Sunday, March 02, 2008

How it All Started

Six years ago today J was a very lucky man. He got to pledge his life away to yours truly. I don't think he quite knew what he was getting into to, but thankfully he has stuck it out. Since it is such a special day, I will not be doing my usual week in review (please contain your disappointment). Instead, I thought I would share the story of how we met.What better way to reflect on your anniversary than to go back to where it all started....that little romantic hideaway....Stan's Blue Note. Yes, we met at a bar. So, go ahead get comfortable. Pour your favorite glass of wine, put on some soft music and get ready for a love story.


It was the summer of 1999 and I was interning at a public relations firm in Dallas. Fortunately, my college roommate and long time BFF, Kristen, also had an internship. So, we (meaning, Kristen) procured some fine living quarters at a local community. It came complete with weekly maid service, a pool, a hot tub, a fitness center and was in a good location. It just happened to be named the Budget Suites. Anyway, rumor had it that on the first Wednesday of the month the Dallas A&M Club hosted a happy hour and it was THE place to be for Aggies in the area. Kristen and I decided that since we were die hard Aggies we would be attending.


The first Wednesday of July rolled around and I was enjoying my summer living in the big city and working a real job (I was naive about the working thing). The plan was to still attend the Aggie happy hour. As the day progressed I started getting tired and thought about skipping the happy hour but Kristen called to ensure my attendance. I was still a little hesitant but at the same time felt like I needed to go because she was going to be waiting on me. As 5:00 approached and I headed out the door I noticed huge, dark rain clouds lingering in the sky. Was this an omen? No, I must keep going, Kristen is waiting for me. I was driving down to lower Greenville, when the clouds opened and a massive rain storm flooded upon me. Remember, I am a small town girl and was not used to driving in the big city, let alone in a big storm. After about an hour and a half of death clenched driving (the drive should have only taken me about 20 minutes) I made it to Greenville only to realize I was completely lost and confused about parking. It was another 30 minutes before I even found a space.

At this point, I seriously considered giving up and just going home. I was near tears and stressed beyond belief, but for some reason I kept going. I was just about to cross the street to the bar when a car drove by and splashed me with muddy water. At this point in the story you probably are thinking I am making this up, it sounds like a movie, but honest to goodness it is all true, every last bit of it. I am not embellishing at all. So, there I was standing on the corner wet and seriously unhappy, but again I kept going. Luckily I was wearing a black suit that seemed to absorb a lot of the water but there was mud on the purple shirt I was wearing under my suit. To make myself presentable, I went into the bathroom and turned my shirt around backwards so the mud wouldn't show. My hair was still frizzy and I have never felt worse, but what the heck, I was here now.


After I got cleaned up I found Kristen and she told me that a friend of hers had a table upstairs and we should go sit with them. I was not in the mood to really talk but went along with her, after all I had come this far. As we walked up the stairs, I rounded the corner and the first person I saw at the table was Jessie. I remember my immediate thought was "I am going to marry him."' I have heard people say this before and never believed it until it happened to me. That night we talked and talked. I was the one who offered my number. Jessie says he didn't think I was interested in him, so he didn't ask me for my number. Whatever. We had our first date a few days later where we met at Copeland's for lunch. From this point, our relationship was very off and on for about a year. When I came back to Dallas after graduating was when we became inseparable.


So, there you have it, the story of us. It may not be the most interesting or romantic story but it will always be the most romantic, wonderful story to me. Here is a picture of the cutest couple ever. When looking for a picture I realized there aren't any of just us two that have been taken with our digital camera. This is the only one I could find and it is from 2005. We were in Cancun, which should explain the sunburned faces and frizzy hair.




2 comments:

Michelle said...

Congrats! I remember hearing G talk about J's new 'interest' Jennifer..... And I remember meeting you in that apartment they lived in with Kenneth and thinking how fun you seemed.

Kristen said...

Okay, I don't think you ever told me about the craziness of getting there and I don't remember that! However, I don't remember much from the past without pictures or repeated stories. I do remember what the booth looked like we were sitting in, but more than that I remember the best part of the summer, the Budget Suites. How life was simple. The best part was you had the room w/ the blind window into the living room. So much for privacy. I can't believe we actually invited people over to pick us up for dates there. How lame!!!