There’s no words to describe what you are, you have my heart. 

And when you’re feeling blue, just remember, I love you. 

THE INTRODUCTION

One long October day after school I was headed through the Institute building at Weber State towards my car when I was stopped by Brother Saunders, an institute teacher, who made me go get some snacks. While eating my snacks I was approached by this cute blonde boy. He introduced himself as Cameron and asked me about myself. I told him I liked to play the piano, sing, and write music. He lit up and told me he writes music too, and I freaked.. I knew if I kept talking to him, he would want to hear something I wrote and I was not that great, so I ran to go get ice cream. Typical me, I love my ice cream.. 

ALIZABETH GETS HER MISSION CALL 

At the Institute building they serve food on Thursdays for 2 dollars. I never went to school on Tuesdays or Thursdays so I never was able to get any, but thought I could take Alizabeth, my best friend, there for her birthday. Alizabeth got her mission call to Lubbock Texas earlier that week and I knew someone who had gone there. I suggested they meet at lunch. 

We get our food and the gym is packed, there were no seats except for two next to Cameron… We sat by him. A little into the lunch he leaned over and asked if I would like to go on a date with him in a couple weeks, and I said yes. I asked for work off but somehow still got scheduled and couldn’t find anyone to take my shift, so I cancelled.

CONCERT WEEK

After bailing on Cameron, he stopped talking to me… I didn’t know what to do so I just left it, until our first choir concert devotional. Cameron and Donnie sang “O Holy Night” and I kid you not, he was glowing, and I instantly felt something strong for him. 

I didn’t say much and my friend Haley knew something was up, so she cornered me and asked. I told her I liked Cameron and was too nervous to talk to him, she then told me that I needed to sit with them at dinner that night. So I did, and guess who didn’t sit with us… After dinner Haley and I decided to go listen to some of the boys sing up in the gym. Cameron was up there, so I was happy.. Suddenly I got the strongest feeling to go play the piano in the other room, and as much as I wanted to watch Cameron sing, I felt like I needed to go. I went into the other room and started to play when I saw someone walk in, I looked up and to my surprise, it was him. He asked if he could listen and sat down in the chair next to me. I was so nervous and kept messing up!! After a while Brother Saunders came in and told us it was time to lock up, so we left. 

I drove home and started praying to Heavenly Father, asking if this was right… no answer.

DECEMBER 7, 2018

Time to clean up the gym! I knew I had to talk to Cameron because it was the last day of the Semester and we would be going our separate ways after today. I was too nervous to say anything so I ran to Haley for some advice. She told me that she had talked to Cameron the previous night and he asked her what he should do if he wanted to pursue a relationship with someone right before he was leaving for the military… She told him to go for it. 

Now after hearing that I was a thousand more times nervous to talk to him so I didn’t say anything and left for my class. After class I went back to see if he was still there, and HE WAS! I knew I still had a chance to talk to him and I wasn’t going to back out this time! While cleaning the gym, Brother Saunders asked if anyone wanted to take the trash out, so I volunteered, and so did he. This was my chance! We walked out to the dumpster and didn’t really say anything.I was so frustrated, I blew it.. Or so I thought… A while later, Brother Saunders asked if anyone wanted to take the trash out, and guess who volunteered?! We did! This time I knew I had to say something, but I couldn’t get any words out!! On our way back from the dumpster I said a quick prayer and just said, “Heavenly Father, please if I am supposed to say something, help me say it.”  Just then, I reached down, picked up some snow and said, “Do you want to build a snowman?” 

DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN

Cameron did not hesitate to say yes, so we set the trash cans down and got to work building our snowman. We clicked. We wanted to be creative so we went into the lost and found, picked out a giant T-shirt and a hat. We went back out and dressed our snowman and had a blast! After a while I asked Cameron if he wanted to go to the football game later that night with my brother and I,and he said yes! 

We went to the football game with Brycen and sat front row in the student section and had the time of our lives. Cameron and Brycen got along so well, they talked about everything and I decided I didn’t want to say goodbye to him so I invited him to see a movie with me! He said yes!

As we sat in the movies, all I wanted to do was hold his hand. We both kept looking at our hands which kept getting closer and closer… eventually my pinky touched his and BAM we were holding hands!

BRYCEN’S PIANO RECITAL 

Here we are 3 days later, I had asked Cameron if he wanted to go to Brycen’s piano recital with me and he said yes (he always says that). He walked in dressed in a blue button up and black jeans, and man, was he handsome… We listened to the recital and then went to In and Out to get a burger. We sat, ate, and talked while Brycen kept telling him how I liked him and wanted to marry him. I was so embarrassed.. On our way back, Brycen asked Cameron to come over to watch a movie and he said yes.He came over,, we played some Ping Pong and I turned on the movie Charley, a church movie about a couple who fell in love, got married in the temple, and had a little boy… Hmm interesting movie choice… After the movie, neither of us wanted each other to leave so we just kept making up excuses to stay. We played the guitar, listened to music and slow danced until 3 in the morning. As we sat there, I felt my heart burn, and instantly I thought of D&C 9: 7-9 

8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.

Instantly I knew what God was telling me, I knew that I was supposed to be with Cameron. 

We ended up staying up until 5:30 in the morning because neither of us wanted to leave. I knew I was falling in love with him.

TEMPLE SQUARE 

A few days had gone by and we spent a lot of time with each other. I met his mom and siblings and he met my brothers because my parents had been out of town! 

I knew how I felt about him, but figured it was too soon to say anything.

We went down to temple square to sing on Sunday, December 16. That night was the first time he ever met my parents, and they loved him. We sang, saw the reflection pond, and then went home. On the way home I looked down at his phone and saw he was texting a girl named Jessica and suddenly thought I wasn’t the only one he was dating and my heart dropped. (Side note, Jessica is his sister)  I wouldn’t talk to him the whole way home and just put my head down. He tried scratching my back and singing to me, but nothing seemed to work. Finally we got back to the Institute building when he asked me if I wanted to go see if our snowman was still there, I said yes. 

We walked out and as soon as we got there he pulled me into a hug. I could tell he was thinking about something so I asked; he responded with “I’m just thinking about something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time,” so I told him to tell me. He then said “I love you.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and didn’t know what to think! I just sat there super excited with my heart beating out of my chest. I then told him I loved him too and kissed him so fast, he didn’t have any time to react. He then told me that when he came home from his military training in 7 or 8 months, he might just ask me to marry him. 

I knew I was supposed to be with him , so we just started planning our future. We picked a wedding date, called and reserved the temple and spent endless amounts of time together before he left. 

THE DAY HE LEFT 

The day Cameron left was one of the hardest days and definitely the hardest goodbye. We drove him to the Military Center where he would be shipped out, gave him hugs, and said our goodbyes. His dad let us have our alone time and we just held each other and kissed, after our final goodbye, I felt so much pain in my heart. I felt so broken and lost, I didn’t know what to do. He called me when he left for the airport and we did not want to stop talking. Every time he landed or waited for instructions he would call and talk to me. We cried and laughed and just loved each other. During our last phone call he had to hang up quickly before he was shipped off to Fort Leonardwood, we said our goodbyes and he was gone, just like that. 

DEAR PRIVATE SWANER

I wrote my Cameron every other day, hoping for a response. Every single day I would run to the mailbox to see if a letter had come! My heart would race when I saw the little National Guard Stamp on a letter. He was the reason for my happiness each and every day. I remember finding a facebook account from Fort Leonardwood with Cameron’s photos on it. I would sit and stare at any pictures or videos I found of him. He was only able to call home 4 times throughout his training and those days were the best days! Hearing his voice was the best present I could have ever received. 

MISSOURI TRIP 

On March 19, I flew out to Missouri to see Cameron, and I could not control my excitement!! I was basically jumping off the walls!! Even writing this, I am feeling excited! I had waited the longest 10 weeks of my life for this moment, and it was finally here! On March 20, we drove onto the base and waited for the bus to arrive. As it got there my parents and Cameron’s mom watched as all the soldiers lined up. They were completely in unison and were very well behaved. As soon as they were released my heart started pounding. I felt like I couldn’t get to him fast enough, and when I finally saw him, I couldn’t hug him tight enough. I felt like I was floating and we were the only two there. It felt magical. 

We got to spend 2 beautiful days with each other. We ate too much food and kissed way too much. He wrote me a song and sang it to me, we slow danced to lots of songs. We watched as he graduated Basic Training and received an award for being top of his Platoon, and then it was time to say goodbye… 

AIT 

We both thought AIT would be easy because we could skype every day, but it was not. We just wanted to be with each other so seeing one another through a screen was not fun at all. I spent 4 months stuck to my phone, waiting for a call from him. Sometimes we would sit in silence and just cry because of the distance. He and I were both struggling with things and couldn’t be there for one another and it was tough. We kept counting down the days until we would be reunited again, and eventually that time came. 

THE PROPOSAL 

July 23, 2019, the day my sweet love was coming home… his flight was to get here at 11:45 in the evening and I was so excited! I spent the day applying and reapplying my makeup, recurling my hair and playing the piano to keep myself busy. I kept counting down the hours until I would see him! 

His family invited me over for some dinner before we would go pick him up, so I went over there, we ate dinner, played games, and just talked. After some time, Cameron’s parents said they had something to show me. They then made me watch a video Cameron had put together. It was an accumulation of videos of him telling me all the things he loves about me and singing me songs. At the end of the video he said “Now Chelsea, a couple months ago, I asked you a question. I asked you, if I was to tell you to meet me Somewhere Only We Know, would you go, and you said yes. Well Chelsea, today’s the day. I want you to meet me somewhere only we know, trust me, just come.”

I got done with the video and thought, Crap, they showed me the video on the wrong day, he’s not home yet.Then they asked if I had finished the video and if I needed to be somewhere. I jumped in my car and started driving! My head was spinning 1,000,000 miles an hour!! I was so nervous/excited!! I got to our spot to be greeted by Cameron’s brother Jacob. He asked me if I was ready to go on a hike with him, and I agreed. We started walking when I saw Cameron sitting on a bench with his guitar. He asked me to sit. He then started singing a song he wrote for me, and at the end he said, “I just have one question to ask you tonight…” He then got down on one knee and proposed to me! I have never felt so much love in my life!! 

Oh, by the way, he lied and had gotten home the day before this happened and kept it a secret. Shame on him.

WEDDING DAY

This day was by far the best day of my life. September 7, 2019 the day we would say yes to an eternity full of endless love and adventures. I remember waking up super early to start getting ready. I got all my makeup on and my cousins helped with my hair. I had the cutest baby’s breath crown and a long (and I mean long) eyelashes. It was quite the look. We met at the temple at 10:00 to get all the paperwork ready and to get dressed. We had a beautiful ceremony at 11:00 and I could not stop smiling. I had the biggest grin on my face and everyone asked if Cameron kissed my teeth (haha). We had the most perfect luncheon and reception. Everyone was so comfortable, they stayed the entire time and didn’t leave until after we had left. We had the perfect day and we were married. And here we are now. I love you Cameron Francis.