The orchid that started it all

This is the orchid corsage that John bought me for Mother's Day this year. We have a tradition that every Mother's Day John gets me an orchid (nature's perfect flower). It actually started the year before we were married. I think I had gone on one official date with John but I was playing baseball one Saturday and I was talking to him and he said to make sure that I was in church the following day. I said OK because I usually went and didn't think too much more about it. Later John called my apartment and asked the relief society president (my roommate Kaylyn) how many girls were in the ward. We thought that odd too, but we got over it. Well, the next day after sacrament meeting, our 1st counselor in the bishopric stood up and said that someone had anonymously donated orchid corsages for all the girls in the ward and that the elders would pass them out. We, as girls, were stunned. Kaylyn and I put 2 and 2 together and knew that that anonymous donor was John. No one else was nice enough or generous enough. We went home that day and Kaylyn said, "Someone in this apartment needs to marry that boy and it's not me! Tara call and ask that boy out." So I did (ask out and marry) and the rest is history.

(After John and I started dating, which only lasted about 3 weeks before we were engaged, I had it independently confirmed that he was the orchid man by two of his friends and the counselor in the bishopric. The conversation in each instance went something like, "I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but you know that John bought all those orchids, don't you? He's a really nice guy." I of course didn't need anyone to tell me that, but it is always good to hear.)