Welcome to the Family

It was November 2002. Ryan and I had just decided to get married. Nothing was official yet, and I actually woke up thinking "did I just imagine we are planning a wedding?". I went to class as usual. It was in the same building that Wes had a class the next hour. I often saw him on my way out. Mostly we just nodded or said a brief hello. But this time I walked up to him with a purpose. I wanted to find out if he knew. But I just couldn't get the words out. I stood there awkwardly until he just grinned and said, "Welcome to the family." I was immediately comforted and was relieved to know Ryan actually really did want to marry me. And getting the best friend's approval was huge. But at the time I had no idea what being a part of that family would really mean. Knowing Wes and Lori has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.

Other random memories:

1. I have to put this one in writing because Wes denies he said this. We ended up outside of Southridge waiting for some sort of activity to start. We weren't talking, but all of a sudden he just blurted out, "hey, don't let Ryan get fat." I could only laugh. Because I think we both knew that if Ryan was going to get fat, there wasn't anything either of us could do about it. And we were right :)

2. I had only known Wes for about a week and didn't know anything about him. I ran into him in the hall of our apartment complex. We made awkward small talk for a few minutes and then he confessed he was actually in a hurry. I asked where he was going. I was NOT prepared for the answer--Ryan and I have to go buy tap shoes for our class. What?! What guys decide to come to BYU and take tap dancing? Guys who want to impress a certain Sis. Packer and drag their best friends along is the answer. Toy Story's "You've Got a Friend in Me" took on a new meaning when those boys tapped rhythmically to it all semester. I think Lori would have been impressed with him anyway--but it sure was a lot more entertaining this way.


3. It was the summer of 2003 and we were officially the Trumans and the Fitzgibbons. And we decided to go camping in Goblin Valley. Ryan and I are NOT campers, so it must have been Wes' idea. And we spent a grueling night. We were selfish and lent the Trumans our "old, found it in the back of a closet tent", while we used our "brand new wedding registry out of the box" tent. Then it rained. Let me rephrase. Then we had the biggest thunderstorm I have ever witnessed (and I've witnessed a lot) directly over our heads. It's the only time I remember being legitimately afraid for my life. And it just so happens that our new tent was not so waterproof. It was too loud to talk to the Trumans to find out if they were okay, and we weren't about to brave the storm to find out. We drifted off into a restless sleep. We woke up at dawn to not a cloud in the sky and a bright summer sun. I listened as Wes or Lori unzipped their tent and crawled out. I expected to hear them say, "good morning. are you okay? are you awake? we had a miserable night. how about you? are you dry?" or any combination of the above. Instead I heard the most indignant voice that Wes could muster say, "Are you kidding me?" Because he was actually disappointed that the storm had passed. He was counting on a cool, rainy day in which to hike. Instead we had to suffer through blazing sun and heat. But while he was mad about it, I was thrilled. Because I never want to see rain like that again. And that's probably the only time I have ever disagreed with Wesley Truman.

My life changed forever the day I met Spencer Wesley Truman. And I will be grateful for the rest of my life. Love you guys!

Amy Fitzgibbons