I was really struggling. I was 17 and fresh out of an unhealthy year long relationship with a boy 9 months younger than me. I had broken up with him a dozen times but always went crawling back. I didn't love him. Not true love anyway. This guy was a real ladies man. You could dump him and two seconds later he would have a new girlfriend. Me? I was everyone's little sister. Which is why I used to go back time after time. I was not desireable. I was not loveable. And I was really getting bitter about that.
It was February 2006. I was on MySpace and I saw I had a friend request. Mind you I didn't friend people I didn't know in real life because I was fearful of internet predators. This guy said he saw me on my best friend's page and thought I looked like a nice person and he wanted to get to know me. I remember sitting there, staring at the screen, silently weighing the pros and cons of this decision. In the end, I clicked accept out of spite for my ex. I wanted something to brag about to him. I wanted so much to make him hurt the way I hurt. So many times I have thought about just how different my life would have been had I clicked deny. I thank God for the laps in judgement that made me seal my fate that day.
It was so strange how easy it was to talk to this complete stranger, but at the same time, it made sense. He didn't know me. He didn't know who I was before my ex. He had NO idea the changes I had undergone. He didn't get on my case like my friends did. He was accepting, he was graceous, he was INTERESTED.
A month later we decided to meet in person. I was nervous, and excited and curious what he really looked like and fearful that I wouldn't be what he thought I was. We met at the local bowling alley that my best friend's dad owned. I felt safe meeting there. I knew where the security cameras were. I also took it a step further and brought my WHOLE family. I really did. My mom and three younger sisters all came along to meet this guy. It wasn't too awkward though because he brought a friend of his along too.
I remember EXACTLY where I was standing when he first walked into the arcade. I remember what I was wearing. I remember what he was wearing. I remember the first thought that crossed my mind: "YES! He's TALL!" And then he smiled. The most wholesome and honest smile I had ever seen. My second thought: "Wouldn't it be funny if we end up together?"
We played in the arcade for a while. It was so easy to be myself. To be genuine with him. We bowled and I wasn't afraid to show a stranger just how bad I suck at bowling, even though I love it. The time went by too quickly and before I knew it, it was time to go home.
Two days later we went to a movie with my mom and sisters. A movie that made me cry. That I knew would make me cry. And I wasn't afraid to be vulnerable in front of him. After the movie we invited him to fallow us to youth group, and he went. And he kept going. And before I knew it, we weren't just hanging out anymore. We were dating. But it was more than that, almost instantly. We were courting. We were talking about marriage and kids. And we had only known each other for a couple months. But we KNEW. Hands down we knew that this was it. That we were made for each other.
December 1st, 2007, we were driving downtown on 6th street. He asked if I wanted to get out and look at the singing Christmas cards. I said, no, it was too cold and too crowded. So we drove up Starlight to look at the nice houses and the Christmas lights. We got out of the car and walked down the street at the top of the hill overlooking the town. For the first time EVER there was an awkwardness about it. The silence was heavy and thick and annoying. It was like we had just met and had no idea what to say to each other. And that's when it clicked. HE WAS GOING TO PROPOSE! My heart started racing, and the moment was building AND some morons drove by and screamed "GET ER DUN!" out their window. Mood = dead. So we got in the car and left. We eventually ended up ant the Merlin Airport. A place I had spent most of my childhood. A place that forever will be dear to my heart. We sat on the bench looking at the runway, the airport light drifting across the hills. We just sat there for a while in silence. And then he got down on one knee in front of me, pulled out my promise ring and asked me to marry him. I said yes, of course and my promise ring became my engagement ring.
I remember walking into my house, glowing and my mom and sisters all looked at me at the same time. I had no idea how to tell them, no idea what words to use that didn't sound corny or cheezy or mushy. I didn't need to say anything. They all already knew before the words left my mouth. They were thrilled. I couldn't sleep that night. I was too afraid when I woke up this would all be a dream. But it wasn't.
It was hard picking a date to get married. I was a freshman in college and most of my homework was about weddings or wedding planning. In the end we settled on a June wedding. June 30th, 2007. It was beautiful, it was perfect, it was simple. Five months later we got our first positive pregnancy test. Haylie Raye was born on the last day of my sophomore year in college, two weeks before our first wedding anniversary. Our first little princess. When she was 16 months old, Haylie gave Brandon a piece of paper that said "Daddy, I'm a big sister!" with a positive pregnancy test. Alexis Michaela was born 25 months after her big sister. It's hard to believe that my little family might not be here today had I clicked a different button. It's hard to believe that something as simple as adding a friend on MySpace would lead to a wedding and two children.
It was truly meant to be.
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