3 years ago

On April 2nd 2005 Tommy played a baseball game at ARC. It was a nice warm day and the family was dealing with the terminal illness of Grandma Shyrl. Dad being at work, Mom and I decided to take in the game.

A few days previously I had talked to a guy named Chris on the phone. We had been talking on e-mail for nearly a month and finally spoke on the phone. We had agreed we would talk on Saturday and on a whim I decided to call. It was a moment I thought I would never experience, a sheer lack of ANY expectations and I threw caution to the wind and decided to meet Chris that night for dinner.

Truthfully, the timing for me was all wrong to even attempt to go on a date. I was still in grad school, dealing with Grandma's illness and I was home to run a 10K the morning of April 3rd....but at that point I had NOTHING to lose.

I remember getting dressed, having Mom check my outfit as I prepared to head out. At the time there was an (IMO) cheesy Match.com commercial that said something like "today just might be the day I meet my match"......and I jokingly spouted something like that to Mom as I left. Sitting in the restaurant waiting for Chris I was surprisingly calm. I recall texting back and forth with Chris as our meeting grew closer and closer. I walked outside to meet Chris and remember seeing him for the first time and again being surprisingly calm.

The date itself had so many memorable moments, but what sticks out in my mind the most was the first moments after sitting at our table. I remember an energy, an excitement that was incredible.

Fast forward to today.....now 3 years since that first date and nearly a year that we have been husband and wife.

Life never ceases to amaze me.

This morning I had a chance to sit in my car and listen to an old cd.

It is called "The Real Thing" by Gwen Stefani

I've seen your face a thousand times
Have all your stories memorized
I've kissed your lips a million ways
But I still love to have you around

I've held you too many times to count
I think I know you inside out
And we're together most days
But I still love to have you around
And you're the one I want and it's not just a phase
And you're the one I trust, our love is the real thing

Don't go away
My love (my love)
I want you to stay
In my life
Don't go away My lover (my love)
I'm happiest when we spend time (it's only you and I)
It's you there when I close my eyes
And you in the morning
I never thought you'd still be mine
Or I'd really need to have you around