Unbeknownst to him, one of his fellow mission companions (his name can be Tyson) had asked a girl (we'll call her Ashlyn) to attend the funeral in his stead as he couldn't be there (he was going to school in Utah) but wanted the family to know that he wished he could be.
So Ashlyn went to the funeral; she had met Dr. Tanner once before and had been introduced to Jeff once or twice. Tyson had asked that her to give the Tanner family a hug and tell them he was thinking of them and she said she would if it was possible. After the funeral was over, Ashlyn told one of her friends that she would only go and give them hugs if they were accessible (not tons of people waiting to speak/hug them as well). As soon as those words popped out of her mouth, the friend pointed behind her and said "Well there's your chance."
Ashlyn turned around and there was Jeff, so she went over and gave him a hug (after stepping on his foot...lets be honest, it can be a little awkward hugging someone you've only met a handful of times AND that is still considered a missionary!). She apologized for his loss and then passed along Tyson's message. Ashlyn then left and didn't think about the interaction again until she received a text from Tyson asking for her email. When she asked why, he responded with "Elder Tanner asked for it, idk why though."
The following Monday there was an email from Elder Tanner (he chose to complete his mission) thanking her for attending the funeral and for coming to say hello. He then said "Well we have a lot of mutual friends, and since we've only had a handful of conversations, what do you say we get to know each other a little better?" Unbeknownst to Ashlyn, this kid found out that she was single AND in his opinion the cutest girl. Ashlyn being all naive and innocent thought, "well sure, I could use a good friend!" The only warning she gave him was that she was NOT that good at remembering to write, so he was warned to not get offended if the responses were sporadic.
The emails flew back and forth every week, if he didn't have time for a long email, then he would send a short one and promise to write back later on during the week. The only time either of them missed an email was about two months before Jeff was supposed to come home; Ashlyn was in a head on collision with a semi-truck (obviously she lived to tell the tale.....) and Jeff was just BUSY BUSY that week. With every email that was sent, they became more and more personal for both of them. They shared daily experiences, thoughts, hopes, dreams, secrets, and more. Both Jeff and Ashlyn found it was easy to confide in the other.
It wasn't until about two weeks before Jeff was supposed to come home from his mission that Ashlyn even remotely thought there was a little something more than friendship brewing (remember she is naive and innocent); Jeff asked her if he could send her a silly form that the missionaries in his mission had. When she received the form later on in the week she was a bit flabbergasted and caught off guard by it....the form contained the following questions:
1. Does your dad own a gun
if so, how big?
2. Are your siblings bribable?
3. Where would you like to go on our first date?
a. Park b. Movies c. Park d. Fancy Dinner e. Park f. Beach g. Park
There were plenty more along those lines (like leaving three different lip impressions), however at the end there were the more important questions like:
1. What are you looking for in a future spouse?
2. Why do you want to date/marry a return missionary?
3. What do you want to be when you "grow up?"
After reading it a few times over the course of the next week, Ashlyn filled out the form. She wrote Jeff and let him know to expect lots of sass for replies to which he said "I wouldn't expect anything less!"
Three days before Jeff was supposed to come home, he let Ashlyn know what flight and time he would be home at and invited her to come if she would like. Ashlyn went back and forth right up until his flight came in on whether or not she would go to the airport. In the end she decided not to, she had never met his family (except for at the funeral) and she knew this was the first time they would be seeing Jeff since the funeral. Rather than interrupt that special moment she decided to wait.
The day after Jeff got home, Ashlyn left with some friends to go to Anchorage to attend the temple. It was the first time in almost two years since she had been, (23 months too long); instead of waiting another couple of months to go, she went ahead and left, prolonging seeing Jeff for another two days. Once Jeff was released from being an elder, the two began texting back and forth constantly (before he was released they emailed back and forth...emailing was allowed, texting not so much). When they finally saw each other for the first time, Ashlyn ran into his arms and gave him a HUGE hug! She attended his homecoming talk that same day at church, and then they went out on their first "date" that Monday (ice skating, prime rib sandwiches...they were delicious). Within a week of being home, Jeff had found himself a girlfriend AND had kissed her (he wasn't bad for taking a two year hiatus).
The next two months were pure bliss for them, life became pretty easy (well as easy as it can become). Jeff had a job pretty soon and he began settling in to a routine. It was a bit weird for him to not have his dad around but the adjustment wasn't too hard. He was grateful to have Ashlyn in his life (according to him, she is what made the adjustment a lot easier). They went on snowmachine adventures, ice park, ice skating (are you noticing a trend...the kid LOVES the winter time!). Pretty soon Jeff and Ashlyn started realizing that they couldn't imagine their lives without each other, so they decided to pray individually if they were ready to take the next step....
On 10 May 2014 Jeff asked Ashlyn to be his wife for time and all eternity (the proposal story will come at a later date).
They will be married on 26 July 2014, in the Anchorage, AK temple and then they will live happily ever after (and continue to have more adventures)!
So Ashlyn went to the funeral; she had met Dr. Tanner once before and had been introduced to Jeff once or twice. Tyson had asked that her to give the Tanner family a hug and tell them he was thinking of them and she said she would if it was possible. After the funeral was over, Ashlyn told one of her friends that she would only go and give them hugs if they were accessible (not tons of people waiting to speak/hug them as well). As soon as those words popped out of her mouth, the friend pointed behind her and said "Well there's your chance."
Ashlyn turned around and there was Jeff, so she went over and gave him a hug (after stepping on his foot...lets be honest, it can be a little awkward hugging someone you've only met a handful of times AND that is still considered a missionary!). She apologized for his loss and then passed along Tyson's message. Ashlyn then left and didn't think about the interaction again until she received a text from Tyson asking for her email. When she asked why, he responded with "Elder Tanner asked for it, idk why though."
The following Monday there was an email from Elder Tanner (he chose to complete his mission) thanking her for attending the funeral and for coming to say hello. He then said "Well we have a lot of mutual friends, and since we've only had a handful of conversations, what do you say we get to know each other a little better?" Unbeknownst to Ashlyn, this kid found out that she was single AND in his opinion the cutest girl. Ashlyn being all naive and innocent thought, "well sure, I could use a good friend!" The only warning she gave him was that she was NOT that good at remembering to write, so he was warned to not get offended if the responses were sporadic.
The emails flew back and forth every week, if he didn't have time for a long email, then he would send a short one and promise to write back later on during the week. The only time either of them missed an email was about two months before Jeff was supposed to come home; Ashlyn was in a head on collision with a semi-truck (obviously she lived to tell the tale.....) and Jeff was just BUSY BUSY that week. With every email that was sent, they became more and more personal for both of them. They shared daily experiences, thoughts, hopes, dreams, secrets, and more. Both Jeff and Ashlyn found it was easy to confide in the other.
It wasn't until about two weeks before Jeff was supposed to come home from his mission that Ashlyn even remotely thought there was a little something more than friendship brewing (remember she is naive and innocent); Jeff asked her if he could send her a silly form that the missionaries in his mission had. When she received the form later on in the week she was a bit flabbergasted and caught off guard by it....the form contained the following questions:
1. Does your dad own a gun
if so, how big?
2. Are your siblings bribable?
3. Where would you like to go on our first date?
a. Park b. Movies c. Park d. Fancy Dinner e. Park f. Beach g. Park
There were plenty more along those lines (like leaving three different lip impressions), however at the end there were the more important questions like:
1. What are you looking for in a future spouse?
2. Why do you want to date/marry a return missionary?
3. What do you want to be when you "grow up?"
After reading it a few times over the course of the next week, Ashlyn filled out the form. She wrote Jeff and let him know to expect lots of sass for replies to which he said "I wouldn't expect anything less!"
Three days before Jeff was supposed to come home, he let Ashlyn know what flight and time he would be home at and invited her to come if she would like. Ashlyn went back and forth right up until his flight came in on whether or not she would go to the airport. In the end she decided not to, she had never met his family (except for at the funeral) and she knew this was the first time they would be seeing Jeff since the funeral. Rather than interrupt that special moment she decided to wait.
The day after Jeff got home, Ashlyn left with some friends to go to Anchorage to attend the temple. It was the first time in almost two years since she had been, (23 months too long); instead of waiting another couple of months to go, she went ahead and left, prolonging seeing Jeff for another two days. Once Jeff was released from being an elder, the two began texting back and forth constantly (before he was released they emailed back and forth...emailing was allowed, texting not so much). When they finally saw each other for the first time, Ashlyn ran into his arms and gave him a HUGE hug! She attended his homecoming talk that same day at church, and then they went out on their first "date" that Monday (ice skating, prime rib sandwiches...they were delicious). Within a week of being home, Jeff had found himself a girlfriend AND had kissed her (he wasn't bad for taking a two year hiatus).
The next two months were pure bliss for them, life became pretty easy (well as easy as it can become). Jeff had a job pretty soon and he began settling in to a routine. It was a bit weird for him to not have his dad around but the adjustment wasn't too hard. He was grateful to have Ashlyn in his life (according to him, she is what made the adjustment a lot easier). They went on snowmachine adventures, ice park, ice skating (are you noticing a trend...the kid LOVES the winter time!). Pretty soon Jeff and Ashlyn started realizing that they couldn't imagine their lives without each other, so they decided to pray individually if they were ready to take the next step....
On 10 May 2014 Jeff asked Ashlyn to be his wife for time and all eternity (the proposal story will come at a later date).
