Today marks 12 years of wedded bliss for me and my husband. I woke up this morning to breakfast in bed from my children because they are awesome like that and some beautiful memories on my Facebook wall from my husband. Our song and the song whose lyrics made me fall in love with my husband. So I thought I would share our story.How it all began!
It was 14 1/2 years ago that I first met my husband. I was 18 years old and home for the summer from my first year in college. I had gotten a summer job at a local coffee place that he also happened to work at. He actually scared me a little at first with his tough guy exterior. I spent the summer getting to know him though. And right before I left to go back to college we went to play pool and then the movies together. We started out with a long distance relationship. I was in Florida in college and he was home in CT. We wrote to each other and I had a very high phone bill and then my grandmother passed away in October of 1997. I began rethinking a lot of things and decided to break things off. I thought I was missing out on things by having this long distance relationship. I completely broke his heart.
I spent the rest of that semester in college doing whatever I could to enjoy being a young 19 year old in college. And then I came home for Christmas break and went back to work at the coffee shop where I had met this man who I had no idea would change my life forever. He didn't say a word to me the entire time I was home. He mostly avoided me and I avoided him. On my last day unknown to me he had snuck a note into my coat pocket. I left work and went home to finish packing. Since I wouldn't need my winter coat in FL I was going to wash it before I left so I was emptying the pockets when I found a note in there with these words:
I can't hide the way I feel about you anymoreI was trying to figure out who it was from. It wasn't signed and I didn't know when or how anyone could have put this in my coat pocket. It had to be someone at work, it had to be my ex, but why? He hadn't spoken to me the entire time I was home. I had to find out. I drove back to work and we talked about things. I wasn't ready to get back into another long distance relationship though. Why did he wait until that moment?
I can't hold the hurt inside, keep the pain out of my eyes anymore
My tears no longer waiting, my resistance ain't that strong
My mind keeps recreating a life with you alone
And I'm tired of pretending I don't love you anymore
Let me make one last appeal to show you how I feel about you
'Cause there's no one else I swear that holds a candle anywhere next to you
My heart can't take the beating, not having you to hold
A small voice keeps repeating deep inside my soul
It says I can't keep pretending I don't love you anymore
I've got to take the chance or let it pass by
If I expect to get on with my life
My tears no longer waiting, oohh my resistance ain't that strong
But my mind keeps recreating a life with you alone
And I'm tired of pretending I don't love you anymore
I went back to college to finish out my 2nd year. I wasn't really sure what to do about this. I found out those words were lyrics and not something he had written himself (I am not a country music fan people I had no clue). It was always in the back of my mind, but I dated and enjoyed my time in college and came home for the summer.
I didn't have any intentions of starting things up again.
I came home and went back to work at the coffee shop. And on May 4, 1998 I decided things were worth exploring again. Since I was home for a few months I thought this would give me some time to really date and get to know this man. It was a whirl wind romance. I fell fast and I fell hard. Before I knew it I was pregnant with our oldest, we were moving in together, and I was transferring to a community college all while making my parent's head explode.
We held off on getting married!
I didn't want to get married just because I was pregnant. So we waited until after our daughter was born. Actually, we waited 10 months. We married on March 4, 2000 in our home. It was a small ceremony with only my cousin, my parents, my husband's brother, his nephew (he lived with us at the time), and my husband's grandmother. It wasn't the dream wedding, but it was to my dream guy and here we are 12 years later, 3 more children, one angel in heaven, and still very much in love. So many people didn't think this would last. The way our marriage began probably isn't the ideal situation. And it hasn't been without its struggles of course. But we are still together and I wouldn't change a thing.
Happy 12th Anniversary to the man who swept me off my feet!
