The Story of Us

Matt and I have elected to have a very personal wedding ceremony, without passages or readings, just strictly about us. This may sound easy, but it's probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. Our officiant, a friend and coworker of Matt's, has suggested we tell the story of how we met, which again, sounds easier than it really is. 

In December 2009, my best friend Jenna and I walked into Chipotle for a late dinner. I had just gotten out of dance rehearsal and had my hair in French braids, and was wearing black tights with green and white polkadot boxers under them (suuuuuper cute). Needless to say, after four hours of straight dancing, I was not looking my best. But at least I had makeup on, right? Moving on...

Matt says he remembers being in line behind us and noticing us right away. I, however, remember sitting down at the table with Jenna and looking over to the table next to us and seeing a guy I knew from high school, Trevor, sit down by near us. He was with a really tall, cute blonde guy. Now, while Trevor is very nice, he was not someone that Jenna and I had any intention of going over and talking to. I recognized his friend (Matt!) from high school- We had a lot of the same friends but he was a grade behind me so we never really talked much. Plus, the whole French braid and tights thing… 

Next thing I know, Trevor pulled up a chair at our table and brought his Corona with him. Matt reluctantly joined him and sat down by me. He told us that he worked at the movie theater, and I told him I wanted to see Avatar for free. I was so into him that my brain was already turning on how I could get this kid my number. After a few minutes, they left, and Trevor took his Corona with him. Yes, to the parking lot. Jenna and I looked at each other and said "what is this, Vegas?" It was a memorable moment. 

As soon as they left, I told Jenna I wanted to try and see what could happen with Matt. The next day I was babysitting in an area of Fairfield that didn't have very good cell service. I found Matt on Facebook and sent him a message saying something supersmooth like "hey can you get me into avatar for free, here's my number." What I didn't know was that because of the bad service, the message never went through. The next day I had a message from Matt saying something along the same lines, with his number. Both of us thought we had made the first move. Thank God for the Internet.

We texted here and there for the next six months. I saw a few different people during that time, Matt dated someone for a few weeks at one point, and he was living in Sacramento for school.  Every time he came into Fairfield, which was pretty much every other weekend, he would text me an invite me to hang out at one of his friends apartment. Because I didn't know any of the people I always politely declined. Something always told me it just wasn't the right time. 

On June 11, 2010, I was in another show. I decided to have an after party for closing weekend, and guess who happened to let me know he was in town? The party ended up getting pretty big and I looked at Matt's name in my phone. Because I was always more comfortable on my own turf, I texted him and asked him to come over. He did right away and brought Trevor with him.We clicked immediately. And when I say immediately I mean like, we were holding hands within 10 minutes. It was so awesome. We hung out until 6 AM, when Trevor finally begged Matt to go home (lol whoops). 

The next day, I wasn't sure how to approach the situation. We didn't know each other super well, but I already knew I wanted him to be my boyfriend. We had taken a picture together the night before so I texted it to Matt to test the waters. He sent me one back that said something along the lines of "we make a really cute couple." I was elated. I was headed to Vegas the next day, but he was on my mind the entire time. As soon as I got back he came into town and took me on our date. We had a couple of chipotle dates following that, and on June 25, I decided to bring him out with all of my friends to a lovely bar called Thompsons. I remember wearing a line green dress, my grandmothers belt, and dying for him to ask me to be his girlfriend. Just after midnight on June 26, he did, right in the middle of the dance floor at Thompsons, and it changed my life forever.

Happy three year anniversary to the person I plan to spend the rest of my life with, and the father of the people this blog was made for.

Your Dad is Pretty Awesome

Dear Future Kids,

As you read this, the person you know as your dad is a different person than I knew when I first met him. You've grown up seeing him cook, paint, build things, do yardwork, keep the pool sparkling blue and clean the house... probably more than I do... but it hasn't always been this way. When we bought the house four months ago, he'd never really used a power tool, he wasn't one for baking, and he'd never touched painters tape in his life.

My favorite part of my life with him is seeing him turn into a family man. Without me having to ask, a wall of handmade shelves appeared in the garage, the dishes were done every night before bed, laundry was no longer a foreign task. This weekend we spent all day Saturday painting our kitchen and dining room- and he had a blast. He even chose the color (it's so pretty, isn't it?)!

He is so proud of our home and that makes my heart smile. I am so proud of the man he has become. He has always been so sweet, so kind and just a truly GOOD person, but this house has made him a family man. He is the most generous man I've ever met since my Papa. While our family only consists of him, me and our dog, it makes me so excited for the future- for you guys. You are some really, really lucky kids <3

A work in progress

It's not finished and in the process we have destroyed the house, 

but we are already in love with it.

Ever Ours.

I didn't start this blog with the intention of getting personal about my relationship, but I did start it as a gift to our future children. That being said, I want them to know from the very beginning what an amazing man their father is. There are times in your life when you pray for a sign, for something to come along that isn't just perfect for now but for always, and Matt has always been that sign. He is the kindest, funniest, most intelligent man and the idea of spending my life with him is the least scary thing I've ever imagined. He makes me laugh so hard I snort or cry, and he isn't even phased by the crazy shit I do on a daily basis. I am probably one of the strangest human beings he's ever encountered and he just watches and laughs, and I've known from the beginning he would always be my best friend. We were raised very differently but have the very same values, morals and desires in this life. Starting this new chapter has made me realize it isn't about how many people are present, what food is served, the colors, the gifts, the dj... I thought I would be a Bridezilla when in actuality, nothing seems more exciting than taking his name and laying on the beach next to him. Sigh. I just can't wait. Three months and counting.

I always steal his cups and use them for my own drinks... one day he apparently almost drank my apple cider vinegar and this is how he decided to deal with it.

The Point of it All

Growing up, I wrote. I really, really wrote. I wrote everything and read everything and somewhere around 18 I lost it. I don't know if it was the lack of being grounded and being stuck in my room? Maybe it was learning about parties and staying up late and not having my parents around to tell me what to do? Or maybe it was the lack of beautiful inspiration that caused the words to no longer be where I needed them... which is ironic because ages 18-22 were the most inspirational years of my life in terms of material. Nevertheless, having my own home, a wonderful job with which I have been blessed, and a man that I love have made me see the world in a new way.

I recently visited Her Sea of Love, which is a blog written by a girl I barely know but feel like I've known for years. She has been posting the most beautiful and whimsical photographs and entires to "C," her little girl, since before she was born. Reading it reminded me why I'm here- this blog is not necessarily for anyone besides me and my future. I hope that one day, when I am blessed with healthy little ones, that I can continue to document my and M's journey into and through married life. I want my children to have all of this to look back on- the internet can be SUCH a wonderful thing.