how we met

Hello again. It's been awhile since I rapped at ya (I don't remember what that reference is from, but I picked it up somewhere), so time for another blog.

Sunday, June 7, will be our 6th wedding anniversary. That's right, Jenny and I have been married for 6 years already, and we've been together for 11 years. Since I'm 29, that qualifies as more than a third of my life- wow. It's interesting how things come together. We met online not only before meeting online became popular, but even before meeting online was considered embarrassing. Some of you have probably never heard of ICQ, but it was the original instant messaging client, before there was AIM, MSN or Yahoo messenger, and well before there was Myspace or Facebook. We both would chat with people on ICQ, and she happened to find me and start talking to me one night (while I was "working hard" at my computer lab job).

We chatted every day for about a week, and then I made the next step and suggested that we meet in person. Our first date was actually a group date, where we saw a Shakespeare play at SIUE, and then went out to IHOP afterward (or was it Waffle House? Denny's? I don't remember...) The first date went well, so we continued seeing each other. This was toward the end of the spring semester, and soon she went back to Macomb, IL for the summer. I went to Macomb to see her soon after for her birthday, and at least for me, that's when things changed and became more serious. We saw each other at least a few more times over the summer, and talked a lot when we were apart.

Once the Fall semester started up and we could be together a lot more, we continued getting closer, and it soon became evident that we were in love. I was very hesitant to say those words, because she had told me that when her previous boyfriend told her that he loved her, she was, well, let's just say she was not at all impressed and she let him know it. But, because I knew it was real, I took my chances, and she did something that I still haven't gotten use to- she immediately responded back with "I love you too". No thought, no hesitation, no games, she knew how she felt, and she wasn't afraid to say it.

We talked about getting married, and decided to wait until we had graduated college before actually going through with it. So, Christmas day of our last year in college, I gave her a Build-a-Bear in a wedding dress as her gift. She thanked me for the bear and started to set it aside, so I had to suggest that she pay closer attention to the bear. She found the ring, I asked her to marry me, and just like when I told her that I loved her, she just immediately said "yes", before I had even finished my sentence. No thought, no hesitation.

Fast-forward to our wedding day... I remember the pastor saying not to expect the wedding day to be perfect, because it never is- something always goes wrong. Well...our wedding day was perfect. I can't think of a single thing that went wrong. A lot of the credit for that goes to our wonderful parents! Soon after, we honeymooned in Jamaica at the Couples Ocho Rios resort, which was absolutely beautiful. We had a lot of fun there, and we hope to get back to Jamaica sometime.

Now, 6 years later, a lot has changed in our lives- we've gotten accustomed to the married life. We have a house, lots of bills, and a wonderful dog, Penny, who is very much a part of our family. And I am just as much in love with my wonderful wife as I have ever been. I couldn't ask for a kinder, more caring person to spend my life with. We have a lot of fun together, whether we're running around busy, chatting, or just sitting quietly next to each other. Plus, it certainly doesn't hurt that I think she has become more beautiful through the years! So, happy (early) anniversary to my wonderful wife, and here's to many more happy years together! I'm not sure how I got so lucky as to be with you, but I'm sure glad I did!

-Douglas