And then I met Landon.
Landon Ryan Porter is a 22 year old man who holds my heart.
His favorite color is Tiffany blue, his favorite animal is "probably a dolphin", he served his mission in Kiev Ukraine (Russian speaking (whoever said that french is the language of love obviously has never heard Landon speak Russian)), he is a HUGE ASU fan, he is quite allergic to cats, and he loves me more than I deserve.
We met on July 6th, 2015 and from that day on my life has never been the same. The second I saw him I knew that something about him was different. He somehow seemed... familiar to me. I decided at that point that I was going to get to know him whether he wanted to know me or not. So I took every chance I could to talk to him. To see him. To invite him to things. To spend time with me. None of my invitations worked, until one night I asked him to meet up with me at what is now our park (3 story park in highland). He beat me there and was waiting for me when I arrived. He had just gotten done playing soccer so he was wearing a snap back (a hat), basketball shorts, and a t-shirt. I didn't know someone could actually pull off that look until I saw him. We sat on the swings, played 20 questions and stargazed for several hours. I didn't want that night to end. Around 1 am he walked me back to my car and..... that's right.
He kissed me.
For the first time.
I was on cloud nine.
I couldn't wait until I saw him next.
At first I was a bit skeptical. I wasn't sure if he was the type to pursue a girl he had just kissed, or if this was just a chance for him to kiss someone before leaving for school. I mean, I hadn't even friended him on Facebook yet.
Luckily for me, he asked me on another date a few days later. We went up the mountain where he lives, where we hit glow in the dark golf balls off of that mountain. (Side story: On the way up to where we were doing this, he promised me that he actually lived up there, and he wasn't just taking me somewhere to brutally murder me.)
At this point it hit me. I was seriously falling for this boy.
About a week later he asked me to be his girlfriend. And I said no! I knew that he was moving to Cedar City, and I was moving to Rexburg, and long distance was not something I wanted at that time. So we continued going on dates, and hanging out until on July 29th he was a groomsman in one of his friends weddings, and I was his date. The entire time we had people asking who I was (including several of his ex's) and he had to tell that that I "was his... friend".
That night he was sick of me saying no, so finally he just said "I'm just going to call you my girlfriend."
And that was that.
I knew I loved Landon when one day I was looking at him and I knew that one lifetime with him wouldn't be enough.
On August 12th, less than a week before he moved away, We said the 3 words that leave you so vulnerable, and mean so much. "I love you". Those 3 words have kept us strong in times where it would be so easy to be weak.
He moved away to school, I moved to Idaho. We started long distance. We wrote letters, texted constantly, and had many skype dates. The things that long distance couples do. But none of this helped. I missed him more than I ever thought I could miss someone. I was in Rexburg, but my entire world was in Cedar City.
On October 5th, 2015 Landon and I made the decision to get married.
I was still planning on going on a mission, the only change in my plan at that point was that he was going to be by my side while I opened my call. We planned on this for over a month.
Until one day my desires changed.
I went to the temple, and I told God that I wanted to marry Landon, and that I was going to. I think He knew that He couldn't stop me, because I never had any opposition on that.
So on November 12th, 2015, I made the choice to be a mrs.
Not a missionary.
Actually, I didn't decide to be A mrs. I decided to be HIS mrs.
Landon makes my world brighter. He makes me laugh harder than anyone ever has. He knows how to comfort me when I am down. He knows when to listen. He knows when to just hold me. He knows... me. My talents, my quirks, my flaws, my insecurities, he knows them ALL. And he loves me anyways.
And I know him. I know his likes, dislikes, hopes, dreams, fears. And I love him all the more.
On March 11th, 2016, Landon took me to This Is The Place National Monument in Salt Lake City. He got down on one knee, pulled out a ring and said, "Izzy. I love you. Will you marry me?"
8 words changed my entire life.
8 words.
I stopped practicing reading my mission call, and instead I practice saying "yes".
Yes to an eternity with the man I love more than the air I breathe.
Yes to the good times and the bad.
Yes to being his wife
Yes to (eventually) starting a family with him.
Yes to being Mrs. Porter.
I feel that I am at a point in my life where I can no longer progress physically, emotionally or spiritually unless it is by his side.
I love Landon.
And I am more than excited to start our own little eternity together.
Of course I will still be a missionary. But I will be a missionary to those I encounter through my everyday life. I will be a missionary to my children. I will be a missionary to Landon when he needs me to be. I will live the gospel fully and completely. I will be a missionary just by walking the path that Christ would walk. But I will be a missionary with my husband by my side.
So as difficult as it was. I made the choice to be HIS mrs. and not a missionary.
Photographer: Karl Hugh
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