For Sunny, graduating was a holiday dinner she thought would never come, and now, all that was left were the dirty dishes. 2003 was gone in a flash. She attempted school for a semester and realized she just wasn’t ready to focus all her time and money into a major she still questioned. So she set out to work and make her own way in life and find herself a career that she could eat, sleep and breathe, without a doubt or thought of change.
Sunny was a down to earth girl, someone who could blend in with just about any click of girls, yet she reveled in the tom-boy life as she saw that the blending in was more like acting. She always had her own style and personality that set her apart from her friends. Guys would shy away from her, not sure if they wanted an independent girl that would roll around in the mud and laugh about it. As a new year brought in a few guys, she began to see that they just couldn’t handle their own independence and honesty, and found she was better off to continue on her own. Then she met Butch, a guy that she just couldn’t forget and would change her life. 
As the cliché goes, third time’s a charm. Sunny had broken up with her second, serious boyfriend, and was ready for a night out with the girls, free of commitment. But what she expected to be a night of flirtatious fun and dancing, turned out to be a night she would never forget. It was the week before Christmas 2004, her friend Dusty was meeting her at the dance club in downtown Salt Lake with a few other girls and guys, and the fun began to take shape with talk and flirty dancing. Then she saw him pull up and show off in his truck, as the Cheshire cat smile, formed from ear to ear, she thought to herself, “I’ve gotta meet this guy.”
He pulled into the parking lot, with a little squeal from the tires, and parked by the porch where Dusty and Sunny were. He jumped out and hopped the fence heading toward them in a relaxed stroll. Dusty hugged up on him and said, “Hey Butch, glad you could make it. This is Sunny. Sunny this is Butch.” They locked eyes as Sunny said, “Hi Butch, nice truck. You gonna take me for a ride sometime?” “Depends on how the night unfolds.” He replied.
Talking and laughter ensued as Sunny danced her way around the room, like a pinball, back and forth between Butch and a few other guys. Small talk picked up between Butch and Sunny with copious amounts of sarcasm and pick-up lines. Talking about his truck, Sunny asked, “So when are you going to take me for a ride?” Butch replied, “I don’t think you can handle me.” “Really? I thought I was doing better than those other girls. Come on just one ride.” “You think so?” he smirked. “I guess one ride wouldn’t hurt. Are you free tomorrow?” “I think so, maybe later in the day. What’s your number? I can text you when I know for sure and we’ll go from there.” The night was winding down and before she was physically ready to give in, mentally she knew it was time to go. She made her last ring around the dance floor, saying good-bye to her friends, stopped to get one last smile from Butch, before she headed out to her car. Feeling his eyes on her, watching her get in, buckle up and drive away, she couldn’t hide the Cheshire cat smile upon her face again.
Feeling the rushed leap from cloud eight to nine, Sunny sent him a text while getting on the freeway. Not expecting him to respond she texted, “It has been a fun night meeting you. I look forward to chatting with you more. Hope you have a good night and safe drive home. Sunny.” Surprisingly, seconds later, her phone buzzed with reply. “Wow, that was quick, you just left. My buddy didn’t think you were serious about texting me.” With what started another, more meaningful conversation, they talked on thru the night in text. Playing the ‘twenty questions’ with each other, getting a deeper understanding of each other, the conversations continued daily and on through that week. A first date was set for New Year’s Eve.
Sunny had big butterflies, tangled in a twister, as she was contemplating what to wear and what style to put her hair into. For the first time in a long time, she had truly acted like the girls she tried to blend in with just a few years before. After enough fuss, she was primped and ready to step out the door for another unforgettable night.
Butch knocked patiently on the door and was in awe as she answered. He didn’t expect her to be so beautiful and so down to earth at the same time. He too had butterflies, being bulldozed over in his stomach. He had also ended a relationship just a few weeks prior and wasn’t ready to jump into anything big, they both weren’t ready. This was just a friendly date on New Years that they hoped would be a ‘commitment free’ fun date. The butterflies died down after they relaxed and headed to a party, which helped to keep an open mind with all the chit chat that commenced. The night lingered upon the countdown to the New Year, ending with a gentle kiss, and an unmistakable spark of chemistry, burned brighter than a beach bonfire at sunset.
From that moment on they were almost inseparable, constantly keeping in touch, mostly through text, until they had time away from work to be together. That summer, Sunny felt trapped and had started looking anxiously for a place of refuge. Not wanting to feel the failure of having to crawl back home with her parents, she asked Butch if she could stay with him until she could find her own place that she could afford.
Moving in with Butch was a slight shock to Sunny. Even though they had briefly mentioned it in one of their conversations, she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. They had only known each other for six months, and she wasn’t sure how living with a guy was going to be, let alone someone she had recently met. Things had started to progress deeper between them, not just with the living arrangements. Sunny had realized that she could never live without Butch. They formed a friendship long before they formed a love.
Sunny recalled a cool night in October, when thoughts and feelings came together like a puzzle. They had a fun filled day at Lagoon with some friends and wound down the night at home, snuggling on the couch watching a movie. Her mind flooded with the infamous words, as the desire nearly suffocated her. She couldn’t hold the dam any longer. Her heart was overflowing with love for Butch. He glanced down to see her starring intently at him, and asked, “What are you thinking about? Are you okay?” “I’m perfect. I was just thinking about how much I enjoy being with you, and imagining if life could get any better………I Love You!” “I have been feeling that way for a while now and it is so good to hear you say it. I Love You, too, Sunny!” At times it seems we have the world figured out and our life planned out to a T, yet, fate has other plans in store for us if we just empty our minds, take the good with the bad, and live life to the fullest. 
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