seven

Thirteen years ago this fall I was 19 and had freshly been dumped by my first love, over the phone. I was starting night school and I was nervous. I had to re-do math and chemistry to improve my transcripts for  a college program I wanted to take. I was early so I went to find my classroom. I was the first one there and the door was still locked. I made myself comfortable on the floor in front of some lockers and waited. Pretending to read a book, I watched peoples feet as they walked past. Then I saw them. Hiking boots. My first love was big into hiking, and trying to be the best girlfriend on the planet so was I. I looked up and saw a skinny, nerdy looking guy with glasses, a big nose, and a weird haircut. A really bad, tight white t-shirt (with a little zipper near the neck. yuck!), faded black jeans and the boots. I put my head back down and sneakily watched him walk to the door and try the knob. He was walking with a girl (his girlfriend I assusmed) and then he walked away. A few minutes later the teacher opened the door and I walked in. I sat down near the back and took out my stuff. People filed in and then nerdy guy walked past and sat at the front in the far right corner of the room. He looked back and I smiled, put my head back down and told myself that I was still heartbroken and to forget about him.

The teacher told us that we had assigned seat and he called out our names one by one. When he got to me I was directed to the very front seat second from the right. 5 other seats were filled and then he called out" Mark". The nerdy hiker got put right back in the seat he was in before, but now he was right beside me. I smiled again, and looked forward.

The first night was hard, I was (and am) so bad at math. I didn't bring my caluclator and I was worried that I was already looking hopeless to my teacher.

I started walking out and "Mark" came up behind me and said hi. I thought he seemed nice, but he really impressed me when he walked me to my jeep that night. The parking lot for the school is a bit shady so I apreciated the gesture. He was parked close to me in a little blue/purple car that he drove fast.

I went home and told my Mom and my Auntie Cathy all about him. That he had hiking boots!, a last name that I couldn't even attempt to say properly. I told them about the glasses and the t-shirt (ugh). I am pretty sure they could tell that I was smitten.

I had classes twice a week. I thought about him all weekend,  When I walked into my chemistry class the next Tuesday the mystery girl that Mark was with was in my class. She recognized me, and introduced herself. She was Marks cousin (his cousin!) I secretly jumped for joy inside my body. Apparently he had noticed me the first night as well, but not because of my shoes, becasue of my Jeep.

On Thursday I dressed as cute as I could and I am pretty sure I wore my hiking boots too! We chatted a bit more and he walked me to my car again at the night. In a total stalker move I waited for him to leave and I followed him home. I felt like a total bad ass following him, I let him turn into his cul-d-sac and I turned around a left. He didn't live far from me, I was even more excited.

At some point in those early weeks I gave him my phone number. He started calling, and hanging out at my house a lot. I told my Mom we were doing math, but she knew we just wanted to sit at the dining room table and stare at each other. We were friends, and hadn't even touched hands and then he asked me out. I thought he wanted to go on a group date and I am pretty sure I hurt his feelings when I asked if his cousin would be there with her boyfriend too. He recovered and picked me up for our date in his purple car. I still didn't know him that well, and that night while we were driving I told him that if I went missing no-one would ever know where to look for me. He had driven to the beach on all the scary back roads that up until that point I had never driven on. We walked to the beach and then we drove to dinner.

Sitting at dinner he asked if he could ask me a hypothetical question. If a guy liked this girl, but the guy had a girlfriend should he tell the girl he likes? Umm yeah you should tell me you have a girlfriend! He did, and told me that they were breaking up. She was on vacation far away and they were breaking up as soon as she got home.   I told him that we could be friends, but that I didn't even want him holding my hands until he was single. He listened and didn't try anything.

He kept me updated on his relationship status at school and with phone calls, and then on November 4th 1998 he asked me to be his girlfriend. Really, he asked and I had to check a box in the card he gave me. :) All those nerdy things about him had become cute (big nose and all!) and I was falling in love.

Us at some point in our dating ( I am pretty sure this was for an anniversary, we didn't get all fancy for nothing!

Then after a brief and heart wrenching breakup (and makeup) on October 30th 2002 he asked me to marry him.

On May 22nd 2004 we got hitched! It was such a nice day, and friends and family told us that it was the best wedding ever. I still personally think it's the best one I have ever been to, but I am a little biased.

Seven years ago I married my best friend.

aww.... look at those fake nails!

Obviously a lot happens in 7 years, but I think that this last year has been one of the hardest years that we have had. A combination of money (or a lack there of) , streeses about the kids and our health, family life, jobs (or lack there of) has really shown to me what love can withstand. The kind of love that in one minute makes you laugh and then in the next makes you cry. The kind of love that make you want to rip your hair out and run away and then brings you right back in for a hug.

Even though sometimes there are things that I am sure we would both like to change about one another I am glad that I am on this journey with him. When I asked him what he wanted to do for our anniversary he said he wanted me to go to church with him today. I did, and you know what it was really nice to be there so I could tell Poppy all about our wedding day. We sat upstairs so we could look over the whole church and it was really nice.

This was the only photo I could find of us together more recently from Ola's baptism..

So here we are 7 years after the day, a little heavier (me) and little hairier (not me!) and a little more harried with 2 kids.

I wouldn't change anything.

(Ok I can't lie, 20lbs gone would be nice!)