My Greatest Blessing

                                                             Happiness




                                                       hot peach fuzz volleyball player, heck yes

It's real.
Dang, we make one GOOD looking couple!

Just because I know you love it haha

        It had been a month of being in love, and I deeply hoped you'd take me to my first high school dance. You had just been to homecoming with Lexi Davis, so I was hoping you'd now choose me to take. Obviously, you would since you were in love with me.
        This was my favorite time of you. It got dark early and light late. It was getting chilly, sweater weather, and snuggle mood. There was yummy Thanksgiving food and Christmas music in the stores. It was basketball season. And my favorite, it was the season of falling in love with you.
        Our friends, Jezzy Diaz and Troy Mitchell, were talking to each other as well. As I walked to my first class on a chilly morning, Jezzy handed me a piece of light brown paper written boldly with black sharpie. I knew it was you. However, I wasn't allowed to open it until after school. After school, I opened it and it was clue #1. I was supposed to head over to Coffee Bean for clue #2 later that evening. It was dark when I went. It was awkward when I got there because the cafe was empty, and the guy barista was behind the counter. I awkwardly went up there and said something like "uhh I'm on a scavenger hunt and I think I'm supposed to come here." He then handed me a drink with my 2nd clue. I'm pretty sure this one told me to go to the place of our first date. So I jumped in the impala smiling and drove to the mall. Finding that clue in Starbucks was EXTREMELY hard, because 1. so many people felt like hot chocolate on a cold night and 2. it was DECKED out with Christmas decorations. The barista there also had to help me out. I'm not sure if there were any other clues or places, but I still have the papers to go back and check.  The hunt lead me to the huge Christmas tree in the middle of the outdoor mall in front of Harkins. That clue said something like "go to the biggest star in town." I had to text Jezzy for help on this one, because I didn't think about the big tree. I walked over there and found a clue in the tree. I didn't stand there to open it; I just jumped up in the platform, grabbed the envelope, and jumped off. Apparently Donovan was behind the tree expecting me to read it up there, so when he came out and I was gone, he had to call me back over. Before I even read the next clue, I turned around and saw him standing at the cheery, bright-lighted Christmas tree with a pink sign saying, "Light up my world, FORMAL?" Awwwwwwwwww, SO CUTE! Yeah I was pretty cheesy and smiling. Jezzy and Alana Blanchard, fresh out of soccer practice, were hiding behind bushes recording the whole thing. Adorable. They squealed with happiness at the cuteness when he popped out in front of me. Afterwards we headed back to Starbucks to get drinks. We had another awkward moment at Starbucks, because he wouldn't let me pay for myself so he had to call his mom (who was at Sports Authority buying Maya black sweats) to ask her to bring over her card. She brought it over, I met her for the first time, and he bought me a drink. It was a short awkward but cute conversation to end an adorable night. Afterwards, I went to Joe Henry Optimist Center to go to Parley's basketball game and I showed my parents the picture and told them all about it. Surprisingly, my mom thought it was super cute.

I'm sitting in a university's library. I just counted 39 people in this room. I have met approximately fifty people this semester so far. I walk by, who knows, hundreds of people on the daily. Out of all these people, all these interactions, all those conversations, not one person replaces you.

Not one person comes close to you.

I still see you as the best. I still love you the most. Heck, you're the only one I'm in love with. The only one on my mind.

Out of all these people, I picked you. I choose you.

Nobody compares to the literal "one and only."

The odds are no longer one out of our high school class of 86 people. No longer the one out of 2,000 teenage guys in Yuma, AZ. You're officially one out of 20,000.

I'm sure you're 1 out of 100 billion too.

      Something special happened 24 months ago. Despite only having talked to you for about a month, I was in love with you. I called myself crazy, but I had fallen in love. Despite all manner of sense, I gained up the guts to tell you. I could have waited, actually I don't think I could've. But mainly, I did not want to risk the world ending the next day or some unfortunate event that would have made me regret not professing my heart's confession. I was in love with you.
      November 15, 2013, a Friday after school, I met you in the school dirt parking lot..same place we had our first kiss. You had early release that day, and were hanging out in the locker room with your teammates before your big play off game. You came outside and we talked a little. At some point when you were about to go back inside, I told you something like "I may not know exactly how I feel about you, but I think I'm falling in love with you." You also had been feeling the same way, but didn't know how to tell me. I'm not sure who said that exact words first, but soon we were saying "I love you" and smiling and kissing.
      From then on I've loved you. There's been bumping roads and hard times, we may not have even been together continuously the last 2 years, but thing is.. I'm still in love with you Donovan. I have been for 24 months.

        310 is the magic number. It seems like a sad and far number compared to our previous 10.8. But I guess that's what we get for complaining about 10.8. So now, I won't complain about 310, because it is far better than 3,100.
        That doesn't change the fact that 310 is hard. Being away from you is really hard. I constantly miss you. I crave your presence, I dream of your touch. I miss snuggling and our movie nights. However, I have learned to appreciate and love our skype movie nights. I treasure facetiming and phone calls. And I am so thankful to feel emotionally close even though physically we are quite far.
        The distance has done us well though, and God has a plan. We've both matured and improved ourselves for each other. For me personally, I feel like I have grown a stronger appreciation for you and my love for you has become stronger. I needed to expand my perspective from zooming in on you for so many years to widening it and observing the rest of world. By doing this, I have noticed how our of this wide, big picture of the world and all those in it, you still stand out...almost as if I was still zoomed in on you. You're all I think about and my biggest desire.
        I'm grateful God has a plan, and I'm grateful He is doing his plan despite what we've been saying, worrying, and complaining about. All will be well. I hope one day the distance between us at night will be just a few inches.
        I'll see you soon baby.

It's 11/11, and on this day my greatest wish is you.

First time I laid eyes on him: I didn't realize I was looking upon gold. It was the high school basketball tournament my freshman year at Cibola. Yuma Catholic was playing against some team in the raider gym. Zoe and I went over to the YC side to see our friends Amanda Quintana and Julia White. Amanda, my friend from church who I didn't get to see very often since we weren't in the same ward, pointed out her black boyfriend playing in the game. My first thought was, "ew you're dating a black guy?!" but of course I didn't voice that.
July 28, 2013: He followed me on twitter. I still remember freaking out, texting my friend Kimberly how a YC football player followed me on twitter. I went out on a whim and anonymously messaged him on ask.fm saying, "Thanks for following me cutie :)" and he replied, "No problem you should DM me if you're down!" I played hard to get for about 2 days, then finally gave in. He then asked for my number and I made him wait to get that too. Within a few days, we were texting and he was jealous (as I found out later) of the guy I had a fling with at school, Josh. Sometime end of July, early October, I ran into him in person for the first time since the tournament. I was on my way to the gym but I dropped Parley off at YC for Team Heat basketball practice. As I was walking into the gym hallway entrance, Donovan was walking out limping. He had sprained his ankle in football practice, and he recalls being in crutches. To avoid an awkward moment, I wasn't gonna say anything, but he said hi to me first. It was a quick exchange and a "hey I don't know you but I do!" moment.
October 12, 2013: We went on a "date" technically. My parents were in San Diego for their anniversary trip, I had just dropped Parley off at Yuma High for a basketball game, and I was meeting up with Donovan at the Starbucks in the mall by Big Swirl. He did pay for me, which I guess makes it a date. He also used his mom's cute pink debit card. And had to drive his mom's minivan which he was so embarrassed of. Haha. I got a cotton candy frappucino. I don't remember, but I assume he got his usual of white chocolate mocha with 3 shots of peppermint. Oh yeah, I'm good. Anywho, we finished out drinks in about 15 minutes but we sat there for about 2 hours. The barista, an old man, was sweeping and remarked that we must really like each other if we're still here and haven't ordered a second drink yet. We laughed and smile, and Donovan was like yup! That made me happy inside, first time I had heard him say something like that...That night we had a deep conversation about relationships. I was scared of getting attached and hurt; and he made it clear that he wanted to earn my trust and that he would be patient so he could treat me how I deserved. I knew then he was special and not like other guys - for real.
October 16, 2013: I was taking Parley to YC for another basketball practice. I remember I was driving my old GMC suburban and that now I was the one driving the embarrassing car. Donovan had just gotten out of basketball practice when I got there, and I saw him in the dirt parking lot with his best friend, Troy Mitchell. I met Troy and talked for a little bit. I also followed Troy on twitter and had talked to him a bit over twitter. After Troy left I talked to Donovan, which turned into an affectionate hug, which climaxed to our first kiss. I was supposed to go to my city tennis practice after dropping Parley off, but I never made it that night. Donovan and I decided to go to McDonald's in Walmart for ice cream. However when we got there, I realized I forgot my wallet and he didn't have his. We said bye, and he kissed me again, and we both went home. I called Kim right away and told her the great news.

This incredible guy was born January 27, 1997. Since then he has grown into such an amazing person who is the exact person I took home to mama...and mama LOVED him. He has a driven work ethic and is motivated to succeed. He has a big heart and full of alotta love. His parents are so proud of him, and he's an awesome older brother to his three younger siblings. Talent fills this boy in every ounce of his body. He is so likable and friendly, hilarious, musical, smart, and he shines on the football field. The most special part about him is his burning testimony of his Savior and his unbreakable devotion to God. He sets the perfect example of a sinner living the life of a Saint, made possible through his Redeemer's mercy. He recognizes this, his purpose, and his blessings, and as a result, he blesses others. I have felt this effect directly; Donovan Rooks is my greatest blessing.