The first time I saw LaDon Ray Linde Jr., he was coming up an escalator in the Denver Airport and he had on a pinstripe suit and long pointy shoes and I thought he looked pretty suave like and weird. We drove out of the airport where an African man took our parking ticket and the booth where he sat had his name on it and it said something like Lnagoiduren and LaDon made a comment on what a crazy name it was and I said, "At least it's not LaDon!"
We've been friends ever since!
LaDon grew up on a dairy farm and has a degree in accounting and married my sister in 2007 after knowing her for like 3 months or something, but I know few other happier couples in this world. He is tall and walks like a Mexican runner and has the deepest, loudest, ever moving voice, and talks about the gospel, and laughs, and makes hilariously inappropriate jokes and tells stories and listens and respects people and is a good father. He is the best. Here are some stories about running, one of the reasons I feel I am so bonded to LaDon.
One time LaDon and I went running in Provo and it was late at night and he just kept dashing through all the red lights and running into trashcans becuase he was all about moving and not stopping. Taught me how to be an aggressive runner in Provo.
Another Provo run occurred when my family was in town for Spring Break and LaDon met me at the hotel really early and we went running on the Provo River trail and I was telling him about one of my friends who was struggling and he was a good listener. Then he had a meeting and we were on the wrong side of the fence to get home so we just hopped it. LaDon is a good haver of adventures.
On New Year's a few years ago we all ran this race and LaDon was DETERMINED to run the 10k with me and all that jazz and so I was all excited and we got started and we're running and the first 3/4 of the race is all uphill and so it was hard and it was altitude and LaDon made it like halfway, pounding his feet, breathing hard, and yelling to everyone around how glorious it was that we were running, until he couldn't anymore and just told me to go ahead. It was a valiant effort on his part, but....
it just inspired him to do better! so he ran and we signed up for the Provo Half Marathon. It ws so funny becuase I came in town to run it and we were registering the night before and there was pizza in the trashcan and we ATE IT! Hahah it was so funny. Anyway, next day, half marathon, and LaDon beat me by a good 2 minutes! It was awesome.
So then he ran and I ran and he moved to California. I went and visited him and we ran these stairs that were SO crazy and LaDon ran them so fast and so good, and it killed me!
Also, one time we ran up this hill with this baby carriage and it was one of the hardest runs I've ever done.
One of the best running moments was when I finished my first marathon, LaDon came and watched and afterwards I just laid on the ground and rested my little body and there was LaDon, just laying on the ground next to me just completely dead and lolling around like he had just finished a marathon too, except he kept saying, "Krista. We got to run one of these someday. Me and you, next time, Krista." It was so funny, even in my extreme fatigue, I was just laughing at LaDon in my head and assuring him that yes, we would run one together someday. And I know we will because we are bonded running souls.
One time I was running and I was thinking about LaDon and I remembered this time that amidst one of our usual discussions about the gospel (which LaDon initiated, of course) he asked me what I thought something meant and I had no idea so I threw something out there and he just bluntly told me that it was completely wrong and hahah then i was scared to answer anymore questions, but it was honestly a very good, humbling experience for me. I wish more people were like LaDon when i said wrong things, or I would always go around thinking I was right and that is certainly not true.
The point of all that is I love LaDon. He is so cool and so kind and so blunt and so funny and so loud and so perfect for my sister Jamie. I like LaDon because he honestly cares about and for people, but he won't baby them. He makes them think for themselves and tough it out, but with the assurance that he's there for some good sound advice. He knows the church is true and shares that with everyone. And he's a goofball, which makes any moment fun. I am very glad LaDon is in my family and my closest circle of friends.
Even if his name is LaDon.
