The Story of Us...

People are always asking how Chris and I met and I've told the story a thousand times but I've never actually written it down.  So here goes nothing....

It all started on April 8, 2000.  I came home for the weekend from college.  It was my Dad's birthday and my Mom had Masters tickets.  Overall it was a pretty good day for me.  I was driving back to college really late and I stopped to get a coffee from McDonald's.  I was putting creamer in my coffee when someone casually asked me where the creamer was.  I spent the next hour at McDonald's talking to the guy.  When I finally got back in my car I called my Mom and said "I just met the man I'm gonna marry!"  Only....It wasn't Chris.  But that day when I met this other guy is when my life changed dramatically.  I had never been in love before and I instantly fell head over heels.  I dated him for almost a year and I learned A LOT about myself and what a loving and supportive relationship should be like.

Also on April 8, 2000...Chris packed up all his stuff and left Boone, NC and moved to Augusta, GA.  He was moving to Augusta to help his Mom at a restaurant that she had opened.  It's the day he left his ex-girlfriend.

Fast forward to March of 2001.  Me and supposed future husband split and it wasn't pretty but I'll spare all those details.  My step mom, Deb, had been pressuring me for several months to let her give my number to a guy she thought would be perfect for me even though she knew I was dating someone.  In mid April I finally gave in and said "FINE!" but I told her she shouldn't expect anything because I really wasn't in the mood for a guy...but then again I had nothing to lose.  I had also been set up on a blind date the week before by a friend...it's sad because I can't even remember that guys name.  He was really nice, just no real connection there.  Then Chris called a few days after Deb gave him my number.  And I SWEAR on my life this is exactly what he said on my voice mail.... "Um, hey.  My names Chris and your Mom REEEEEALLY wants me to call you sooooo, just give me a call back if you want.".....SERIOUSLY!!!  I was not impressed...but something made me call him back.  We set up a date and time to meet.  April 30, 2001 at Logan's roadhouse.  We had a blast!  There was an instant connection.

I did go on one other date with the guy who's name I can't remember but I never called him back again and I spent many weeks avoiding his calls.  I do remember getting freaked out by him on our second date when he said to me "My sister really wants to meet you."  I jokingly said "But, I'm really not into girls."  He totally didn't get my sarcasm...and that totally let me know there was no future for us.

I agreed to let Chris pick me up for our second date but I was so nervous I didn't let him come in the house.  I was arguing with my Mom about something and when I saw him walk up to the door I just ran out and said "Hey lets go."  He said "Shouldn't I speak to your Mom?"  I said "No. Lets go."  We walked to get in his car and he had me the cutest little dog in the car waiting for me. It was was wearing a big puffy vest and ski goggles.  I still think it's adorable and it sits on a shelf in my craft room now. I remember getting home after our second date the first thing I did was call my roommate from college and I said "Estee, I have found my future husband!"  She laughed at me and I said "NO!  Don't laugh!  I'm serious!"  And the next time I saw her she had me a wedding planning book.

So we kept dating and we were having a blast.  Then there was one night in August when we went out to dinner and Chris was acting very strange.  I kept asking if he was okay and he kept saying yes.  He dropped me off at Mom's and gave me a kiss good night.  And I thought that was the last time I would see him.  I really thought it was over and he was going to break up with me.  As he left I was heart broken and I said "Just call me when you get home so I know you made it okay."  I had never said that before and he just looked at me funny and said "Okay, I will."  That felt like the longest fifteen minutes of my life. I sat in my bedroom clutching my cell phone waiting for it to ring.  It did finally ring and he said he made it home fine.  Then as we were about to hang up he said "Marti.......I love you." I sat in stunned silence for a few seconds and then finally responded with the worst possible answer...."You do?"  Then he sat silent and finally said "Yeah, I do."  I was in such shock that I started giggling and then eventually said "Well good cause I love you too!" 

I think that swallowing our pride and forgetting how much we had been hurt by our last relationships was the hardest part, but once we did that and let each other know how we really felt things only got better.  I introduced him to most of my family and then he took me to NC to meet his family.  I was a nervous wreck but I seemed to fit right in.  We had been dating for eight months when we went out to dinner on New Years Eve.  I remember this being the first time I was ever annoyed at him.  We went to eat at Chili's and he asked for a table that was right next to the door so that he could see the TV (basketball season and a boy from NC...I guess he couldn't help it).  It was so freezing by that door that I could barely eat and he wasn't really talking at all because he was too busy watching the TV.  I was ready to go!  When we got in the car he asked me if I wanted to go anywhere else and I responded with a quick "NO!" because I was freezing and I wasn't in the mood for anything that involved not sitting under a heated blanket.

We went back to his apartment and had some Asti to drink and watch some TV.  He even tried to teach me how to play chess which was a lost cause.  Then we watched the ball drop and counted down to the new year.  He kissed me when the clock struck 12 and it was seriously the BEST.KISS.OF.MY.LIFE.  I was confused when he started pulling away but when I opened my eyes he was on one knee holding a diamond ring.  I gasped and he said "Will you marry me?"  I just started crying and laughing and after what I'm sure felt like forever to him I was finally able to get out a "YES!"

We had a long but fun engagement and we got married on April 26, 2003.  So this year we celebrated 8 years of marriage and today is 10 years since we met!  I can't believe how fast time has passed.  It feels like just yesterday when we met but it also feels like we've known each other our whole lives!  We joke about how we were suppose to be each others rebounds but we were really each others forever.  So there you have it...the Story Of Us and here's to many, many more years together!