CELEBRATING OUR LOVE STORY

Yesterday Mike and I celebrated 10 years since we started dating, for the third time :)
Let me fill you in a little bit...

We first met in grade school, yes...grade school! Mike and his family moved to our town when he was in 4th grade, I was in 3rd. It just so happened that he made friends with my best friend's older brother. We were together often because of our friends, but of course when you're 9 and 10 years old you didn't talk to one another especially when they were in different grades. So we went to school together through 8th grade, never really talking to each other. Our town has a high school, but when Mike was going into his freshman year he transferred to one of the private all boy schools in the city. The following year when I started my freshman year, I transferred to one of the private all girls schools in the city.
It was the spring of my freshman year when I ran into Mike at the movies. He says that when we saw each other he knew there was something, me on the hand, was in awe that a) he actually remembered me and b) was actually talking to me. He was one of those dreamy, cute guys in middle school with the bowl cut....yes I know you know what I'm talking about :)
We started talking on Instant Messenger (remember those days with the dial up internet? Classic right?) There we planned out our first 'group' date since I wasn't allowed to date by myself until I was 16.
We planned it all out. We would meet at the movies with our friends under the stars...(at the theatre there's a shooting star light thing in the concession area)...we were so corny!
Our date night finally came, we met, found a seat in the theatre and of course my heart was pounding. I still remember what we both wore on this date and how I was completely distracted with the fact that I was actually sitting next to this cute guy that so many of my grade school friends would daydream about. It wasn't until much later that I learned how nervous he was about that date. He pulled his 'move' on me...I STILL laugh at his move....he slowly moved his fingers one by one until he touched my hand to hold it. We shared our first kiss at the end of the movie when everyone had left the theatre. Although, I was very young, I had experienced that kind of love for the first time.
It would make everyone sigh "awww" if I were to tell all of you that we stayed together ever since that first date, but then it wouldn't have been interesting. We ended up breaking up....3 weeks later. That's young love for you!


We did date again over the next summer, broke up and then decided to date AGAIN the following October (third time's a charm, right?). I am so thankful for each breakup we had because we were both able to date other people and figure out what we did and didn't want.




The October that we got back together for the third time, I was a junior and Mike a senior. We have had many ups and downs. We dealt with a high schooler dating a college freshman, losing and making new friends, going to college together, going to college in different states, family loses, vacations, internships, friends with severe illnesses, marriage, moving away from everything we had ever known, being completely broke with eight cents in our checking account, starting completely over, and babies. It has been the ride of my life and I wouldn't change one second of it.




College graduation.


Finally married!


Seal Beach, CA




Celebrating one of my best friend's wedding in Nebraska City.


Welcoming our new little family member.

I often refer to Mike as my answered prayer, I would pray every night with my mom to God asking Him to help me find a good husband and man did He deliver!
I love Mike so much it hurts sometimes. He's seen me at my best and my worst, he knows me inside and out. I am and will be forever grateful that God created Mike and sent him to me.
Happy Anniversary babe....I can't wait to see what the next ten bring!