Our Story

This is Angie...

...And this is Robbie

And this is our story.

The Early Stuff

A: My early memories of Robbie are pretty foggy. We knew each other in high school, but not well (though I WAS there the night he had his first kiss. Ironic, no?).



R:We had crossed paths so many times before we started dating that it blows my mind.  I remember being a junior in high school and Angie was my student body president--she loves it when I drop that info when I tell our story. Despite the fact that we had so many opportunities to get to know each other on a personal level, it never seemed to happen.  I did, however, notice how friendly, kind, and fun she was.  There wasn't a person in school that didn't love Angie Trujillo, and I was definitely in that boat. 

 

A: So even though we didn't know each other well, we shared a lot of the same friends and so I knew enough to know he was a quality guy, one of the greats, even back then. So when I got my mission call to serve in the same LDS mission Robbie was serving in at the time, the Romania Bucharest Mission, I was ecstatic.

R: I wanted to serve with one of my friends so badly, but I was the only one from Murray in the mission.  Every mission is different and I guess I just wanted someone from home to keep representin' over in Romania.  In my last two months, I learned that Angie Trujillo had been called to serve there, and even though I didn't know her very well, I was incredibly excited that she would come.





A: Though our planes practically passed in the air (we never actually saw each other in Romania), the legend of Elder Irion was still widely spread all over the country. I was not surprised to learn over and over again what an incredible missionary he had been and how many people he had touched.

R: When I got home, I went to college at BYU.  College and I haven't had the healthiest of relationships.  I have officially switched my major four times (I've probably switched it another 10 times in my brain), deferred a semester somewhere in the mix, and now I'm in the Mechanical Engineering program--one of the longest majors at BYU.  So I have been going to classes at school since 2007 and still have another year to go, yikes. 

But, back to the story. 

                The reason I deferred a semester is because I was going through one big, gnarly, personal trial and somehow Angie had caught wind of what I was going through.  We had barely become friends on Facebook, and for your information I normally dislike chatting with people on Facebook, so it was strange that when Angie started up a conversation with me I was inexplicably excited to chat with her.

 

A: In those few times we chatted over facebook, we mostly just joked around, nothing too big, but also had a few serious conversations. I remember always coming away thinking what a good guy he was. Confession: one time I actually turned down going out with my roommates because Robbie and I were chatting (yes, facebook chatting) and I didn't want to leave. Pathetic? Probably. But even though it was a conversation about nothing, it somehow felt important enough not to walk away from. 

R: In that period of my life I was down in the dumps, to say the least, and when I was talking with Angie I could tell that she was genuinely concerned with what I was going through.  It was refreshing to talk to someone that didn't tiptoe around my sensitive situation and would listen to me vent.  Anyway, it was a pick-me-up, and when we were about to say goodbye Angie asked me if I felt comfortable enough to start dating again.  When I saw that message, I assumed that she was asking me for herself!  I was really flattered and seriously considered telling her that I would love to go out with her, but I wasn't quite ready  to be dating at the time, so that's what I told her.

A: In actuality, I had had this great idea of setting Robbie up with a friend of mine who had gone through something similar. I told him to just let me know when he felt ready to start dating again. These sporadic conversations about life happened a few times, no big deal. I didn't think anything of it and life went on as normal.

R: I would probably peg that Facebook chat as the first time I noticed that I had feelings for Angie, but I didn't pay much attention to them because I wasn't feeling up for dating at the time.  Four or five months passed and I was asked by a good friend to go skydiving.  I obviously couldn't turn that down so I went.  When I met up with the group at the skydiving place, I saw that Angie was there!  I felt like I always wanted to be around her but I didn't want to creep her out, so I kept a safe distance.  We would chat a little bit--mostly small talk, catching up, or "can you believe we're doing this?!" type conversations. 

A: I was really excited Robbie was there (more excited than I would have expected). I really wanted to talk to him and joke with him, but for some strange reason I was scared. I almost asked him to come take a picture with me by the plane but then got scared and asked my other buddies instead.  All the while, I kept telling myself it was so silly. He was just my friend, right? Of course he was, nothing more crossed my mind. But still.....there was something I felt but pushed away that day. (Sidenote: Turns out "daredevil" is not the word to describe myself. That was the most terrifying moment of my life).

R: That day was awesome, but it was another opportunity I had let slip away.

A: More months passed, and again Robbie and I found ourselves thrown together, this time to help plan the mission reunion in October 2010. I remember for some strange reason talking to EVERYONE else at that planning meeting except for Robbie. Did that tip me off that I might have an interest in him? Oh no no no. I still had no idea. Completely oblivious to my own dysfunctional feelings, I thought nothing of it.  SO it came as a SHOCK at the actual mission reunion a couple weeks later when my mission president, President Ashby, pulled me aside lookng like he really needed to talk to me. I waited expecting to hear something about the temple fund or the letters to the branches. Instead he says quietly, "Sora, (sister in Romanian) I think you should date Elder Irion."  Whoa whoa whoa, what?! First of all, WHAT? And second of all, what even made you think of that? After registering what I thought he said, I didn't know what to do and just laughed it off with an "Oh President, you.......you silly......haha......errrrr......" But although it seemed so strange and out of the blue (and I blew it off as nothing yet again), something in what he said struck me.

R: Unbeknownst to either of us at the time, President Ashby had the SAME conversation with both of us. Right before the reunion was about to start President Ashby pulled me aside and out of the blue we had this conversation:

                      President Ashby: "How in the world is Sora Trujillo not married?"

                      Me: "I dunno, President, she seems like an awesome girl." 

                      President Ashby: "You should date her!"

                      Me: "Alright President Ashby, will do."

That last part I said 99% sarcastically.  By the time that President and I had that conversation I was just warming up to the idea of getting back into the dating scene, but I still didn't have the guts to ask Angie out.  I know.  I am a wuss.  Sometime that night Angie told me that she was in her last semester of classes and that she would be living in Washington DC to do her student teaching, and then she'd be done with school--done with Provo.  That must've turned some wheels deep down in my brain because I would soon muster up the courage to ask Angie out.

It Begins....

R: Another month passed and this is where the action starts happening. My dad told me that I could have his two Utah Jazz tickets because something came up that prevented him from going.  As I was thinking about asking my friend Bean if he would want to go, my dad added this sweet little condition: "You cannot take Bean.  You need to take a girl," to which I replied, "Of course I'll take a girl.  Jeez, who do you think I am?"  How did my dad know?!  Sometimes I wonder if parents can read minds. Before I even opened up my phone to cycle through my phone's contact list to give me inspiration on who would be the lucky girl to accompany me to the game, the name "Angie Trujillo" appeared crystal clear in my mind

A: The call I got from Robbie around mid-November went something like this:

"Hey Ang, I have a few questions for ya."

Assuming it was something mission-related, I replied, "Yeah, shoot."

"Do you like the Jazz?"

"The music or the team?"

"The team."

"Yes..."

"Do you like food?"

"Yes..."

"Do you like midgets?"

"Um...I think so. Every midget I've ever met at least..." (where is this going...?)

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me."

He later explained these things were all part of this grand date we were to go on. Dinner at Settebello's, Jazz game, and a stop at Hatch's Chocolate in Salt Lake. I was a little surprised, but it did sound fun. In my oblivious state I still didn't think it meant anything. I just figured he was trying to date around and needed someone to go with who would just be chill. I could be chill. So I said yes (to be a good friend, of course).

So the big day came and WOW. What a date it was. How is it possible to be on a 6-hour first date and feel like it's over too soon? I mean there was nothing big or hugely romantic about it. But it was just so......easy. So much easier than any first date I'd ever been on. Heck, than any date I'd ever been on period. We just talked and laughed, the whole drive, all through dinner, into the jazz game and home again. At the end of the night, I got home and just laid on my bed thinking and it began to sink in. Oh no, this boy could be trouble.

R: The best part of the date was how natural and easy it was to talk to Angie.  She was so happy, genuine, and fun that the entire night was a blast.

     I still think about the fact that if I had waited longer to ask Angie out, it would've been strike three because Washington DC was coming up and I would've missed my chance to date her.  Thank goodness for mind-reading dads.

A: Over the course of the next week, every emotion I'd been subconsciously suppressing came to the surface full force. It was so easy to develop feelings for Robbie because I think the seeds were already there. We had about a week or so of hanging out in groups and playing the "unsure" game, where we were both still trying to make heads or tails of the other's every move. But by our second date the following Monday, it was clear there was something going on. Robbie was leaving for Mexico on Tuesday morning with his family so we decided to have some fun together on Monday night before he left, with just the TWO of us. For the first time since our original date (definite potential, no?). We decided to pick a recipe, go shopping, and make a real homemade dinner (a big task for a girl who only cooks frozen burritos and pizza rolls). And it was a success! After dinner we settled down on the couch to watch Robbie's favorite animated movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Since it was so clear (right?) that there was a mutual interest, I thought surely he would make some kind of move. Maybe he'd put his arm around me. Or maybe just reach out and take my very available hand. Well, guess which one he did!?

Neither. Nothing. Nada. The boy did not even get within 5 inches of me. Not only that, but the SECOND the movie ended, he jumped right up, grabbed his coat and said, "Welp, I guess I better take you home!" Okay okay....hold on....what? What is happening?

 R: "Very available hand?" No way Jose! She was practically sitting on her hands. We will both die defending our points of view in this scenario, but this is the way it really went down. That being said, I was still really nervous to make any kind of move. I knew I wanted to tell Angie how I felt, but I hadn't given much thought to how to begin showing her physical affection. I also didn't know when or how to tell her, so I shunned her on accident.  

A: I slowly stood and picked up my coat, trying not to be disappointed. We drove to my house and got out of the car. Still holding on to some shred of hope that he was interested in me, I waited for something, anything, to happen as we said goodnight. A lingering hug, a kiss on the cheek, anything! But no, again. He gave me a quick hug and thanked me for the night, and then ran back to his car and drove off. I walked into my dark, empty family room and just stood there, staring at the wall, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Could I have misunderstood? Was I WAY more into this than he was? Is my sensor really that off? I'd been standing there contemplating these thoughts for about two full minutes when my phone started to ring.

It was him.

R: On my way home, I was kicking myself for not saying anything or making any kind of move. I immediately called my little sister, Lindsay, to tell her what a wuss I was and at the end of the conversation, I told her that I was going to turn around and tell Angie how I felt. She let out a girly scream of excitement, which gave me the courage I needed. So I called Angie... 

A: When I answered, he said, "Hey, I know I just dropped you off but.......can we go for a walk?"

I said "Sure."

And he said, "Good, because I just turned my car around and I'm on my way back to your house."

WoooooooooooHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Okay okay, don't get your hopes up. This might not be what you think....But maybe it IS what I think!!  Calm down, he could be coming back for any number of reasons....But maybe it's for one very specific reason!!  I came out of my house right as he was getting out of his car in the driveway. We made eye contact and exchanged this funny smile, like "Hey.....something's about to go down here."  My heart started pounding. And then we started walking. And with the walking came talking. And it was some beautiful talking.

R: I knew I'd be leaving the next morning for Mexico with my family, and I KNEW I'd be regretting it if I didn't say anything. I felt like I would explode trying to to hold it all in. This was it. I was putting my heart out there, not having any idea how Angie would respond. Here it goes. I was friggin pumped!! 

A: On that walk, it was all finally out in the open. He liked me. A lot. He talked in detail of what things had made him start feeling that way and his story up through then. He shared everything, holding nothing back. And it wasn't until after he had gone out on this limb, telling me all this, that he finally said, "I have no idea how you're going to react to this or what you are feeling, but I just had to tell you that." Then he looked at me, and for the first time, waited for me to say something back. I probably should have thought of something more profound to say, but I was in an emotional state, and the best I could do was:  "Robbie, I really like you too."

The funny thing is that he looked up at me with his head tilted to the side and the sweetest smile working it's way onto his face and said, "Really?" Like he was surprised!! How could he not have known? How was it not plastered all over my face every time he saw me since that first date? I already cared about him so much, that I thought surely everyone in the entire universe could see it written across my forehead. But he didn't know. I think he hoped (and probably assumed), but he still took a leap. And I will be forever grateful for that.

R: She likes me. Nailed it. 

The First Kiss

R: For November and December we spent as much time together as we could.  We were making up in advance for the time we would lose when she would go to DC. From that point on, things moved pretty fast. A week after I came home from Mexico, we had a marathon date in which I met her parents, she met mine, we went with a group to a jazz game, and STILL managed to have a greatfirst kiss (even though there were a lot of things going against us that night; it was freezing, we both had colds, and in the back of our minds the time was coming when we wouldn't be able to see each other for 3 months because of DC). So that night after our date, I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to Angie yet, so as we were about to pull into her driveway, I asked her "Do you want to be done today?"  She said that she would love to continue hanging out, so I took her to Memorial Park, which is close to my home.  As we were talking in the park I remember thinking of a plan of how to kiss this girl.  Angie is a shorty and I am a tall guy so I didn't want our first kiss to be with me as a hunchback and Angie with a kinked neck. Therefore, I concocted a plan.

A: Robbie wanted to play around on the playground. I was up in the top of it and he was down on the ground. I started coming down the stairs to him and he came up the stairs to catch me before I made it all the way. With me on a step above him, there was no more drastic height difference and we found ourselves face-to-face (literally) for the first time. He smiled his funny smile, and then hugged me. I swear my arms had a kung fu death grip around his shoulders. I didn't want to let go because I was scared of what was likely to happen next. But he slowly pulled away from me just enough......and kissed me. And it was perfect.

The "L" Word

A: It didn't take us long to realize that the things we were feeling were more serious than we both anticipated. Our "like" grew to something more really fast.

R: I remember knowing early on that I loved her, and one night at her apartment I told her how I felt.  She put it to me gently that she had feelings for me but that she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to tell me that she loved me back.

A: I wanted to say it back so bad, but we're talkin about LOVE. This is a big deal. I've never been in love before! How do I know if this is what love feels like? I wanted to reciprocate it so bad, but he knew without me even having to say it that I wasn't ready. And he wasn't phased at all. He kept reassuring me that he didn't need to hear it yet. He wanted me to take my time, to not ever say it until I really knew it was true. He was so patient. And it paid off.

R: A couple weeks later, we were driving home from a family dinner in Salt Lake City and talking about a lot of big things. When we got to Provo, we somehow ended up back at that park where we had our first kiss.  When we got there she told me that she loved me.  I was so happy to hear those words come out of her mouth.

A: I remember so clearly that moment in the car when I finally realized I loved him. It was like I had always known. Of course I love him. He is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me.

Long Distance.....Bleh

A: So eventually, the time we were both dreading came. In January 2011, I left to Washington DC for four months to do my student teaching. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED my experience there, teaching the 7th grade crazies Ancient World History. And I really did fall in love with DC, the city, the people, the historical significance. But as far as the relationship goes, it was hard!

R: It really was tough.  We would try to talk on the phone every night, but sometimes we couldn't catch each other, so it was definitely a trying experience.  However, those 3 months were awesome because we got to know each other in a different light by communicating on the phone.  Looking back now, I honestly wouldn't trade that time for anything. 

A:Despite the hard, we connected like we never had before through phonecalls and emails. Robbie had made me a CD before I left to listen to while I was gone. One of the songs on it was "I would walk 500 miles." I remember one day, getting home from a long day at school, I opened up my email and found this one-lined gem:

"I would walk 2099 miles." 

Not only was that the sweetest email, but it was true! Just a few weeks later, he really did fly out to DC to come see me! It was the greatest gift I could have imagined.

R: It really was the highlight of that four months. I stayed for 3 or4 days and Angie was definitely a sight for sore eyes.  I was actually feeling very nervous when I was going from the airport to her metro station because 2 months had passed since we had seen each other.  I have to admit, our first subway ride together was a little awkward.  I think it was mostly because we couldn't believe that we could actually see each other again.  We probably said "You're not a phone!" one hundred times. 

A: Having him there, in real life, was so surreal. It had only been a couple months, but it felt like an eternity since we'd last been together. We were both really nervous that we would feel differently or that something might have changed, but after the initial shock of it all, we were right back to normal. I remember walking down the national mall, getting a kick out of speaking Romanian to each other non-stop and just laughing together so hard. It was the best, the perfect reminder of why we were putting ourselves through this rough separation. Because it was worth it!

R: When it was time to go home I had to keep telling myself that the next time I'd see Angie, it would be when she's back in Utah and that helped a lot.

A: Eventually my time in DC came to an end. It was very bittersweet. I loved working with my students there and knew I would miss the city so much, but I couldn't stop thinking about what I was going home to. I couldn't WAIT to see Robbie. And that reunion was one of the best moments thus far. We had made it.

R: Since Angie came home, we have had so many adventures: trips to Lake Powell, seeing Seattle together, surprise date to Les Miserables, camping, family dinners, birthdays, tandem-biking, bonfires, and that's hardly scratching the surface. 

A: Our relationship developed so naturally and so strongly that I knew pretty early on I wanted to marry this boy. That was CRAZY! I was always terrified of how I would ever know when I would find the right guy. I never understood how you could interpret those feelings from the spirit without getting them confused with your own. But it came so easily, there was never really a question. I felt like he was made just for me, and even when I was in DC, I knew that if he'd have me, I wanted to spend every day with Him for the rest of forever. Needless to say, that made dating for another year and a half REALLY long :). But when the time was right, and not a minute too soon, we were both ready and a question was asked...

The Proposal....

R: Before I proposed, I asked Angie's parents for permission to marry their baby girl.  Gerry, Ronda, and I met at Morelia's; a delicious Mexican restaurant in Murray.  I was planning to ask for their permission early on in the conversation so that I wouldn't have it hovering over my head the whole time, but of course, I didn't bring it up until the checks were brought to our table.  Yeah, I'm smooth.  When I told Gerry and Ronda how I felt about their daughter and how I wanted to marry her, Ronda immediately said "You have my vote!"  That put a big smile on my face.   Gerry's turn was next.  I'm sure it was only two or three seconds at the most, but to me it felt like Gerry was considering whether he would give me his blessing or not!  I started seriously reevaluating what I thought his opinion of me was, but he told me that he has been lucky to have four incredible women in his life: his wife and his three daughters.  He said that he was happy to see his first two daughters marry good men and that he views me as a man with equal caliber.  I felt humbled and honored to hear a man that I respect say that to me.  I was overcome with a sense of responsibility to live up to his words.  I hope I can do that.  All that was left was the actual proposal.

A: Since this whole scenario with my parents was done in secret, I was going NUTS wondering when he was going to propose. We'd been talking about it for months, even planned the general date, but I was READY to make it official. I watched him like a hawk. Every time we got to see each other (which was only on the weekends since he was so busy with school and I was living in Salt Lake), I would pay close attention to what we were doing that weekend. Alert to any possible romantic evenings, I was convinced that there was NO possible way he would be able to surprise me. I was too ready for this. Well.......I was wrong.

R: It was March 2012 and I was in the busiest semester of my life. I wanted to propose to Angie before I left with her on her family vacation, but I was extremely busy. So the only time I could do it was the day that we were leaving to Arizona. I coordinated with her parents to fool her. 

A: We were in the car almost to Provo to just pick Robbie up on our way to Arizona when my dad got a call from his "work." They said he had forgotten to turn in his van key, and they were shutting it down for the season. He HAD to come back and return it. He asked if I could kill time with Robbie for an hour and a half while he and my mom ran back to Salt Lake. Heck yeah, I can kill time. I called Robbie to let him know what's going on (naively believing he would be as surprised as I was) and he said, "Oh good! Now we have some time to go see the Islam exhibit we've been wanting to see in the Museum of Art!" Perfect! we had been trying to go see it for weeks but it just never worked out. We got to Robbie's house and as I jumped out  of the car, I saw him come out of his house wearing a buttoned shirt and dress slacks (that should have been Red Flag #1. Robbie never wears Sunday clothes any longer than he has to). I  realized I was still wearing pajamas and casually said, "Oh...should I change if we're going to a museum?" My mom did not miss a beat. She jumped right in with "YES!! You should definitely change. You don't want to be wearing THAT!"

R: Angie changed (thank you Ronda!) and I took her on our "spur of the moment date." We first went to the Museum of Art on BYU campus. I had given some love notes to my brother Russ, who worked at the Museum, and he hid them along an exhibit that Angie and had been excited to see for a long time. 

A:As we walked through the exhibit, little white envelopes started appearing. First one, then two, then THREE. Each one had a sweet little message inside from Robbie. I didn't understand how this had come together so quickly, since we were supposed to be on our way to Arizona. It was totally by chance that we happened to be there right then, right? When I asked Robbie how he did all this so quick, he gave me some story about how he'd given these notes to Russ a long time ago...found out we were coming today....called him and asked him to set it up real quick...blah blah blah. The crazy thing is, I BELIEVED HIM! What was wrong with me?! It didn't even cross my mind that he was lying to me. Wow. That should have been Red Flag #2  

R: I couldn't believe that she bought my fibs that the trip to the exhibit and the notes were all spur of the moment. After the museum, we went home where I had set up my backyard in the Romanian flag colors. I cooked a Romanian meal with the help of one of my missionary companions, Patrick. When we got home, we ate the meal and by this time Angie was starting to catch on to what I was up to. So I told her that we had one more stop to make and we went to Memorial Park where we had our first kiss and where Angie told me that she loved me. We arrived to see Gerry and Ronda unsuccessfully hiding behind a tree--it was funny seeing their exposed legs under the tree's branches. They had set up a picnic table with flowers, pictures of us, and next to that a piano keyboard. As we were getting out of the car I reached under my seat to get the engagement ring, and up until that point it hadn't hit me that I was really proposing to Angie Trujillo! I had the ring in my hand! I instantly got nervous and started sweating bullets. I sat down at the keyboard, played and sang her a song ("Oh It Is Love" by Hellogoodbye), got down on one knee, told her that I loved her very much and I asked her if she would marry me. You can guess what her response was! The rest of the day was full of calling family and friends about our news. I'll chalk that day up as a success, thank you very much.

The rest is history! The engagement has somehow simultaneously crept and flown by and I can say that I am the luckiest man in the world to marry a woman as incredible as Angie Trujillo.

 So here we are! Just weeks from the big day. For those who have taken the time to read this novel, we want to thank you for your influence in our lives. Each of you has impacted and molded us in ways that we could never repay. Thank you for your support, friendship, and love. Peace and blessings.