I'll start from the beginning, 

September 13th 2011 was the day 

I met my best friend, Shaun. 

The next day he took me on our first date 

to a rodeo in St. George where we were both attending Dixie State. 

Although after we met, school definitely wasn't the funnest part of the day. :) 

          

{We always found something crazy and spontaneous to do. Climbing rooftops, playing catch, a trip to Cali, concerts, star gazing, and taking each other around to our favorite spots in town, and as the adventures continued, so did our fondness for each other.}

Needless to say, I was head over heels and happier than I had ever been. 

It didn't take long for people to start associating our names together. 

Shemma hit, and it has stuck ever since. 

December 30th of the same year, four months after we met, Shaun took me to a spot up North that overlooked the Salt Lake Valley. As we looked out at the bright lights encompassing the Salt Lake Temple, he told me to close my eyes and make a wish. When I opened my eyes, he was on one knee.

I remember thinking, this is what it feels like. I was filled with so much joy. It was the purest, most sweet feeling in the world. I don't know how else to explain it, with that special ring on my finger, I just felt like me. I was whole. Shaun was who I had been waiting for, and I couldn't even express how peaceful I felt. It was as if, after all the struggles and heartbreak in my life, everything was made right in that moment. I will never forget it. 

And that is how I became Emma Jean Thompson. 

The woman I was always meant to be.