The White House and Prince Charming.

Now for the juicy details...

I met my husband in 2006 in a small town in Idaho. I remember it like yesterday. I walked into the class "Fit for Life" and instantly noticed only four guys had signed up, the rest of the students were ladies.

In the front row was a hot guy. He wore black slacks and a green shirt as if going to church. I was taken aback because as I mentioned before, this was a fitness class, hence a t-shirt and shorts were highly recommended.

I sat in the second seat from the front and second row from the wall. Throughout the class he'd say hi and we'd chit chat. I secretly had a crush on him, no one on this planet knew except for maybe my mom and my room roommate Sarah. I remember one day as we were running the indoor laps in the gym I was struggling to finish all the required laps. I would walk a lap, run a lap, walk a lap, run a lap, and Marc (the hot guy) would for a few moments run beside me encouraging me "You can do it, Ingrid! Almost there!" Need we even mention I finished last. I thought his kindness was attractive.

A year later, he and I happened to sign up for the same English class, by pure happenstance. We recognized each other, and after class would walk down the hill together.

At one point the professor assigned us book reports, the night before everyone's report was due I attempted to print mine out. I needed about 26 copies, one per student, and my printer decided to run out of ink.

It was late. I called Marc up and asked if he could do me a huge favor and print out my report. I walked to his place at Rockland Apartments with I think a flash drive, or maybe I had emailed it to him. I sat on the couch and waited, chatting with his roommate from Mexico.

After a little while, he came out to the living room with a stack of copies. The man had saved me from utter failure. I owed him big time. I felt immense gratitude. Without Marc's kindness I would have flunked the class since the report counted for a HUGE portion of the class grade.

At mid-semester, he realized he had signed up for the wrong English class and dropped it. I think it was meant to be....

In 2008, I had decided to serve a church mission. My assignment? The Paraguay Asuncion North Mission. The night before I left college to take a break for the mission. Marc and two other friends came by to say bye and wish me well. Marc promised to write. I didn't hold my breath.

Nine months into the 18-month mission I got an email from Marc. I was shocked. I had immersed myself in the work that I had completely forgot all about him. True to his word he did write, albeit a very short email, but it was happily received. I responded via an email and forgot him once again.

I finished the mission in May 2010 and came back to the United States. In Fall 2010, I headed back up to Rexburg to once again put my nose to the textbooks in pursuit of a bachelors degree. Over Facebook, Marc sent a message saying he would love to catch up. We exchanged numbers and no more than 24 hours later Marc was over at my new apartment catching up. The feeling was incredible, to talk as if not a week had passed, when in reality I had not seen him in person for over 2 years.

Over the next few months, he brought me many Jamba Juice smoothies, we saw Tangled in theatres, and hung out in each others apartments (staying only in each others living room areas...obviously).

One night in late late November, he asked me via text to be his girlfriend and I accepted. He was an Information Technology major, the method fit his personality. :)

By December of 2010 Christmas was around the corner. Two weeks before, we sat on his couch snuggling and he offered to drive me home to Cheyenne, Wyoming. That's where my parents lived and I remember feeling almost awkward about it.

First, because it was such a huge favor, I wasn't expecting it. It was a full 8+ hour drive.

Secondly, I had never brought a man home before. What on earth would my parents think? Wasn't that supposed to mean something when you brought a man home? This wasn't high school. In high school, no one blinks twice at this stuff. But if this happens in college that's deemed pre-marriage territory.

I played it off cool. "Are you sure? Wow. That's so nice of you. If it isn't too much trouble for you....Sure!"

True to the offer Marc drove me home to Wyoming. My parents set up a bed in the downstairs family room and he stayed for a couple days to get to know my family and get a tour of my hometown before driving back westward toward Utah to have Christmas at his aunt's home.

Over winter semester we continued to date. In March, he brought up the "M" word, MARRIAGE. This was his last semester before graduating, he would be leaving Rexburg forever. I told him I was open to the idea. In April, he graduated and went back to Virginia.

Over the summer, as I stayed back in the "burg" to study he flew me out to Washington, DC to visit him. I appreciated the free flights. ;)

I remember my roommates saying, "he's going to propose, you wait." The trip was fun, I stayed at his parents home in northern Virginia and met them and were happy to find them a normal, functional, and happy family.

A couple months later, he flew me out again, we had all the staple monument trips planned, including the White House.

We had got tickets through a US Representative's office and once we had toured the first floor and second, he asked me which room was my favorite. I told him the "East Room." The window treatments looked like yellow silk and with four grand fireplaces you would have thought you were in a Jane Austen ballroom. He held my hand and led me back to the East Room and next to the most southwestern fireplace he got on one knee and asked me to marry him. As soon as I said, "Yes" he stood up and we hugged.

I distinctly remember a security guard hurriedly crossing the room and offering us a huge "CONGRATULATIONS!"

Marc had carefully planned the proposal that I would have loved.

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I'm so glad I said, "YES!"

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

-Theodore Roosevelt, US President