Our Love Story...

It all started back in November 2003.  I was on my Mission, serving in Idaho Falls...and my companion was sweet Sister Song.

I remember clearly when Sister Jerelyn Roth was called to be a ward missionary in Eastview First Ward.  I remember her telling us how scared she was to serve in this calling....but how thankful I am that she did!!!

One night in November, she had taken both Sister Song and I out to do some team teaching(but this time the 3 of us stayed together).  Half way through the night I started to feel pretty miserable, so she took us back to her house to get some cough medicine.  Little did I know this was the night that would change the rest of my life.

I remember it clearly.  Brother Roth(Fred), Richard, and Matt were at the Roth home.  They had just been eating supper...spaghetti(yes I actually remember this!).

This was the first time we met some of Brother and Sister Roth's sons.  Richard was not active.  We were encouraged quietly to try and teach Richard.  Sister Song(bless her heart)committed Richard right then and there for a lesson.  So. what did we do?  We taught him our first lesson.  He was rough.  He'd been through a lot.  But man was the spirit inside of him strong.

This is the first night that we taught/met Richard.  Sister Song insisted on taking a picture because she loved how they almost all had facial hair.  David came home later in the night as we were teaching Richard.

The lessons soon continued to spiral...and we would have more and more lessons each week.  

Richard was at a point in his life where he knew he wanted a change, more more importantly needed a change.  He just didn't know how to take the first step.   So, Sister Song and I continued to teach Richard different Gospel Principles.  I tell you, we had some pretty spiritual experiences with the Roths.  

I remember the first Sunday Richard came back to church.  It was a Fast Sunday(where people have been fasting and bear their testimonies willingly and wantingly).  There were so many ward members that started to bear their testimonies on how amazing it was to see Richard back at church.  They testified of how proud they were of him.  Then his father went up, shortly afterwards followed by Jerelyn, then Sister Song and I went up and it was SO AMAZING!  I have yet to be in a sacrament meeting that POWERFUL!

Richard had some struggles a long the way.  He smoked.  He wanted to quit but let's face it something like that is not easy.  But he did it.  We would send him little notes of encouragement, and made chocolate chip cookies for them often(of course years later we found out that these cookies were disgusting...haha no jokes).  

Sister Cole with the Roth family.  

Then it happened.  One Sunday we invited the Roths to attend a baptism for one of the boys we were teaching.  I stood up at the front of the room while people were coming in.  

I was in  BIG TROUBLE.  My heart skipped a beat!  I saw him.  Holy cow.  He was cleaned up.  He was wearing nice clothes.  He had his contacts on.  Oh my word!  You have to understand that he normally wore hoodies, with jeans that had stains because he worked in a mechanic shop.  

I have always loved this picture of Richard.  It was taken after we were married, but he looks so mmm(lol) in this picture.  Kind of how I felt the first time I saw him all dressed up.  He literally took my breathe away.

As time went on, the progress Richard made was awesome.  We were so proud of him.  

There was this other family that Sister Song and I were close with.  They needed some help painting the inside of their house so we offered to do some service.  We asked Richard if he would help, so he did.  I remember vividly that day.  Sister Song and I were talking to Richard(of course with the other family in the same room)about his life goals.  He said that he never really wanted to get married and if he did it wouldn't be for years and years.     It's actually funny because Richard has told me that this is the day he knew he loved me, and wanted to be with me, and marry me.  Ironic right? 

Well...a jump skip and hop and here we are to Christmas day 2003.  We went over to the Roths as they allowed Sister Song to call her family at their home.  

I went outside with Richards younger Sister Jenny onto the back deck.  It had started to snow, the most beautiful snow flakes.  Sister Song came outside with us, and we decided to take some pictures.  We wanted to time the camera and put it on the bbq so we could all be in the picture...so I set the camera...timed it and ran back to the girls...and BANG!  I fell...down the deck stairs.  WHOAH!  That seriously hurt so bad.  I found out in the days following that I ended up cracking my ribs.  So...I ended up going home from my mission 1month prior to my release date because the pain was so miserable.  

I remember going to say bye to the Roths.  I never thought I'd see them again, and my heart was seriously broken.  We went to their house for breakfast that morning.  Before we went to their house though, Sister Song encouraged me to write Richard a letter, expressing how I felt about him.  

**Now let's get one thing straight here.  I never acted upon any feelings or did anything inappropriate while I was a missionary...period!

Anyway...we had our breakfast with them, said our good byes.  There were a lot of tears.  I gave Richard a hug(come on I was literally going home) and gave him my letter.  I basically told him in the letter that I cared very much for him and I loved him.  

The last morning we were together..having breakfast with the Roths

I hadn't planned on talking to him until I was home...and no longer a missionary.  But I truly felt that I need to say something or I may loose my chance forever.  Before I was picked up in Idaho Falls to leave for the Mission Home...the phone rang.  Who was it?  Richard.

I said " Hello, this is Sister Cole". 

The other end said " Hi This is Richard".

I said "it's okay if you don't"  I was such a dork and totally speechless.  

He said " but I do, I feel the same way".  That's really all we said.  He told me he just had to tell me so I knew before I left to go home.  We said we would talk when I got home and that was that.

Melinda the last night in the mission home holding up a picture of Richard, Sister Song, Jenny Roth, and I

Richard came to see me 2 days after I had returned home...but was denied into the Country.  That seriously broke our hearts.  It was HORRIBLE!

So???  We had our first date in Shelby Montana.  We played some board games, had a picnic and spent the day together.  We shared our first kiss, shared our hopes and dreams.  It was seriously magical.

Pictures of our first date

We have had so many ups and downs.  There were times where I thought the border would keep us apart forever.  I moved to Idaho a few months after coming home from my mission so I could be closer to Richard.  I was there for about 2 months when Richard had to make a really tough decision.  He had a warrant out for his arrest.  He was in the wrong place, at the wrong time and with the wrong people that made some stupid choices...and he got caught up in it all.  So...he had to serve some time.  Driving him to Utah that day to take him to court...watching him be sentenced and handcuffed away was seriously a nightmare.  I cried for days.  Literally.  

Do you know how much I love this man?  Do you know how proud I am for the sacrifices that he went through?  

He literally had to change his entire life. He no longer hung out with the same friends, and that was a huge sacrifice.  They were not bad people, but they were too much like the person he was trying to get away from, and the person he didn't want to be anymore.

I moved home after he went to Jail for a few months and we sent many letters and talked as often as we could.  My parents were awesome enough to hire a lawyer to bail him out.  All charges were eventually dropped(because again he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time) .  Not long after did we make arrangements for Richard to come up to Canada again...and he was denied entry...again!  We asked the border what he needed to come through.  We did all they required, and they STILL almost didn't let him through.  he got through with a temporary visitor visa and had a few months.

I was so proud and excited to walk into church with him the first time.   I loved that I had someone(especially him) to hold hands with, to have by my side.  

We spent every waking moment together. He lived with my family(with his own room of course haha).  Then came around Sunday August 12.  His temporary visa was going to expire.  We knew we wanted to get married...and we didn't want to be separated.  So we decided to get married 3 days later...Wednesday August 18, 2004.  We did.

It was a small wedding.  Our bishop at the time married us in the Magrath Stake Center, with my parents, sisters and brother being present.  It was very humble and quaint.  Simplicity was seriously an understatement.  But you know what?  That was fine with us.

The several years was an emotional roller coaster because of the problems we had at the border.  I personally was always in fear of being separated and it scared me to death.  

When I look at Richard, I see love, strength, intelligence, kindness, laughter, comfort, safety and many other things.  

I am thankful to have a served a mission for many different reasons, but he is the biggest reason.  I know that Heavenly Father sent me to this man.  He is my best friend, and the man of my dreams.

I love him more than life itself, and I am so eternally grateful that he chose me to be his wife and eternal companion.

Today, because August 18...11 years to the day we married, I am so grateful for this joyous occasion that we have to celebrate.  2 Months after we married, we had a reception in Magrath Alberta.  I had an actual dress and we had decorations and a nice meal,etc.  It was nothing fancy by any means, but it was nice.  A time to celebrate and show off the love we had for each other.

1 year and 2 months after we married, Richard worked towards going to the Temple.  We moved to Idaho during our second year of marriage and decided to be sealed for time and all eternity in the Idaho Falls Temple.  What an amazing experience.  Richard will tell you this was one of the most amazing days of his life...going through the Temple and feeling nothing but complete peace and happiness.

I have totally talked your ear off...so I will stop.  But our story has such history I can't simply say "we met here and it was instantly love at first sight...because that's not how it went for us.

Happy Anniversary baby.  you are my everything.

Love you forever...and beyond.