Time Marches On

Well today is two years since Sterling and I met. I remember it so vividly. We were sitting directly across from each other at the breakfast table at the Ross' wedding breakfast. Steve Hatch was to my right, Bukran was to the left of Sterling and Lauren was in between Bukran and I.

After short introductions and mild excitement about working in Albuquerque together for the summer Steve made a comment that provided for one of the most awkward moments of my life. However that same comment would turn out to be completely true. He said, "I bet Sterling and Cylynn hook up this summer."

Now just imagine Sterling and I looking in a million different directions without making eye contact with each other and now imagine everyone else at the table looking at us for some sort of reaction. The best reaction Sterling or I could offer was to sit there with our teeth in our mouths and hope that someone else said something to break the awkward tension. Unfortunately nobody said anything for a while and so we were left to our own means of coping with the awkward setting that Steve had so kindly created.

Throughout the day Lauren and I would laugh about the comment but even then whenever I saw Sterling things were just plain strange. In fact I can remember one time when he sat down to talk to me about the summer (I think he talked to me mostly out of duty because he was going to be my boss) and small chit-chat things that it seems like we, as people, always tend to talk about when we are trying to either make conversation or get to know someone. Luckily, in my mind, he was quickly called away for wedding pictures and so our conversation didn't last long.

At another point in the day one of my mission companions tried to get me to flirt with Sterling but I was having none of that. I figured that he would be my boss for the summer and then we would never see each other again.

Oh how wrong I was. Two years later I am so happy to have been put in such an awkward situation at the breakfast table. That breakfast conversation has lead to many laughs as we look back on our two "awkward" years of happiness. I love you Sterling!