Garden of Eden
(summer 2020)
Going back to work up in northern Utah was uneventful
It’s not a surprise, but Nate moved both teams to the same general location to knock
It became clear that he had put me in an area with a lot of potential
I rolled up and looked at my map full of green stars
(iykyk)
Nate gave the hotel one weeks notice
I gave my parents one days notice
“Can we do a bomb/bbq and invite our team and Nate Witt’s team?”
“Who the heck is Nate Witt?”
Seth: “He is actually awesome. I want Ryanne to marry him.”
(did I mention my brother seth was working with us and around Nate and I this whole time?)
We had a bomb the next day. I was sitting in a chair around the table on a zoom class
all of the seats were taken
Nate wasn’t there yet
my dad had the smoked bomb on the table ready to eat
(a bomb is meat inside of meat inside of cheese
wrapped in bacon smoked and cut to perfection)
It became apparent that I would have to leave the room
in order to hear my class better
so I stood up just as Nate walked in
when I came back, I expected Nate to be sitting at the table where I had been
I didn’t leave anything to save my spot
and had to leave for my class anyway
Instead I saw Nate sitting at the counter near the table
but all by himself
everyone else had a seat at the table
In that split second when he came in, he had noticed where I had been sitting
despite my mom inviting him to sit at the table, he politely refused
keeping that last spot open for me
if it isn’t at all obvious... I pay attention to details
soak them up and keep them close
I think this experience helped me to know that he pays attention to details too
he chose to sit at the counter by himself instead of at the table with everyone else
I came back into the room and saw him
I looked and my spot was still empty
I knew what had happened
and I felt so gloriously silly and happy all at once
that might sound vain if you think that I was happy because I didn't want to sit alone
But that isn't the case at all!
I was simply happy because when I give 100 percent to a relationship
(friends and partners alike)
I do things like that
so I knew that I could give my best
+
get the same sort of best right back at me
at the same time
--------------
Tree Tunnels
My homework suffered that week because I was anxious for Nate to move in
I sold well, I just had butterflies in my head as well as my heart
One night, I was up doing homework.
It was the end of the summer semester and I was feeling it
So dang tired
This was the first long conversation Nate and I ever had
I told him what I was doing (some huge final assignment) and how tired I was
He told me he was going to stay up with me to keep me awake and
asked if he could help me In any other way
I said keeping me awake would be more than great
He asked me a deep question about what makes me love life
I sent him a link to an amazing personality test so that I could over analyze his results later
https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
I learned that he is the “Campaigner” personality
which happens to be the exact personality that I am
(some people say opposites attract… but I guess they are wrong)
I read what the section about romance said, and he said that it was creepily accurate
Me: I can see that it’s accurate
Him: how?
Me: I then listed all of the positive things that were on there
and how I noticed those in him.
We talked until 3 in the morning
I don’t remember what time I finished my homework
but I do remember telling him that tree tunnels are one of the things on my list of
“Things that make me instantly happy”
Which leads me to what happened the next day
“Roll Call” in the two-team group chat
Nate Witt:
enough said.
Boating Incentive
That week of the “weeks notice” I saw Nate almost everyday at some point.
As an office, we were working to hit a goal
so that we could all take the coming Saturday off and go boating with our boss
It was so motivating, that the office went way over what we were supposed to do
in order to go boating
My roommate friend and I drove to the designated place to park next to the lake
We got in a line to pay for parking
Looked ahead
And saw Nate Witt paying for parking and pointing to our car
It didn’t surprise me when I pulled up to pay and the lady said
“You are covered”
I was melting because HOW SWEET was it of him to think of
paying for MY OUR parking?
Soon, our boss told us he had two jet skis rented
So I volunteered to go with Nate Witt to pick them up
We had a blast zipping around the lake
It felt like a date from The Bachelor
We sprayed each other with water
Took turns surfing later on the boat
And had the best dang day
At one point this man was sitting next to me on the boat
+ he put his arm around me
he gave me a squeeze every once in a while to "keep me warm"
it was then that I realized something
St. George week was not just a fling for him
It’s one thing to cuddle up and hold hands when no one is awake/around
or spend a night texting until 3 in the morning (aka booty call hours)
and a completely other thing on a boat full of very awake people
+ your boss
It felt good to know that
the next night we had another BBQ in our bosses backyard
This time…
I was.....
very much not aloof
remember last time? I was quiet and avoiding everyone?
and awkward as a jellybean....
This time was like an explosion of me being me
That’s probably a good indicator that this situation
was going to work out a little better than the last
Nate no longer thought I was aloof to his existence
or “over all of this”
I saw him as more than a ski bum
(but I love that part of him too)
I felt like he saw me
really saw me
+ I was seeing him
and there was so much to look at
I could spend eternity seeing more and more
because he is so much of what I have always wanted to be myself
Vast and Brilliant
some of the things I saw of him at this BBQ round II
---I saw someone who loves to serve because he insisted on
cleaning up everyones dirty paper plates
--- a couple of little girls were running around annoying the heck out of everyone to get attention
they were pushing our legs off of the foot rests
stealing our food
insulting us (lol I love kids)
roasting people who challenged them
+ honestly being a couple of little $hi+s
but then...
Nate started talking to them
 |
| my creepy photo of this |
they weren’t sure what to do at first
slowly they warmed up to him
they started being nice because if we are all being honest
they just didn't know how to make friends with all of the young adults around them
they (Nate and the kids)
Jumped on the tramp
made bets where the winners got a dollar from Nate
became friends
and pretty soon these girls were playfully
FIGHTING
over who got to refill his drink
And BEGGING him to play games on the tramp with them
I was slowly dying and my uterus was SCREAMING
I saw something in particular about Nate for the first time
something that I see all the time now
I saw a dad.
a really good dad.
one of the silly things Nate saw in me that day, was a
piano playing “prodigy”
I can play the piano by ear which means if I have heard a song, any song,
I can sit down and play it with no practice
I showed off my little party trick after most people had left
our friend Matt sang with me while I played whatever song was suggested
It was SO fun (Matt is an incredible singer)
that night I headed to floor two of the Hyatt House Hotel
and waited for Nate to move in to floor 3
I kept replaying in my head the look on Nate’s face as he sat on the couch
and watched me sing/play the piano
I was in the zone
(it was basically pride and prejudice in 2020)
I was being the realest version of me
not afraid
of failing
or falling
people say that your person brings out the best version of you
I think that's BULLSHIT
every guy I’ve ever dated brought out the best version of me
what’s really special is when you find someone
that brings out the realest rawest version of you
the version that isn’t afraid of being the worst version sometimes
because we all have different versions on the spectrum of worst to best
the person that you want to be with loves you
Not in spite of the worst versions
But because they can look upon you with grace and love
When you feel your worst
as well as when you feel your best
and you can do the same for them
It’s not that he brought out the worst in me
It’s that he brought out the true in me
the truest parts of any of us can only be brought out
If they don’t have the fear
Of sometimes being the worst
moving in
I didn’t have to wait very long because he was headed to the Hyatt House
that night!
I went upstairs and we hung out/decorated
I’m pretty sure we watched a movie with a group of friends
and got a little cuddly…. :)
the next day was a Monday
Cheesecake
The thing about Mondays is that they usually suck
but for me, that summer, Mondays were an extension of my break
I didn’t work Mondays because I used the day to do as much homeworkl as possible
I was taking 13 credits in a sped up semester of only 1.5 months
As well as working a job that starts at 11 and goes until 9 sometimes 10 at night
It was INSANE
But I had some extra time that Monday
so I made everyone dinner
at some point in our previous conversations
I had learned that Nate loves cheesecake
so I bought a cute little mini cheesecake from
my favorite happy ghetto cafe in SLC
gourmandise
it's not so ghetto anymore admittedly
and gave it to him when he showed up for dinner
he was beaming so I think that means he loved that I did that for him
moving forward, we spent every single night
hanging out in his and his brothers hotel apartment
(there is a kitchen/living room and a bedroom)
we lived just an elevator ride apart
we watched movies, talked for hours after
andy went to bed, danced, joked, laughed, and had a blast.
After 5 or six nights of bliss + 2 weeks since St George,
I was wondering…
When the heck is he going to kiss me?
HEEEELLLOOOO?
One night he said something really sweet
so I leaned wayyy in there
my signal was loud and clear
I was READY TO KISS THIS BOY
but heaven forbid I make the first move…
(Feminist movement is still in progress k.)
So hints were given
(Nate’s version of this story: "She gave me no choice")
(major eyeroll)
Then..
BUTTERFLIES
so many butterflies
there must have been a million hurricanes on the other side of the world that night
;)
DIRECTLY FROM GOOGLE:
Q. What is the butterfly effect theory?
Answer:
The butterfly effect is the idea that small things can have non-linear impacts on a complex system. The concept is imagined with a butterfly flapping its wings and causing a typhoon.
"I've been wanting to do that for a long time"
-Nate Witt
