Finding My Prince Charming

Ever since I was little, I've dreamed about my prince in shining armor. My parents always told me to never settle for anything less. He should be smart and handsome, kind and tender, and treat me like a queen. He wouldn't be perfect, but he would be perfect for me.



As I got older, I looked forward to the day when I would someday meet him. I started searching everywhere for him. I dated quite a few frogs that I thought could be princes, but never any that seemed to quite fit. Some would have cracks in their armor that they refused to fix. Others would be too busy fighting off fiery dragons to get involved with me. Some would be lured away by what you could call modern-day sirens; others were blinded by pride and how shiny their armor was. I even dated a beast, who I was convinced was a prince deep down. However, he loved his old ways too much to truly change. I felt like a damsel in distress, but there was no one around to save me. In the end, I was left alone. It seemed like my prince was nowhere to be found.


After I graduated from college, I moved back home. I was discouraged. Maybe I would never find him. One day, I decided to go on an adventure: I sought out a job in the distant land of Texas (so exotic, I know). While there, I continued the search for my prince charming, but  only halfheartedly.

On one occasion, I met this guy (aka Bobby) at church. He asked me to join him for dinner one day. Unfortunately, in my eyes, I just saw him as another frog. I wasn't interested, and I turned him down.

This never discouraged him. Every Sunday at church, he always went out of his way to talk to me and to see how I was doing. I got to know him pretty well as we socialized at church activities. I even started going to his family's house for dinner on Sundays or for movie nights. But still, I wasn't interested.

I'm not exactly sure why I finally said yes--maybe I was attracted to how he fixed my computer that one day 😍, or maybe it was our deep conversation we had about life goals and dreams--but it took close to a year (yes, a year) before I finally agreed to go on a date with Bobby. He asked me to lunch one day, and I thought, why not? He was a nice guy and very sweet. I didn't think anything would come out of it. It would just be a fun date with a good guy, and that would be it.

I've never been so happy to be wrong in my life.

I wouldn't say it was love at first sight, but it was certainly close to love at first date. 

I learned a lot about who he was after that. We talked and laughed and shared experiences. My feelings for him started to change. It was curious, those feelings, because I still saw a frog, not my prince. One day, however, he held my hands and leaned towards me. I closed my eyes and let him kiss me. When I opened my eyes, I no longer saw a frog there in front of me. Instead, it was a prince--my prince--smiling at me. How had I missed him?? His armor wasn't as shiny as others I had met, but he had the biggest and strongest heart I knew. How had I not noticed it before? Here I was, searching everywhere for my prince, and he was right here all along. It took me almost a year for me to see it. And I almost lost him through my own blindness.


I'm not your typical Mormon girl. I didn't get married at a young age. I went to BYU for nearly five years and never found the right one, defying all those stereotypes you hear. I even served a mission and was still single for nearly five years later, despite people saying that I should have been married within a year from coming home. I grew accustomed to (and annoyed at) people asking me why I wasn't married yet. Seriously, if I knew the answer to that question, I would have been married a long time ago. Just saying.


Was it hard being lonely? Yes, it was. It was hard to see the people around me getting married and having kids while I struggled to find my place in life. I admit I was envious of others and seeing their happiness. It took a long time for me to understand that my happiness and my success does not depend on my marital status.

There is no time frame for our happily ever afters. God has a plan for us, and it's going to be different than the person beside us. Just because we wait longer for some blessings than other people doesn't mean that we are somehow less worthy or less righteous. God has his own plan. It's hard to understand that sometimes. I know I had many nights crying into my pillow, wondering when I was ever going to meet my husband. Meanwhile, he blessed me with skills and learning experiences, chances for me to grow and work on myself. And you know, I don't think I could have found a better Prince Charming anywhere. God had me wait for a reason, and I'm so glad I did because Bobby is the biggest and sweetest blessing of my life. He brings me up when I'm feeling down. After a hard day at work, he always finds a way to make me smile. He tells me how beautiful I am when my hair is as messy as can be. He willingly tries my food creations (some are better than others...) He is a bit goofy, but he is my goofy, and I wouldn't want him any other way. I am so happy that I can be sealed with him for time and all eternity. Our happily ever after has begun.