An Epic Moment

This moment is an addition to the “early days” chapter of Annie and I’s story. This is a pre-courtship moment, a “were just friends moment”, but a pivotal, nay, critical, nay, EPIC moment in our history. The picture is the only pre-marraige pic I could find (Canyonlands 2004), but it was taken a good 3 or 4 years after this moment.

Annie had come over to our apartment to see my roommate Nate, her friend from Ricks college. I was the only one home and successfully made every attempt at keeping her around. She ended up sitting on the couch, and we talked for a while. Somehow through our conversation she mentioned that she was hoping to drive to Jackson Hole that weekend to look for a summer job. I jumped at the opportunity to provide her with some company.

That Saturday morning I came by her apartment. Our day started out in a poignant orientation in the ways of Annie that I did not truly appreciate at the time. Her hamster was dying… later I came to find out that her hamsters were very frequently in a near state of death, and that Annie had a long history of restoring hamsters to health. Although if you know Annie, you know that her hamster stories always end in death. Anyway, we waited to nurse her hamster to life and then took off.

Road trips are easily the best way to get to know someone. Stuck in the same place, two feet from one another, perfect balance of opportunities for conversation or non-awkward silence (radio listening or simply scenery watching), and a shared goal. This was when I got to know Annie in the most basic way. “You have how many siblings? You live with all of your Aunts and Uncles? Sounds like a compound….” now that I have heard Annie tell her story so many times, its funny to remember the first time I heard it.

We drove through gorgeous country, had wonderful conversation and even got Annie a job in Jackson. I made a CD for the trip and even called it the Jake and Annie Jackson mix. We still have the CD today (after allowing Annie’s sister Lizzie to babysit it for a while). Annie heard some of her first Moody Blues on that trip and I heard my first Ben Harper song.

We decided to go over the Tetons and into Idaho on the way back. We spontaneously decided to stop in at my Mission President’s home, which we were driving right past. It was wonderful, and Annie did a great job of playing the quasi-girlfriend part in front of Ma and Pa Moss. Needless to say they approved and always ask about her by name whenever they call or write.

Incidentally, this trip, I believe is when I decided that I really liked Annie Barlow, and it is also when Annie decided that we would just be friends…. I showed her didn’t I?