Plus One, Times Eleven Million. Our Story. Part 1.

My husband and I met in 2001.  Right before our Senior years of high school, we were both working at the same grocery store.

I still remember the first time I saw him.  At sixteen, I looked over to see this young man, and my heart just skipped a beat.  I remember thinking there was something special about him.  I needed to know him.  The only problem was, was that I was painfully shy. 

He was quiet, but much more social than I was.  We talked a little here and there, I flirted to the best of my inexperienced sixteen year old abilities.  I don't think he noticed that I'd developed a crush on him.  I tried to keep it to myself, but it was hard to deny.  Only two or three of my friends knew.  Time went by, and while he was always extremely nice to me, he never seemed to see me as more than a friend.  Finally, I had an opportunity to ask him out.  One of my favorite bands was playing, and quite a few other popular bands as well that I knew he enjoyed.  I asked him to come with me.  That took a lot of courage!  He originally said yes, but then he had to back out because it was a bit far away and his mom wasn't comfortable with it.  I don't blame her, looking back! 

A few more months passed.  I turned seventeen.  Then it was almost Christmas.  I couldn't take it anymore, I thought about him all the time and I just felt like I was going to burst if I didn't tell him.  So, I wrote to him in a Christmas card.  I waited to see him again, and didn't until after Christmas.  I almost chickened out...  giving him a Christmas card, after Christmas?  Confessing my crush?  I was so nervous, but I walked up to him at work and gave it to him one day.  I said I was sorry it was late, that I hadn't seen him around lately. 

I got a phone call that night.  We had our first date in January of 2002.

We've been together ever since. 

It didn't take long for us to fall head over heels for each other, and as all young lovers do, we made our own special way of saying how much we cared for each other.  Rather than "I love you," "I love you more," one day one of us said "I love you, to infinity and beyond!" and the other playfully responded "Plus one!  Times Eleven Million! HA!  I win!"  It stuck.

So, here we are, married since 2004.  We've been through a lot of life together, lived in a few different states, have two beautiful children, a cat, a dog, and we just bought what we hope will be our forever home.  I'll post more chapters of our life and special memories as I have time.  :o)