up I finally got to hug Brandon, and when he put his arms around me It calmed my racing nerves and I felt so comfortable. So comfortable that it surprised me.
After we hugged he sent Rylee back to his sister and asked what I wanted to eat. Not wanting to be picky, I didn't voice my opinion. So when I told Brandon to choose it suprised me that he picked the exact place I had wanted. When we got to the line I was vocalizing some of the choices on the menu I was considering when he made it clear that he was going to buy my lunch. I hesitated a little and asked if he was sure. He said he wanted to because he had never had the opportunity to do so during winter semester. Another brownie point for Brandon! He then introduce me to his mom and sister and his other niece Jenna. As we ate and talked Brandon mentioned that he and his mom and sisters had decided to leave on Sunday morning instead of that day so that they would have more time to shop. "So," he said "I can go to all the things you said you had going on today if I'm still invited." I said yes. As we finished eating he then said we were leaving and told his mom and sister he would see them later on tonight. His mom seemed surprised by this and asked if he would be with me the whole day. He said he planned on it. "YESs!!!" I thought, "I get to spend a whole day with Brandon Carney!

The rest of the day zoomed by. First we played frisbee golf in the park. As we talked I again realized just how natural and easy it was to be around him. After frisbee golf we went to Goodies (a candy and ice cream shop in Boise) where we shared vanilla bean ice cream. (Which when I mentioned to Savannah and she found out that we ate from the same container, she said shairing dairy products meant that you were comfortable with the idea of kissing each other if you are willing to share jerms like that.)

After we finished at Goodies we met up with my parents and Keith for the BSU scrimage. My dad had bought me an orange BSU shirt just for the occasion so when he realized Brandon was going to be able to come he brought along a blue one of his own for Brandon to wear. As I TRIED to watch the scrimage Brandon and Keith took turns poking me and squishing me between them. Watching them interact I realized that they were already two peas in a pod. Seeing them getting along so well was definitely a plus. I couldn't believe how much they clicked, and within only a seconds of meeting each other. But even though that was quite miraculous to me, what seemed even more amazing was how Brandon and I were together. Just sitting next to him I felt so comfortable that it almost seemed like we were already together and had been that way for a while. I don't really know how to explain it, but it was such a real feeling and I kept wondering if Brandon felt the same way. However, I felt my chances were getting better when Brandon wanted to take some pictures of us together. :)

During the BSU scrimage Keith, and I realized that we needed to stop at home and get a few things before Savannah's Fall Barn Party. Once we changed and grabbed some snacks for the party Brandon, Keith and I jumped in the car, headed to Savannah's house. When we got to the party I introduced Brandon to Savannah and a couple of my cousins who were there as well. It surprised me how well Brandon blended right in and joined in on the fun. He started dancing along to the music and making converstation with others in the group. At some point in time someone mentioned to me that it seemed like we were already dating. I couldn't help but agree with them but I could only hope right then that maybe Brandon would have agreed as well.

At some point in the evening Brandon and I decided that we needed a brake from dancing. He asked about the fire Savannah had mentioned earlier. I asked Savannah about the fire and she directed us to the oposite yard, on the other side of the house. Brandon and I both sat down on the stumps which were situated around the fire as chairs would be. As we talked Brandon asked about the likelihood of me moving back to Rexburg. I mentioned a few ideas I had thought of, such as taking some continuing education classes at BYU-I. He told me he thought I should come back and then mentioned that it would have been nice to have both been in school at the same time so we could have gotten to know each other better. Then Brandon started talking about my family and how easy it was to get along with Keith. When he started talking about how comfortable it was to be around my family I sensed that he was trying to bring up a more personal conversation about us. I was so grateful that he was about to start the conversation I had wanted to come up when we were interepted by three teenagers. As they approached they asked if they were interrupting something and asked if they could join us. We said they could join us, but we both felt that they had definitely had interrupted a needed conversation. Once they sat down it didn't us very long to realize they weren't about to leave any time soon, so we went back to dancing. We continued dancing until about midnight, and then Brandon, Keith and I all decided it was probably time for us to call it a night.

As we walked to the car Brandon asked if he could drive. This surprised me but I said yes (I was completely comfortable with it, but I sensed that he had a specific reason in mind for wanting to). A part of me wondered once we drove away, if he had hoped I would continue my habit (that I had mentioned to him earlier) of always resting my hand on the gear shift as I drove. I noticed that he had also placed his hand there but I didn't know what to do. It seemed too forward to just put my hand right on top, especially if that was not what he was intending at all. I wanted so badly to just ask him... and I think we both wanted to talk about what we were feeling... but, with Keith in the car it just wasn't the right place and time. So, Brandon and I just asked each other questions about interests and shared stories from our growing up years until we arrived at the hotel where he and his family were staying. Brandon hugged me and said bye to Keith, and then hugged me again and said to keep in touch.

As I drove away I felt like I was already missing a really close friend. In one day my connection to Brandon had transformed from a budding friendship/crush to a dear friend and someone I knew I cared about. When I got home and realized that I really didn't know when I would see Brandon again or how it could ever work out, all I could do was hope that the feelings between us wouldn't fade away with the miles that seperated us.