Ty-Dye (As In Tyler and Tie Dye)

This is the only tie dye picture I could
find, and it was obtained through
Facebook stalking.
(It's allowed when you're married to
the person you're stalking).

Right around the beginning of September (before Tyler and I were dating), I was headed over to hang out at Tyler's apartment with his roommate, Robert. I spent a lot of my time at their apartment, and I was good friends with all of the men who lived there. It was not uncommon for me to spend a higher percentage of my time at their apartment even before Tyler and I were dating. It was relatively late, and I had changed from what my mom used to call "school clothes" into "play clothes." These consisted of a tie-dye t-shirt and soccer shorts. When Rob saw me, he said, "Tie dye, huh? You should ask Tyler Johns about tie dye."

I did and learned that Tyler had done some serious tie dying the summer before his senior year of high school and had then worn a different tie dye shirt (there were five of them) every day of that school year (including Prom). He was tired of deciding what to wear every day, so he simplified his life by having a perfect system. Each shirt had his initials and a day of the week written inside the collar. He had no way of knowing that the next summer, I would decide that tie dye was the coolest thing ever and tie dye various articles of clothing to wear to soccer practice. I was so obsessed with tie dye that I hosted a tie dye party, and my whole family made tie dye shirts together. It was a blast! Our tie dye also made us easy to spot as triathlon spectators and kept us together in Disneyland. I guess it was some sign from the universe that people who tie dye are awesome and should marry each other.

When I learned about Tyler's tie dye experience, my heart melted a little. It was a way for him to be different. He set his own trend. A group of his friends even planned a "Tyler Johns Day" when everyone wore tie dye. People look up to Tyler and respect him. He's kind and considerate, and I swear he can make friends with anyone. He also loves to do secret service. He gets really excited and gets the most wonderful smile on his face. His happiness is infectious as well as his laughter. For some reason, hearing about Tyler’s tie dye made me so happy. When we were engaged, Tyler gave me his Friday tie-dye shirt. It’s one of my favorite articles of clothing. It’s a piece of Tyler from his teenage years that I get to have now. It also gave me a peek into his adolescence.

Friday Ty-Dye shirt!
(and overalls because they're
awesome)

Tie dye may seem like a silly thing to confirm your choice of companion, but that’s what it did for me. My abundance of tie dye clothes has always been a conversation starter, but I had no idea that I would marry someone who was able to use tie dye to open up conversations and make friends. Tyler is incredible. I’ve never known anyone more kind and thoughtful and fun than he is. Everyday I wake up amazed that Heavenly Father put us together. Tyler has so many talents and strengths that I don't possess. It's a wonderful feeling to know that he fills in my gaps and makes me a better person. He loves me so well and so fully.