Our First Christmas...surprising it led to more than one

Rhett and I met in the late summer of 2003. We were in the same Singles Ward. By December, we both obsessed with each other, but we were each clueless to the other's affections and remained really close friends.

Our ward had a tradition to take everyone to Olive Garden for dinner, then we'd go see the lights on Temple Square. This activity brought in the crowds obviously--college students and free Olive Garden. I maneuvered my way into riding with Rhett, but another chick that admired him won the passenger seat...but at least I was in the car. I don't remember anything that eventful at dinner other than the fact that our table was next to a window and we witnessed a couple go through the process of fighting, breaking up and crying right out side as we ate, pretty funny.

So on to Temple Square. We all mingled around for a while, enjoying the lights and the Christmas coziness, with a group of us ended up mingling around on the big, open area in front of the Church Office Building and facing the Salt Lake Temple, (the area that has the platform for the wedding photo). We posed for a group picture, and some of our friends stood on the 2 foot high ledge of a fountain. Rhett was one that stood on the platform, and after the pictures, he pretended to get on my shoulders as a joke. For some reason, I told him to go ahead, but he explained he was just joking.

Rhett: "There's no way you could hold me. I'd crush you."

Me: "Oh please...you can't weigh more than 200 pounds. If you stand on the ledge of the fountain so I don't have to actually lift you, I could totally bear your weight."

Obviously this is going a bad direction,

especially for a girl desperately wanting this guy's affection.

The challenge was in the air, and we looked around at the rest of the group. Everyone seemed interested to see the attempt, and Molly whipped out her camera, knowing this had disaster potential.

Fueled by the challenge of holding a grown man in the air against the odds, I pursuaded and Rhett climbed on my shoulders. He was heavier than I expected, but I held him. Molly took this picture:

The flash of her camera went off and all the sudden sirens were screaming in my head as I realized what I was doing! I forced my crush on my shoulders to prove I was...what? the female version of Andre the Giant??? In that moment of delayed good judgement I was overwhelmed with embarrassment and let go of Rhett's hands and arched my back to get him off as soon as possible.

Rhett, obviously not prepared to be thrown off, gripped for one hand as the back of his knee became locked in my elbow, and the whole human totem pole teetered sideways and backward. We crashed on the cold cement, Rhett landing right on his butt and me being pulled on my side due to his leg scrambled with my arm. I actually remember my cheek against the ground as I tried to untangle myself and run away and die.

There was a silence in the air as our friends stared, not knowing to nurse or bust up laughing. Random people also on Temple Square stared at the mess we were in, as we tried to get up off the ground. Someone, probably Molly broke the silence by laughing, which spread through the group. I quickly stood up and looked around completely mortified. Rhett was still dazed on the ground, wondering what had happened. As the jokes wound down, I hope I apologized, but I was so embarrassed. Of all the moves to make, to force the guy you adore onto your shoulders, just to throw him off in the middle of Temple Square!

The rest of the night I tried to stay as far away from Rhett as I could, completely humiliated. The drive home I was silent, poisoned by my earlier stupidity and happy to sit in the back and let the other chick have the prized seat next to Rhett.

Later, Molly said that Rhett had asked if I was OK and why I had been acting so weird, and she explained that my stunt of hoisting him up made me feel like a giant. "Would it help if I ran up and picked her up?" Molly explained that was a nice thought, but that probably wouldn't help.

The Christmas miracle this year was the fact Rhett continued to like me, and a few weeks later made a move despite my monstrous display of temporary strength in a very public place. And odder still, previous embarrassing moves on my part hadn't taught me to avoid this peril before I had Rhett on my shoulders.

We laugh about it now, and it was great that Molly caught the picture before I crumpled us to the ground.