Us.

ok, this is long... but I have been wanting to write this up for myself and finally had the opportunity. Enjoy.

I started playing homeschool basketball in 7th grade and ever so often the guys would come over to the girls practice when they were through. (Nat was on the boys team) I never thought anything of it... To me, boys werent a priority. So that was when we first saw each other.... I was told later that when he saw me he was in awe of me and thought I was the most beautiful thing on the face of the earth.. which, 7th grade is the MOST awkward time in a girls life and lets be honest, probably not her most flattering. Who knows how true that is. :) Any ways... so time went on and he never said a word to me and I never said a word to him. We would see each other at games and ever so often at practices. Eventually, the girls basketball coach quit and so the guys coach (who was Nats dad, and now my father in law) took over the girls team. So we would practice together and eventually, I kinda began to notice him. I always kinda thought he was just a goofy 'ol boy and that he really liked girls cuz he was always flirting, which I later learned that he was just such a sweet guy and helped anyone with anything. But in the mean time, he was a flirter and all the girls on the team would talk about how Nat flirted sooooo much. 

Still nothin... for years we never spoke but saw each other several times a week. I met a girl at church who was homeschooled and I got her to play basketball and we became close friends. She was a bit boy crazy so she was always talking with the guys.. Her and I started to hang out with one of the guys who just happened to be Nats good friend. Me and this guy kinda "dated" if you can even call it that (just a dumb stupid time in my life) But really, not so stupid cuz its what got Nat and I to talk. So it would always be the 4 of us hangin out. Me, my friend, this other guy and Nat. We had lots of good times together. 

I eventually kinda felt like this Nat guy might have feelings for me. I got this from little things that he would do for me and say to me. He made me feel more special than this other guy that I was "dating."  We eventually weren't together anymore so it kinda made things awkward for the 4 of us to hang out. So we stopped but, Nat and I had kinda developed a friendship over these past few months of hangin out, so we would still talk at basketball games and practices. I still had a hint in my head that he might kinda like me. Over time, we would go places together and I really started to like this guy! He was sooooo sweet and he opened the doors for me (even when we werent dating)  he payed for everything we did, and the best thing of all is that he respected me. He was the definition of a gentlemen and I LOVED that. He made me feel like I was the most beautiful, special most important person on the face of the earth.  I knew deep down inside that there was something very special about this guy.

At this point, there was no denying that he liked me and there was no denying that I liked him.  We always went to Buffalo Wild Wings, that was just our place. One evening while we were there, the topic turned to marriage and I was shakin like a leaf. (I was the most nervous, freaked out person when it came to the opposite sex.) He told me something that absolutely devastated me and shook me up pretty bad. Basically, I wasn't the one for him and we were just gonna be really good friends. I got really quiet and upset but tried so very hard not to let it show, after all, we were only friends. I later learned that I was VERY obvious in the fact that I was upset and that was his sure sign that I liked him. JERK!! Anyways... I got in my car and I balled my eyes out and I called my friend to tell her the news. I kinda shut myself down after that and had to turn my feelings for him off. We would still hang out but it just wasn't the same. He was going on a trip for a few weeks with his family and I figured after that, we probably wouldnt talk much. But I was so wrong. We started texting each other and racked up some pretty nice texting bills that he so generously payed. 

It was January 6, 2006 (he was on his family vacation) around midnight I was layin in my bed thinkin  about him and wondering why on earth God would put these feeling in me and then slam the door in my face. We were kinda texting back and forth and things turned kinda serious and he told me (yes, over text... LOSER) (I still tease him about it to this day) that he loved me and that he had feelings for me and wanted to take things further and wanted to know if I would be his girl friend. WHAT?!?! IS THIS REAL??? ARE YOU SERIOUS?? ARE YOU PLAYING A JOKE ON ME?? YES!!!!!!!!!!!! We had been best friends for a year and I had been waiting (but never thought he would) for him to do something cuz I just knew (even tho he broke my heart into a million trillion pieces just a few months before) that he was the one for me!!! I went in the bathroom and threw up (not even kidding) cuz I was so excited, freaked out, scared, and nervous. I woke my sister up and told her the news and she was soo excited for me. She had been on this roller coaster ride with me cuz she knew about everything in our relationship. I couldnt sleep after that. WE WERE DATING! It finally happened!! I couldnt stop thinking He is my boyfriend... omg...

He came back from his trip and we had our first little date (and many MANY more to follow) at Sonic. He brought me flowers and a little box full of goodies that he had collected for me while on his trip. We had ice cream and just talked. He had my heart and I was in love with this boy.  I was sooo terribly afraid that he was going to try and kiss me on the first date and that would have freaked me out!! He didnt and I was so relieved. 

We did everything together. We went to the movies atleast once a week. He took me out to eat atleast once a day. He bought me whatever I wanted and then some. We wold go on walks on the river and talk. We spent ALOT of time walking around Wal Mart talking. We would sit at sonic all the time and just talk and get to know each other. We spent every waking moment together. He would get off work and come to my house and we would eat dinner and then go do one of the above. He was head over heels for me and would do anything for me. We would go to late late movies and he would have to get up early the next morning and go to work. We went to church together. We were in love, there was no doubt about it! 

October  7, 2006 after 10 months of dating (it was my birthday.) He told me he had this whole evening planned out for us. I later learned he had no earthly idea what he was going to do. (Isnt it funny the things you learn AFTER you get married)?? We went and ate at Fuentes and then we went to the dam and walked. I thought it was kinda strange but ok... We walked for forever and then he started talking serious (I kinda started thinkin here...) telling me that these past few months have been the best of his life (He is so going to propose!!)  and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and he stopped and pulled the ring out of his pocket and put it on my finger. Uh.. my heart melted and I was speechless! I eventually mustered up a yes...

In a few short months, we will celebrate our 2 year anniversary... Im sure that you will hear the rest of the story then!