Once upon a time a seventeen year old girl named, Jodi, decided to surrender her heart to a handsome, strong, and smiling young man of eighteen named Stephen.
Though this story sounds simple enough there was a conflict for Jodi in her heart surrendering because two of her close friends really admired Stephen and thought he was extremely attractive before she did. Jodi loved her friends, she would never want to loose their friendship, but she eventually couldn't resist the charming smile and serviceable attitude Stephen portrayed. She was flattered that this boy named Stephen seemed interested in her when he asked her to the Junior Prom her Junior year, even though she did her best to discourage his attention. She tried to ignore him when he came to see her in a play or tennis match, she tried to discourage him as she worried about her friends feelings, she tried to act uninterested in the things he said to her during their P.E. class together. But he was pulling out all of the stops and he had unintentionally gone straight to a super source: her mom. Stephen would go to her house for visits and while there fixed things – cars, doorknobs, chairs, etc. He came with his smile and good works and Jodi's mom basically told her she was a crazy head if she didn't think he was the best. Finally, she surrendered and her friends understood – of all the people they understood! Just a side note: they still remained her friends and were kind enough to be interested in her found feelings and encourage her affections.
Stephen was a strong and hard worker and left town for the summer after his senior year in high school to work on pipe lines in Island Park, ID while he waited for the summer months to pass. He had received a call to serve an LDS mission to Dallas Texas, departure date in September. During the summer he would come back once in a while and stop in at Jodi's house. He would write her a letter once in a while too and she would write back. Little did Jodi know that this trip to the mailbox would be a path she traveled often.
One of her most memorable summer dates with Stephen that summer was when they rode to Island Park to see the place Stephen lived at during the summer. Stephen thought he would be impressive and bring out a couple of sticks of dynamite and blow up a few tree stumps for Jodi. She was basically terrified but acted like it was no big deal. What really caught her eye was the engraving he had etched into the back hoe he drove. It said "Stephen + Jodi". Now that pretty much made her heart flutter. As they drove home, she watched him drive. She was looking at him with different eyes, because something had changed, her heart had completely surrendered. She took note of his profile as he drove – his strong muscled arms poking out of his t-shirt were steering the wheel of his little ISUZU truck, a blue BYU baseball cap was on his blonde head, but his smile was big and bold and happy. They wrote notes back and forth all the way home. He tried to play songs on the radio that would send her subliminal messages and he would insert words to brain wash her to like him. It worked!
Time came for Stephen to become Elder Parker and leave on his mission for two years. The last few weeks before he left he invited Jodi to play tennis. They would play at the Ricks College (now BYUI) upper courts. Stephen was clever and thought it was fun to say "love-love" or "you 'loved' me". Jodi enjoyed the conversations that followed a game of tennis. Stephen talked about serving his mission, reading the Book of Mormon, and life. She loved these conversations and was impressed with the dedication Stephen put forth in preparing for his mission.
She also was privileged to travel to Logan, UT with him to pick up his suits for his mission from the store his brother, John, worked at. She loved the ride and the talk and the time they spent together. When he dropped her off at home that night he gave her a hug. Her heart was happy and the hug lasted in her memory long after she said good-bye. It felt like a perfect fit.
Another special night spent right before his departure was going to the Sand Dunes. They ran along the dunes with their friend Dave Sanford and his date Lynn. They jumped and played in the sand and then they decided to roll down the hills. The sun was just going down. As they were rolling Stephen asked, "how far will you go?" Jodi replied, "forever's as far as I'll go". Jodi was quoting one of the new country music songs that Stephen and recently introduced her to. This meant a lot to Stephen and the words spoke volume to his heart. After one time of rolling down the hill they ended up next to each other. A perfect opportunity for a first and memorable kiss.
The time finally came and Stephen departed on his mission to Texas. Jodi cried at the loss of a dear friend and more… He told her not to wait for him because his dad told him that wasn't fair and girls' very rarely wait for missionaries. She appreciated the non-pressure, yet her heart was still committed and determined. He gave her his ghost bead necklace and a summer full of wonderful memories and left for the Mission Training Center (MTC) in Provo, UT. Back in these days, young men were dropped off at the MTC and then their families would come to say good-bye at the airport. While in the MTC, Stephen wrote Jodi a letter and asked her to come to the airport. She wanted to, but her dad and mom said the only way she could go is if she asked permission from his father. She had been taught and witnessed from seeing two of her own brothers leave on missions, that this was a special time just for family good-byes. Failed to be mentioned previous is the fact that Jodi could be shy and self-conscience around Stephen's family. She really liked them all, but felt uncomfortable in this new role as "girlfriend". She worried way to much about what people thought instead of living in the moment- (which she would change if she could go back now and do). But because the idea of seeing Stephen outweighed her self-awareness, Jodi mustered up her courage and went to speak with Brother Parker (a seminary teacher) at the High School Seminary. He was kind and easy to talk to and consented. Her mom drove Jodi & Stephen's friend Dave down to the airport. The last memory Jodi took with her for two years is the hug Stephen gave her (even though he was suppose to stay at arm's length).