Well, since it is soon time for that special day I thought I would reserve this month, or at least the next few weeks, to talk about my marriage and the topic of love. It seems I haven't written too much about that on here. So yes I'll write about my favorite love story. Mine.
It all started the winter of 1998. 16 years ago. Wow time flies. I had finished my first semester at community college and wasn't set on going back. I'll spare you the details as to why. I wasn't in a good place in my life. It was terrible. I wasn't a good person and I wasn't doing very good things. My life was headed nowhere. So I decided to give myself another chance and start fresh. After seeing a commercial for a community college in the neighboring county I decided to give that a try.
Little did I know that once I entered these doors to the new school that my life would change. Forever.
During my first term Rob was in his second term. We had one morning class together but never talked. I think the only time we ever made contact with each other was when he picked me up and took me to the school on a rainy day. First term students had to park in the church parking lot a few blocks away and as I was walking toward the school he stopped and gave me a ride the rest of the way. We were both quiet. I didn't know him. All I knew was he spent a lot of time hanging around a bunch of preppy, ditzy-type blonde girls who were dental assistant students. I hung out with another group. Once I was in my second term and he was in the third those ditzy girls had graduated and were gone. So he joined another group of pals to hang out with and eventually I hung out with them too. Out of all the people in that group there were only four of us that really clicked. In fact, we formed a fun little clique which consisted of me, Rob, Adrienne and Carol.
The four of us hung out a lot after school. We did a lot of fun things together including sleepovers (yes Rob joined in too), a Hershey Park trip, several trips to the mall and whatever else we could think of to do. It was a fun time. I had a blast.
At this point in time Rob and I were nothing more than just friends. He had a girlfriend who he seemed to be madly in love with. I also started dating some guy but that only lasted a few months. In fact he broke up with me on the same night Rob's girlfriend broke up with him. Ironic. This all happened after finishing up our two years of business school. Seeing that my friend was heartbroken over his first real relationship I decided to be a supportive friend and help him through it. We spent a lot of time together. At this time I was struggling to find a full-time office position and he was working night shift as an auditor at a Hampton Inn. We hung out almost every day, talked on the phone and over the computer a lot. I guess you can say at this point we were best friends. Nothing more.
Rob really took me by surprise one evening during a drive when he confessed his feelings towards me. He liked me. I mean he really liked me. I was definitely caught off guard by that conversation. I had no words. I know it took guts for him to admit his feelings and I'm sure he was scared by my silence. I didn't know what to say. He had been such a good friend to me and I felt nothing for him aside from that. I didn't want to ruin the friendship. I just couldn't see us being anything more than what we were.
And apparently his crush on me was no secret. Everyone had known about it for a long time. Even when he was with someone else. They could tell. I was completely clueless I guess.
We continued to be friends for awhile. He was a great guy and so much fun to be around. He made me laugh, listened to my every word; a guy like no other guy I had ever known. It wasn't until we were hanging out at the lake near his house that I realized exactly what kind of guy he was and how awesome he was ... and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I did have feelings for him. I was in love with him. Why did it take me so long to figure it out?
Rob and I had so much in common. One being a love for God. I was never looking for a partner but I knew if I did I'd want someone who loved God as much as I did. I always enjoyed his sense of humor and the way he doesn't care what others think of him. I knew I didn't deserve a man like him but I snatched him up anyway. We knew we were meant to be more than friends and made an official relationship which quickly turned to an engagement. We married one year after that on May 18, 2002.
I love to tell the story of how we met and how we became more than just friends. It's my favorite memory. The two of us aren't perfect and our marriage is far from perfect but it's been great. We've surpassed many obstacles and challenges and yet we are still here making it all work. It truly is my most favorite love story.
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