Our Love Story

Since we are not too far away from Valentine's day, I thought I'd link up with Mrs. Mama today to share my love story with you! I know I've shared parts of this in the past, but since I have so many new faces around these parts, I thought it would be fun to share again in a different way!

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

Michael and I had our first "real" date in June of 2004. We tied the knot in June of 2008. So, as of June of 2012 we will have been together 8 years (Wow!) and married for 4 of those. I suddenly feel really old! 

(Fall 2004)

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

Michael and I actually knew each other in high school. He was two years younger than me and didn't really hang out with my group at the time so he wasn't really on my radar. My sophomore year of college I came home from Knoxville on the eve of my 20th birthday to celebrate with a group of my guy friends. One of them decided to bring a friend who would be his future college roommate at UT the next year. Yep, it was Michael. He really made an impression on me and I asked him to drive me home. He tried to give me "my last kiss as a teenager" that night, but I turned him down. What? Half the fun is the chase right? I'm no dummy. When I came home for the summer, I just happened to run into him at a gas station where I gave him my number. He called not too long after while I was on vacation to set up a date. I ended up coming home from that vacation a few days early just to go and the rest is history. You can read a more expanded version on this here. 

(Summer, 2006)

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}

We got married a day before our 4 year "dating anniversary" on June 14th 2008 and have been happily married for 4 years this June!

Fall 2007

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?  If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?

We got married in a church in our hometown in front of over 300 friends and family. It was the wedding of my dreams. The bridesmaids dresses perfectly matched the blue table linens, the flowers were all white and green and included my favorite orchids.

Our reception was held at an old family factory where the band played until the wee hours of the morning and we danced the night away. We spent the night at a local bed and breakfast and actually walked in around the same time of the morning as the rest of the Bonaroo crowd that was staying there that night!

We honeymooned in St. Lucia although things didn't really start off as planned. One of our first adventures as a married couple included missing a flight and staying in a sketch Comfort Inn that had blood on the bathroom sink. Ick! The rest of our honeymoon however was lovely and perfect just as it should have been.

Read more about our wedding here.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

Yes, we do have nick-names. Michael is kind of like Ray on Everybody Loves Raymond. You never know what he's going to call me when he walks in the door. I'd say his main one though is "boo" which I also call him. I guess you can say we've got a little ghetto fabulousness in us. Please excuse me while I go die of laughter.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

There are so many things I love about Michael that it's hard to narrow down to 3. I love that he is so unbelievably calm about things. It really balances out my type A control freak side that may get a little nutty at times. He aims to make me happy and succeeds most of the time. Most of all I am in awe of his love for me and our son. I give Michael a hard time (it's just my personality) but he is more than I could have ever dreamed of when it comes to husband material and I should probably tell him that more often!

7. Tell us how he proposed?

Michael planned the perfect proposal in July 2007 that included a scavenger hunt of activities for me that day. After a day of pampering I still had time to go find the perfect engagement dress and shoes before I met him in the Knoxville sun sphere where he popped the question. I don't remember a thing he said, but I said yes a million times (several of those being before he had even actually asked the question) and we ended our night with a fabulous dinner at the Melting Pot. Read more about our proposal here.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

Normally Michael is the type of guy who surprises me with flowers when he comes home from work. For Valentine's Day though we have a little tradition of Godiva and champagne although now it's more like Whitman's chocolates and milk.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

I LOVE having a nice dinner out that includes dessert, but lately as life as has been kicked into another gear, I rather enjoy watching the DVR cuddled up on the couch.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

We love to travel and I could think of no one else better to travel with than my husband. Michael and I dream of going to Europe for at least two weeks one day. Maybe our 10 year anniversary we can make that dream come true! 

Jamaica, 2009

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

My dad is coming up to watch Ethan one night the weekend after Valentine's Day so that Michael and I can have a little date night. As for the day of....not sure yet, maybe I'll make chocolate covered strawberries or something. We'll see!

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

Nope. Michael and I gave up gifts for each other a long time ago. Maybe one day we will get back to it, but for now, we have more important things to spend our money on like this little guy!

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Love is easy to fall into, but hard to keep. Never stop working on a relationship that is worth staying in. Find time to make time for yourselves and talk about more than just daily happenings. Respect each other and be grateful for who they are and what they contribute. Oh, and yeah make sure to actually tell them!

14.  Show us a picture of what love means to you.