Our Love Story

I'm linking up with From Mrs. to Mama to tell you all about my and B's love story :)  Go see Mrs. Mama and tell us about your love story :)

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?  B and I have been together for almost 6 years (in July - ok so it's not almost).

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?} I absolutely love our "love story."  You know how they say that you find what you're looking for once you stop looking?  Well, that is exactly what happened to us.  I dated someone I affectionately call "Satan" off and on throughout my first three years of college.  The night before B and I met, I found another girl's things at his apartment when we were supposed to be "working things out."  Did I mention that this guy was a total piece of shit?  Ya he was.  ANYWAY, my friend, Amy, had been texting me all day to go out with her that night.  I was so hung over that the last thing that sounded appealing was more alcohol.  I was so uninterested in going out that when I got home from work, I immediately put on over sized shorts and a t-shirt and settled in with the remote and my dinner expecting to call it an early night.  However, after eating, I got my second wind, called Amy and told her that if she could be ready to go in 30 minutes I'd go out, otherwise I was going to pass out.  Amy said "Deal" and I went off to get ready then we headed out to the bar district in Tulsa.  
I'm sure went to a couple of bars that night, but eventually we ended up at a place called Brookside Bar, where they sell drinks in mini-pitchers.  CLASSY!  So, I was talking to my friend, Joe, when Amy's roomie, Ivey, came up to me and said there was a guy who wanted to meet me over at the bar.  She pointed to him, I said I'd go meet him, but told Joe that I was sure I'd be back shortly. Well that guy at the bar was B.  We ended up hanging out, taking shots and talking all night. B's roomie, Larry, worked with Ivey's girlfriend.  Yes, I said girlfriend.  B and I were introduced by a lesbian couple at a bar where they sell drinks by the mini-pitcher 2 weeks before my 21st birthday.  That's a story for the kids right there folks!
Anyway, B asked me if he could have my number and take me to dinner later that week.  I told him that he could so long as he could spell my name (my name is not spelled weird, but most people spell it Susan and that is not my name).  

B also walked the stalker line that night.  APPARENTLY, we had run into each other (literally) the weekend before.  To this day, I do not remember this event.  In my defense we had a few Big Mamas that night before we were out for the night.  You don't know what a Big Mama is?  Well here you go!

MMMM

ANYWAY, while B and I were talking he told me that we ran into each other the weekend before.  I told him that he was lying because I was was in St. Louis the weekend before.  Then he hit the stalker line and told me that I was wearing a pink top, jean skirt (which could have been just about anyone) and some white wedge shoes.  I thought about that for a minute and realized that was the weekend before and that it was 2 weekends ago I had been in St.L.  Apparently he was walking one way and I was walking the other and we literally walked into each other.  He said that he looked at me and said "What up, girl?" and that I just looked at him.  He said that as we were walking away from each other I looked back at him (I was probably giving him a dirty look for getting in my way haha).  He says that for the rest of the week he had talked about this girl who he ran into and that he should have talked to her, but he was sure he'd see her again because Tulsa is a small town. (Tulsa has a pretty small group of single 20-somethings who go out regularly, meaning that you run into the same people all the time when you are out.)  
Anyone getting bored yet?  Don't worry, I'm almost finished.  Soon there after, Amy did what every horny single girl does, she decided to go home with her ex, thus stranding me.  B said he'd give me a ride home, so B and Larry drove me back to my apartment.  In the 15 minute drive from the bar to my apartment, I ran my mouth saying some pretty ridiculous stuff.  I think I was trying pretty hard to scare him off due to the whole "Satan" experience.  Well, it didn't work because he called me the next day and we talked for 3 hours (I made him stay on the phone with me because I was watching the Cards game and they started to win once B and I started talking).  A couple of days later we went out to dinner (he took me to a nice steak house) and the rest, as they say, is history. 


I graduated from college in May.  He asked my parents if he could marry me at my graduation.  Then we went on a cruise in June and B proposed on the ship after spending the day in Rome.

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}
We have been married for 3 and a half years. 

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? 

We got married in Tulsa in the same Church where my Nana and Granddaddy were married.  My Nana was one of the most important people in my life and died a year (almost to the day) that I met B, so it was really special to be married there.  We ended up having a pretty big wedding.  I have a big family, my mom is one of six and my dad is one of four.  We also live where we both went to school and a lot of our friends still live here, not to mention that I was only a year out of school and was still close with a lot of the girls who were still in the sorority.  Oh and then there was my mom who was inviting people to the wedding the day of the big event when she would run into people she knew.  Ridiculous.   I think we ended up inviting close to 350 and about 250 came.  It was so much fun though.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another?
Oh we have the normal "babe," but B also calls me "bandicoot."  I have no idea. 


6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
   1) He lets me be me. He has never tried to make me be something different, but he is my biggest supporter and has made me stronger and into the best person I can be.
   2) He makes me laugh every day, even if I'm laughing out of frustration, I am still laughing.

   3) The ferocity with which he loves our son. It totally melts me heart when I see them interacting.
   4) He's damn sexy


7. Tell us how he proposed?
I kind of covered that already, but here's the long version.  A month before we got engaged, B totally threw me off the scent.  We were at a wedding and I said something along the lines of "Oh do you think that will ever be us?"  And he said something along the lines of "WHOA!  Slow down.  Why are you rushing me?"  So, I was devastated.  We were about to go on this big Mediterranean cruise and I was so bummed.  We were in Rome on our third day and by that time I was fairly agitated. People kept asking if we were married or engaged and I was always super quick to say "NO!  We're just dating." in about as snide a tone as possible.  We were having our photo taken in front of St. Peter's by a woman B nicknamed "Blue Bonnet" and she said "Say wedding bells!"  And this is the face that I managed to come up with, it says "Please don't scare him off any more!"

Ah, gotta love my post-cheer body. Thick legged, thick waisted, no boobs (as though those ever showed up) all from throwing girls who weighed as much as I did in the air.

Anyway, we got back to the ship and started getting ready for dinner.  We had the late shift for dinner and I would typically take a nap after a long excursion and B would go onto our balcony and read.  However, that day I didn't take a nap.  Instead, I took a long shower, dried my hair, got dressed and went out onto the balcony to read with B.  As I was finding my place in one of the Harry Potter books (NERD ALERT), B looked up at me and asked if I was ready for dinner.  I told him all except putting on my makeup.  Then he said a sentence I will never forget, "Well here, see if this fits."  I looked up and he was holding my ring in his hand as he sat across from me.  I believe I said something along the lines of "What is that?"  And he said "An engagement ring, " at which point I started crying and saying "I love you" and "Oh my GOD!" and the like. After a few minutes I said "I need to go email my mom."  I then ran out of our room to get on a computer.  As I was going to the stairs, a woman stopped me and asked if I was ok (I was clearly a red faced, crying hot mess).  I told her that I had just gotten engaged and I was going to email my mom.  When we finally made it to dinner, the same woman was at the table next to us and as we walked in she said "OMG That's the girl!" and everyone congratulated us and all was super happy.  The other couples at our table said they had been talking about whether we would get engaged on the cruise.  It was so wonderful!

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?
He is absolutely NOT a flowers kind of guy.  In fact, he has never given me flowers.  When we first started dating, he told me that flowers were bad luck for him and that girls always break up with him within a couple weeks of him giving them flowers (I asked what he did to necessitate flowers being given), so he told me up front he'd not be giving me flowers haha.  I'm not a big flowers person though.  For V-day we normally go to dinner or get takeout and watch a movie.  We're pretty low key.


9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?
When on vacation, I'm totally a sunset dinner on the beach kind of gal, but normally I'm cool with a moving 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?

I'd like to just travel the world.  We have lists of places we'd like to go one day: Peru, Australia, Ireland, Hawaii, so many other places . . .

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

We aren't big V-Day people.  In fact, I don't think we've every actually gone out on the day.  V-Day crowds frustrate me.  I think my mom is planning on being here for that weekend so we may go out to dinner, but we may not.  I know, terribly exciting!

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?'
All I ever ask for is a card.  See above.

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

There are all of the cliches like "Never go to bed angry" and "Always have good communication" and the like.  Those are all true, and help keep our relationship strong and full of love, but we also laugh every day and I think that is important. It is also important to be a team and to always be the other's #1 supporter. I think it's also important to be physically affectionate.  Even if that is a cheek rub or a pat on the belly or a hug, touch is important.  And one other thing, never skip out on an opportunity to tell your SO that you love them. 

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