Arranged marriages and apple pie

     I believe in arranged marriages.  It certainly worked for me.  Now, before you start cringing at the image of a fresh faced fourteen year old shaking with wide eyed terror as she is promised to a fifty year old letch, let me explain. I did not get married at the age of fourteen, but I was around that age when I met my then future in-laws.  My church youth group was doing a "missionary activity".  Two or three young women were placed together as "companions" and we were assigned to a home where we would go and teach the gospel to families in our ward who had volunteered.  Each volunteer family was to choose which country they would be representing and was to serve a meal from the selected country.  My "companions" and myself were assigned to "Mexico", aka Craig and Cathi Stanger's house.  As the door opened for me and my companions, we were greeted by a smell so mouthwatering that it made me wonder why we were coming to teach the gospel to a couple who had obviously already found Heaven itself.  We were ushered into the living room where we sat timidly on the couch opposite the Stangers.  As cricket noise began to fill the resounding silence in the room, it became apparent that neither of my "companions" had any intention of speaking.  It was up to me.  The only way into the kitchen of heavenly smell was to get through the discussion.  So, I began.  I couldn't tell you one thing I said.  But I fudged my way through a brief synopsis of the basic beliefs of our faith, answering the frequent questions of the Stangers with trepidation.  I tried to smile and pretend I knew what I was talking about, but inside I was a nervous wreck.  The Stangers were gracious.  They smiled and nodded and didn't even correct me as I spouted off what was most likely false doctrine.  My "companions" offered a few barely discernible head nods in agreement with what I said.  It was obvious that I should never attempt to be an actual missionary.  The evening's next activity came much more naturally to me; we ate.  After my first taste of the Stanger's cooking (Mexican just happens to be my favorite), I was near proposing marriage to them.  Little did I know at the time, that this would be the first of many scrumptious meals at the Stanger table.

     At the time of my rather pathetic missionary attempt, my future husband was actually serving a mission for our church in Uruguay (where he was most likely partaking of a much less appetizing meal of cow stomach stew).  For reasons which still elude me, after I left the Stanger home that night, Dirk's father turned to Dirk's mother and informed her that I was the girl for Dirk.  Approximately four years later, Cathi Stanger showed up on my doorstep with a hot, homemade, and yes, heavenly apple pie and informed me that her son would be home from Utah State for the weekend.  She handed me the pie and asked me if I would consider going on a date with Dirk.  I think I said something exteremely eloquent like......"uh.....ok."  I then went inside and devoured almost the entire apple pie.  Dirk had absolutely no idea that he would be taking out a girl that weekend who was almost four years his junior and who really really liked to eat.  He was actually dating another girl at Utah State at the time.  As fate would have it, Dirk and Julie ("Barbie" to all of Dirk's sisters) broke up that very week.  The rest is a very small chapter of history.  Dirk's parents must have realized that my love of all things edible would be an attractive trait to Dirk.  He has since informed me that, aside from my smile, my love of eating is one of the first things that made him fall in love with me.  I have had many more delicious meals in the Stanger home over the past nine years, most accompanied by noise and laughter.  Dirk and I now love to cook meals together and try out recipes in our own little kitchen.  We now strive together to teach our own three beautiful children the gospel.  I don't know what exactly Dirk's father saw in me that night years ago that I showed up at his door as an awkward teenager.  But I will be forever grateful that Dirk's parents knew their son well enough that they were able to help him find his best friend and soul mate.  I couldn't have handpicked a better husband for myself. He is my rock and my help meet; my solace, my companion, my partner in every sense of the word.

     I plan on learning how to make Cathi's famous apple pie.  Someday, it may just be the key to making sure my kids end up with the right person!