The Whole Story Version 2

Logan has wanted me to write down my side of our story for a long time now. So here it goes. . . . .

I first met Logan Bradley the summer after eighth grade. He was at the Hamer 4^th of July celebration with his cousin and one of my VERY good friends, Deverie Bradley. I didn’t really notice much about him except that he had the most gorgeous eyes I had ever seen! I mentioned that to Deverie and she promptly replied that they were fake. Well, I was quite upset. Here’s a guy with the prettiest eyes I had ever seen and they were colored contacts! I decided right there and then that I didn’t like him. That’s all I remember about our first meeting. :)

The next time Logan and I crossed paths was at a play that I was in my senior year of high school. He had come with Deverie to watch and they came and talked to me after it was over. The first thing I said to him was, “Hi, fake eyes”. I hadn’t forgotten about his deception. Apparently, he was mesmerized by me :) and soon after he asked me out on our first date. . . . which was kind of a disaster. Our first date took place in December of our senior year. The only thing I can say is that Logan was so shy in front of me. He said maybe a total of ten words the whole night. I mean, I’m a shy person myself but I thought this was ridiculous. There was no way I was ever going to get to know him if he wouldn’t talk to me. The only time during our date when I saw that he actually had a personality was when we had a skittle fight. He came out of his shell a little bit. Probably only because Deverie was there.

When he was taking me home, the cherry on top of the awful ice cream sundae that was our date occurred. :) We were about a mile or so away from my house when Logan ran off the road. He was pretty upset, and Deverie and I laughing at him probably didn’t make things any better. He was leaving quite an impression on me. I called the only logical person to come pull us out…. my dad. The first time my dad met his future son-in-law was when he was pulling Logan’s car out of snow. He made quite an impression on my dad as well. He became known to my dad as the guy who ran off the road of the “road runner off-er”. I’m just going to say right now that I wasn’t really looking to go on another date with Logan, but I figured I should give him a second chance.

Our second date wasn’t much better. We watched a movie with Deverie and a friend of hers and Logan still really wouldn’t talk to me. Quite honestly, I thought he was kind of boring. After our dates, Deverie was furious with Logan because she knew that he wasn’t being himself. She tried explaining this to me, but I told her that I just didn’t think he was my type. Deverie tried a few times to get us together after that, but they didn’t end well. He just wouldn’t talk to me! We definitely had a few awkward conversations. :)

The November after we graduated Logan left on his mission, and I didn’t think much of us dating again. Deverie tried to get him to write to me, and he finally got the guts to do so the March after he left. He apologized for being so stupid and asked me for another chance to get to know each other. I thought “what the heck, he’s Deverie’s cousin he has to have some redeemable qualities”. We wrote back and forth while he was on his mission and I finally realized that Logan Bradley actually had a pretty fun personality. I was quite surprised.

The December after Logan got back from his mission, he and Deverie came and hung out at my apartment. I was pleasantly surprised. He talked to me and it seemed like he was a fun guy. He even went out with Deverie and I and made snow angels. It was freezing! We didn’t have on snow pants or anything like that. I thought that I could actually see myself going on a date with this guy, but after that night he never called. Which was probably a good thing because I needed to deal with some other returned missionaries before I could get to him. :)

I just kind of forgot about Logan and went on with my life because I never heard from him. I didn’t see him again until about four months later in April. He came with Deverie to watch my volleyball game. They came over to our apartment afterwards and hung out for awhile. I wasn’t looking my best because I had a horrible cold with the whole snot dripping down the nose. I was kind of expecting a call from him after that, but guess what? It didn’t come. Finally, a month later in May he finally gave me a call and asked me out on a date.

We had our first date after Logan’s mission in May. We went 4-wheeling and had a barbecue. I was surprised when I actually had a lot of fun. Dates are much more enjoyable when the person actually talks to you. J After we ate, we watched a movie. Logan and I sat on the couch and I surprised myself by thinking that I wanted to hold his hand. If you knew me, this would surprise you to. Before Logan, I went on dates, but guys usually only lasted for one date and I never held their hands. That’s when I started thinking that maybe this guy was different. I had a great time and was hoping for another date, but Logan didn’t call me. I was kind of upset because I thought he didn’t like me.

For my birthday that May, Deverie and I were going to go to a movie. I told her that she could bring someone if she wanted. I was trying to be casual, but she saw right through me. She brought Logan to the movie. We sat by each other and I kept thinking about holding his hand again. I tried to send him signals that I was interested, but I apparently didn’t do a good job because he was clueless. I didn’t think he was interested in me, he didn’t think I was interested in him. It was a big mess. Thankfully, Deverie sorted it all out. I will always be thankful to her for that. Soon after my birthday he asked me out on another date.

We went miniature golfing on our next date. He got to see my amazing golfing skills and I got to see his cute smile. After golfing, we went back to his house and he made me crepes and we watched a movie. I laid my hand out all obvious like and finally after like forty minutes he finally grabbed my hand. I was pretty excited. :)

Things after that night are kind of a blur to me. Except when it comes to a certain night in July. We went to the sixth Harry Potter midnight premiere and Logan dropped me off at my apartment. I stood there thinking, “When is he going to kiss me?” I didn’t hear his truck start and all of a sudden I heard a knock at my door. Logan was standing there and the first thing he said was, “Can I kiss you?” I was kind of excited, but mostly I started freaking out. I’ll admit that I hadn’t kissed a guy before Logan. Don’t get me wrong, I had plenty of opportunities but I just never found a guy that I wanted to kiss. We sat down on the couch and Logan held me for an hour before I gathered up enough courage to go through with it. We kissed, and it was definitely as awkward as I thought it would be. The kissing got better though, I promise. ;)

One night in September, Logan and I were sitting on the couch watching a movie when he got all nervous. I knew he wanted to tell me something, but it took me awhile to get it out of him. He finally told me that he thought he was falling in love with me. I didn’t know what to say and we just kind of sat there. This is when I realized that I had to start thinking seriously about Logan Bradley. A couple weeks later Logan sent me a text message that said I love you in French. That night it finally dawned on me that I loved him back. :) A few nights after the text message, Logan and I were star gazing and I was trying to build up the courage to tell him that I loved him. I was so nervous that I was sick to my stomach! He knew there was something wrong with me, but he was very patient. Finally, I asked him to repeat what he had said in his text message and I was able to say it back. That was a good night.

Time passed, and I eventually realized that I didn’t want to live without Logan. That December after Christmas, we decided to get married. I was kind of freaking out, but after a blessing from my dad I knew that it was the right decision. On May 14, 2010 I married my best friend. I know that is kind of cliché, but it’s true. Logan has brought me more happiness than I ever thought possible. He is the most wonderful man that I have ever known, and I am so glad that I married him. It’s the best decision I have ever made or will ever make.

P.S. Thanks Deverie

The Whole Story! Version 1

One of my companions and his fiancee made a blog about how they came to be and I thought it was really interesting to see if from both sides. So in order to make sure I remember as many details as I can, I've decided to write my side of how I came to be married to the most incredible woman to ever walk the Earth.

Since I don't remember the first time we actually met (the moment she fell in love with me :), I will start with the first time I remember laying eyes upon that wondrous beauty. My best-good-friend Dev had just switched schools in the middle of her senior year and decided to go see a play back at her old school and visit some friends. She asked if I wanted to come along and I accepted. We sat down on left side of the auditorium and started watching the play. Then, as if descending from on high, an angel took the stage! I couldn't take my eyes off her! So I leaned over to Deverie and asked who she was. She got ALL SORTS of excited and said, "That's Melissa! You've met her before!" She proceeded to tell me a story about me meeting a few summers ago and she was taken by my gorgeous eyes but Deverie messed it all up when she told her they are fake. Apparently Melissa said she didn't like me anymore.

I couldn't take my eyes off her for the rest of the play and afterwards I went up to talk to her. Up until this point, I had NEVER felt nervous around a girl. I strode up all confident and when I got there, Dev introduced us and Melissa started whispering in her ear for a minute. Then she turned to me and said, "Hi Fake-eyes!" Needless to say I was taken off guard and couldn't really get back on track.

I couldn't stop thinking about her for the next couple of days and eventually told Deverie I wanted to ask her out. She was pretty stoked. The thought of two of her best friends together must have been intriguing. I wasn't sure how to go about it since I really didn't know her at all, so Dev suggested I do something creative to ask her out....That is not my thing! I'm more into using my dashing good looks and impeccable smile to get dates. I don't do creative! Needless to say, I was in way over my head so like the Best-Good-Friend that she is, Deverie took care of it. I don't know much about how she asked, all I know is that she said yes if Deverie would come along.

I wanted the date to go really well so I asked as much as I could about her from Deverie. We planned the date together and I was totally putting my trust in her. I picked her up and the drive back to Idaho Falls was pretty quiet. I didn't understand because I'm a very charming and outgoing guy who NEVER gets shy! Something about her had me nervous though. We had Chinese for dinner and she wasn't too impressed. Strike 1. We went to a movie that turned out to be a complete bust and we walked out. Strike 2. Being who I am, I wasn't sure what to do next so we just drove around a bit before I had to take her home. All the while I can't come up with anything to say. Strike 3! I'm out! And I DON'T strike out!

I mulled it over for awhile and couldn't figure out what went wrong. After a few weeks I shrugged it off as a fluke and decided to ask her out again. My parents didn't like the idea of me driving out to Hamer so I told them I wasn't and went anyway. (This girl was worth the trouble) This time would be a little more low key. Just a movie and games at Deverie's. Once again I found myself struggling to know what to say and do. What is this girl doing to me? On the drive back to Hamer I was basically mute and felt ashamed of myself. As I'm driving and wallowing in my self loathing, I somehow ran off the road....Another first in my life! This couldn't possibly get any worse. Her dad had to come pull me out. Not the impression I wanted to leave on my future father-in-law.

After that catastrophic date, I decided to keep what little dignity I had left and not ask her out again. But I couldn't get her out of my mind. Even when I was dating other girls, she was the one I thought about most. I found myself using my 11:11 and shooting star wishes for another chance with Melissa. I went back to my normal routine of taking out lots of girls and dropping them when I got bored. All the while I was trying to explain why I couldn't be myself around the one girl I wanted to the most.

Time went by and I ended up going on my mission. Deverie tried to persuade me for months through her letters to write Melissa and give it one more shot. Eventually, I worked up the courage to write her. I apologized for wasting her time and asked her to give me another chance to be her friend. A few weeks later I got a letter back! We wrote back and forth for the rest of my mission and I was able to show her a little bit of my personality.

About a month after I got back, Deverie invited me to go watch the Grinch at Melissa's apartment. I knew what she was doing but I was still fresh off the mish and didn't truly believe I had a chance. Regardless, I went. Astonishingly, I found it A LOT easier to talk to her and we had a good time. However, I hadn't been on a date since I got home and didn't want her to be the first one... I needed to warm up a bit first.

I started back to school and started dating again. It was all for fun knowing that those girls were never going to lead anywhere. Every date helped me get more and more acclimated to real life. Secretly I hoped all along that the more at ease I felt with other girls, the better chance I had with Melissa.

I "broke up" with someone toward the end of April and Deverie thought it was the perfect opportunity to nudge me in Melissa's direction. I hesitated at first because over the years I had convinced myself that I had already screwed up my chances so bad that it wasn't worth the effort. Luckily for me, Deverie was relentless. She took to me to watch Melissa play volleyball and said we weren't leaving until I asked her out. Well, the opportunity to ask her didn't really come up in between the 2 minute breaks she had in between games and I figured it would be a bit awkward seeing as how I hadn't talked to her in months. So I chickened out that night but the idea wouldn't leave my mind. Later that week I called her up and asked her out.

I took her on my regular first date. We did the works, 4-wheeling, BBQ and a movie. (Works EVERY time!) I couldn't believe how much easier it was to be around her. The date went great and I began to wonder if there really was a chance for me. Unfortunately I had already ingrained it in my mind that my chance had come and gone a long time ago so I didn't act immediately. Plus I was still seeing someone else off and on and already had a date planned for that next week. I figured I could end that first and try things with Melissa after that.

Apparently that idea didn't go over so well with Melissa. She enjoyed that date and was expecting me to call her again real soon. I was taking too long. So she arranged for her, Dev and I to go to a movie for her birthday. The whole night I was under the impression that it was Deverie's idea. It took some major convincing to get me to believe that Melissa had instigated the whole thing. The night went well but Melissa had shown NO signs of interest. She didn't bite on any of my tests so I was more confused than ever. Afterward, Deverie had to flat out tell me that Melissa was interested because I just couldn't believe it.

From then on, I got the hint and took the initiative myself to ask her out. We started seeing each other several times a week which quickly turned into everyday. After a few months I started to wonder how to know if you love someone. One night, my buddy asked us to go on a double date with him and this chick. We went out to Rigby Lake at night and walked around a bit. There underneath the stars, I looked into her eyes and I knew that I loved her. I knew then that she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It took another few weeks to work up the courage to tell her that. Once she knew and I knew that we loved each other, we left it at that because we both knew that we weren't ready to get married just yet.

Months went by and our relationship got deeper. Melissa was everything I had ever wanted and more. She was so far out of my league it was astonishing! (Especially since it's hard to find girls out of MY league :) After we had been dating 6 months we started talking and decided it was time to figure out if this really was right and if we should take it to the next level. We were going to pray and prepare for a week and then fast to receive an answer. My answer came mid-week and I couldn't wait the rest of the week to tell her. We talked about my answer and she felt the same way so we decided to go for it. We would tell her parents the next day.

That day, she was too overwhelmed and had such horrible feelings that we decided to hold off a bit. I half expected that to happen so I wasn't to surprised when she told me that. Shortly afterward she went to talk to her parents and got a blessing from her dad and instantly felt better. She text me that night saying we needed to talk and asked if I could come out to Hamer. I was worried out of my mind! If her answer was wrong, this was the end of us forever. I didn't think I could handle that! Luckily when I got there, she said she would love to marry me and had no doubts whatsoever!

That meant I had to ask her dad for permission...Talk about intimidating! I'm so glad he didn't try to make me feel uncomfortable at all and he already knew what I was going to ask him. He gave me his permission and best wishes. It was official!

I hadn't gotten the ring yet and its a good thing I didn't because she hated my taste. So we went ring shopping and she picked one out. I picked it up the next day and started making plans as to how I would pop the question. I bought candles and rose pedals and lined the stairs up to her apartment with them. I had our song playing in the background as she followed the pedals through the door and they led her to me. I said my little sch-peal, got down on one knee and asked her if she would marry me. You know what she said? "I guess. " That is so like her! We kissed and hugged and went to watch the Longhorns game. (Of course!)

The rest is history. As you can see, this story doesn't exemplify my most redeeming qualities. In fact most of the things in this story are completely opposite of how I usually am. I had a lot of firsts with this woman. She is the only girl to ever make me shy, nervous, humbled, confused intimidated or baffled. She is also the only girl that I couldn't get out of my mind, would bend over backwards to please, has wrapped me around her finger, and that I have loved more than myself and with all my heart. I don't know why she picked me (or gave me a million chances to redeem myself) but I will forever be grateful. I know she deserves more than I can give her and I hope that throughout our lives together, I can begin to become the man that she truly deserves. Je t'aime infiniment Melissa Anne Bradley. J'espere que tu le sais et qu'un jour je peux te rendre aussi heureux que moi!

The Love of My Life!!!!!

Well, as most of you know, a lot has happened since I lasted posted something. On May 14th, my life is going to change forever! I have found the love of my life! I am starting my new life with Melissa Anne Lundholm. She makes me happier than I ever thought I could be. I know that is cliche but it is so true. A few months ago, I was wondering what it would be like to love someone so much that I couldn't imagine living without them....especially since I have already lived over 21 years without them, but now I know....I LOVE HER SOO MUCH!!!

For those of you that don't know much about her, Melissa is from Hamer, Id. She graduated in 2006 and was the valedictorian of West Jefferson High School. (Smartest person I know!) She is now attending Idaho State University. She has a year left in the Radiology program and then she will be done....YAY!!! We met through my cousin/best good friend Deverie a little over 4 years ago (I OWE YOU BIG TIME!) who is also a really good friend of Melissa's. I won't go into all the details of how we started dating (the story doesn't exactly portray my most impressive attributes - but hey, it all worked out!)

Things have been pretty hectic since we got engaged. I am back in school again and this time it's for my Exercise Physiology major which is a hundred times harder than what I was studying, but I am enjoying it a lot. Melissa has had a lot on her plate between school and the wedding plans as well. I try to take care of as much stuff as I can for her to help take the stress off, but there is only so much that the groom can do ;) Although I have to say that my future sister-in-law Jessica has been a HUGE help! She has taken on the role of our wedding planner - at no cost!

Some days it seems like May is so far away and other days I can't believe how close it is. The whole thing is pretty scary but in an exciting way. I'm excited to begin my life with my eternal companion. She IS my life now and nothing could make me happier. She is the greatest thing to ever come into my life and I know we will be so happy together.

Melissa, you are so amazing! I am so glad that you chose me ;) I thank Heavenly Father everyday that we are together. I love you more than I could ever possibly express!

I Am The Logan Bradley

i am: The Logan LaVar Bradley
i think: I'm the luckiest man alive :)
i know: I can do anything I set my mind to
i want: pie and ice cream from Sharis'
i have: EVERYTHING I could possibly wish for
i wish: on shooting stars and at 11:11
i hate: getting my shoes dirty
i miss: "you more, whenever I think about you!" - FM Static
i fear: losing...at ANYTHING!
i feel: AMAZING! (because I am!)
i hear: the songs in my head (it never stops :D)
i smell: pretty dang good :)
i crave: M&M's (just like always)
i search: and then I find!
i wonder: where the time goes
i regret: very little
i love: my family, friends and my life!
i care: too much about sports (is that possible?)
i always: Smile...Smiling's my FAVORITE!
i am not: COCKY!
i believe: in miracles...I mean look at me...I AM LIVING PROOF!!!
i dance: only to make people smile :D
i sing: CONSTANTLY without even noticing
i don’t always: follow the crowd...I'm my own person!
i argue: mostly out of fun... if I'm mad I try to hold it in
i write: only if I have to
i win: ALWAYS! I don't let myself lose
i never: get embarrassed
i listen: better than most guys
i can usually be found: looking at myself in a mirror
i am scared: of absolutely nothing
i need: water when I eat...if I'm out, I will let my food sit there until I get more
i am happy about: the way my life is heading


OK...I don't normally do this type of thing but I was SUPER bored at work and saw this on my cousins blog so I decided it would help the time go by faster. Some of these were pretty hard but I think I was pretty creative :)

Wishes

Deverie tagged me with this so here I go :)

Don't post the big wishes, just ones that others might already know about you. For instance I wish:
***I wish all my schooling was over and I could start doing what I really love!
***I wish I could control time to speed it up when it sucks and slow it down when life is good :)
***I wish lifes biggest questions answered themselves
***I wish I could write my own music
***I wish I could go on a vacation to a warm sandy beach

I'm not going to tag anyone because I'm pretty sure I can count the number of people that read this blog on 1 hand and I'm pretty sure half of them have already done this :)

Another Example of My Incredible Talent!!!

It has been a little while since I've recorded myself and I know everyone is just DYING to hear more of me :D

I have learned a lot of new songs and made a lot more progress. The only problem with that is I can't keep up with all of them. It takes some time to remember all the cord patterns when I haven't played a song for awhile. It comes back pretty quickly though. With the way my schedule is and everything, I haven't had as much time to practice as I would like but I still try to make time for it.

Life has been pretty crazy lately but in a great way. Work is going well. I have become basically essential there and I know they wouldn't be able to function without me. Needless to say, I use this to my advantage. They are giving me another raise at the end of the month and I had them change my schedule to something that fits my lifestyle. Their desperate need of me and my talents and the way they cater to my needs is one of the main reasons that I stay. I'm not a huge fan of talking on the phone and I HATE video games so this job doesn't really suit me outside of the fact that I get to keep my language skills. I enjoy being able to translate for people and continue to serve the people that I once preached to.

It has been so nice not having to go to school. There is a lot less stress when the homework is piling up inside my backpack. Although the time is slipping away from me again and I'm sure that before I know it, I'll be juggling class, work and a very busy social life once more. For the most part I try not to think too much about how short of time I have left.

Anyway, I just thought I'd give a little update and post my progress again. I know you all love to hear me and it really does help to hear myself every once in awhile. Let me know what you think!

Cocky vs. Confident

Alright....I feel like I owe everyone an explanation. Recently, I've been ACCUSED (more often than ever before) that I am "cocky", "self-centered", "stuck on myself", "stuck up", and/or "prideful". These accusations have been coming in all forms. I put a question about it on my facebook quiz about what people think the first time they meet me and NOT ONE PERSON guessed something other than cocky/stuck up. I just looked on my cousins blog and noticed that next to the link to my blog there is a "HUMILITY WARNING". What's with that???? My sister had a project for her Family History class and she decided to make a book about the cousins on my moms side. Each cousin had their own page and a few little "facts" about themselves and my sister had the audacity to write on my page..."Loves Sports and the Outdoors...Loves Music... and Loves HIMSELF" Then at my Gramma's 80th Birthday Party my sister handed out these books and EVERYONE seemed to agree with what was written. Those are just a FEW examples of the MANY that I've heard lately.

Now, I'm sure that none of this is news to any of you who know me but I need to make sure that I am understood. I AM NOT COCKY!!! (or any of the other things on that list) There is a difference between being COCKY and CONFIDENT. I am CONFIDENT. My competitive nature might make it seem like I believe I am better than everyone but that is more for amusement than anything. I think it is fun to trash talk but only around those that will throw it right back.

Is it my fault that I've been blessed with AMAZING good looks and a PERFECT physique? I don't believe it is :D I've been lucky enough in my life to have that certain CHARM that most people covet. Now people either out of jealousy or complete awe have decided that these gifts that I possess are better used as reasons to make fun of or dislike me. I just want the record to show that I do my best (which is pretty AWESOME) to use these blessings for the benefit of everyone. :D

Cocky people believe they are better than everyone else. NEVER in my life have I thought I was better than anyone else. Therefore, I CANNOT be labeled as "Cocky". Confidence is my FAVORITE word in the English language. In my opinion, Confidence coincides with Faith in so many aspects. I label myself as "Confident" because I know that as long as I do my absolute BEST, nothing in this world can stop me. One of my favorite quotes is from Elder Joseph B. Worthlin - "If one advances CONFIDENTLY in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet them with a success unexpected in common hours" - I use this quote as inspiration and drive in all aspects of my life.

My personality is such that I like to be very vocal about my accomplishments. This aspect has been misconstrued as bragging and boastful pride. I assure you that it's not to boast of myself but more to INSPIRE my peers :) To show that all things are possible!

I write this in hopes that all who have misunderstood my Confidence for Cockyness will understand this from my point of view and recognize that there is a difference and I am most certainly not Cocky. I'm sure this will post will clear up all the misunderstandings.



(ps - I hope no one takes this too seriously. Once again...this is mostly for entertainment)