Love Story Part I

You know those old fashion stories you hear about two people falling in love when they were way too young and living happily ever after. Well as cheesy as it sounds, that is our story. We are those two people. Of course we are living the real story and not the fairy tale. Hardships, fights, struggles, they are there. On the flip side, our love is immeasurable and somehow grows even stronger as the years go by. I wouldn't go back and change one thing. I feel so blessed to have grown up with the love of my life. I love our story.

It begins in the halls of North Medford high school. It was 1997. I was a sophomore and he a senior. Homecoming was a few weeks away and my dress was purchased. I was not going with Erik, we had not met yet. Well, he tells the story a bit differently. He says we had talked twice before this. I don't remember that. So my story begins in the office of our high school.

The last period of the school day for me was working as an office aid. I went around collecting attendance and delivering notes. The school day was almost over and I received a note from my homecoming date. He no longer wanted to go with me. Of course, I am very thankful now for this low ball dumping episode, but at the time not so much. So having the authority to pull kids out of class, I wrote a note dismissing him from his class and I was waiting outside in the hall. I was more angry than anything that he wasn't boy man enough to break it off in person. After I said my peace, he went back to class and I went back to the office not really feeling any better than before. My duties for that day were done and so I sat waiting for the bell to ring. I started to rant, "I hate boys, they are so stupid, I can't believe them!" On and on I went. Sitting right next to me at that moment was Erik. He started to talk with me and agree with me, consoling me in the way I needed.

Now, I guess I do need to back up a bit. Erik wasn't in the office that day just because. His story is a bit different. According to his story we had met before this day, twice. He had tried to talk to me after the gym period we shared. I was busy fixing the blisters on my feet from new shoes and so I only remember a male voice talking to a mutual friend of ours, Jen, who was sitting next to me. He also says he tried to talk to me in the hall, again through Jen, our mutual friend, I don't remember this.

To back up a little bit more, a few weeks early, Erik was praying that God would show him his wife. He was struggling with the concept of dating with no purpose and wanted God to show him the girl he would spend the rest of his life with. A few nights later he had a dream, it was my face, in a wedding gown. A few weeks after that, he saw me for the first time at school and there was no doubt in his mind, I was the girl. He has only had one other vivid dream like that and it was about his first born baby girl, Abby, a year into dating. See I told you it was cheesy, but cheesy works for us.

So, back to the office. Like I said his visit to the office was not an accident. He was trying to meet me. As I was ranting on and on, upset, somewhat flipping out, we started to discuss the reason why. I told this complete stranger, but cute stranger, all about my problems. I had a dress for homecoming and no date. He already had a date and so being the gentlemen he was, wasn't going to break it off. So, instead he set me up on a blind date with the drummer in his band and told me we would all go together. Um, okay, great!

I can still remember the butterflies that night. Not only was I going on a blind date, but I would also be with Erik. Britton, my date, was about 6'1'', so that was interesting. After that night, he had a bit of a crush, but Britton became a great friend and the crush became a lasting joke! He later was a groomsman in our wedding. Erik did manage to cut in once that night, and we danced for one song. I think it was at that moment that I realized I liked him.

We went back to his house to watch a movie after the dance. His date had forgotten a change of clothes, so I told her that she was welcome to borrow some of his clothes, that he wouldn't mind. He looked very confused when he saw her in his clothes, but I told him I had said it was okay. Too funny how I felt comfortable telling him it was fine that someone else had gone in his room with my permission and put on some of his clothing. Also funny that he was cool with me explaining this to him.

I remember, that night I kept looking over at him and that is when the real butterflies started to come! Yes, I did like him. A lot. So, even though Britton was my date, Erik drove me home and walked me to my door. It was very hard to sleep that night!

What I ended up doing with the pictures from that night!

The next few weeks at school, were interesting. We saw each other in the halls, talked, flirted, but that was it. I was trying to be patient, but it wasn't easy and I was not going to make the first move. That was his job. He tells me that he was playing it cool.

Then one afternoon he asked me if I wanted to go to lunch with him the next day. Butterflies. Of course I did, I had been waiting for this invitation, but I casually said, "sure." The rest of that day and the morning of the next dragged by so slowly, I thought I would burst.

Finally the bell rang for lunch and as quickly as I could, with still acting cool about the whole thing, made my way to the parking lot. Honestly, I had never felt that relaxed and calm around a boy before. On our way out of the parking lot, he invites a friend of his to go along with us. My heart sank. What was this? Again, I think he was trying to mess with me.

We went to lunch downtown at a nice deli. He ordered a Rueben sandwich and I told the waiter he would like soup with that. I was ordering a salad and I would eat his soup, again so funny that I had no problem telling him how it would be. I can still see the cute smile he had on his face that day, it's the same one I get from him now when he thinks I'm being cute. So his friend left early and finally it was just us.

Erik didn't have a class after lunch and so I decided that this was a good day for me to skip my class. We headed to the park that was across the street, the same park that he would propose in exactly two years to the day later!

Stay tuned for part II!