on how we met

Question today from Stacy:

how did you and tom meet?  i am thinking college but not sure. 

This is timely because a few days ago was nine years to the DAY that I met him.  It was November 13th, 2000.  I know this because the Broncos were playing the Raiders on a Monday, and you can Google that kind of thing years later to find out the date. :)  I'm kind of surprised I didn't meet him before that night.  I was a sophomore, he was a junior and we went to a REALLY small college.  I'd hung out with a couple of his friends since I was a freshman.  And, there was a ratio of seven girls to every guy at our school.  We NOTICED the guys.  I'm fairly positive that at any given moment during our freshman year, my roommates could tell you the exact coordinates of any hockey player on campus.

Anyway, so I was sitting in my on-campus apartment, watching Monday Night Football with my then-boyfriend when he decided to run back to his room in the dorms to grab something.  I was by the window and I saw my friend Gabe walking by with another guy.  Gabe saw me and decided to stop in.  They walked in my living room and I looked at Tom and I swear, I know it sounds cheesy and like I'm making it up after the fact and it didn't really happen this way... but it did: I KNEW.  I'm not saying I knew I'd marry him exactly, but I just knew there was going to be much more to the story.  

Over Christmas break there weren't very many people on campus, so I called him up (sooo not like me) and asked if he wanted to hang out.  I still had a boyfriend, and he either had a girlfriend or was just about to get back together with her... so... just as friends.  We stayed up for hours talking, it was one of those times where you just click with someone.

And after that there WAS much more to the story.  Me breaking up with my boyfriend.  Him breaking up with his girlfriend.  Us spending hours chatting over IM and doing our homework together (despite never having a class together).  Me going to watch his baseball playoffs and staying up all night with him when we got back, talking about how he was sad he'd be a senior the next year.  Me visiting him during the summer after my sophomore year, us coming back for my junior and his senior year and knowing we liked each other and admitting it to each other but thinking we could just be friends because we didn't want to date anyone.  Us both dating freshmen like three weeks later.  Us still pretending not to like each other and doing a VERY bad job.  Tom moping around because his freshman was not speaking to him because of  me.  Me meeting Tom's freshman in the parking lot and convincing her to take him back (?!) because if that's what he wanted (?!) then I wanted him to be happy.  Tom not speaking to me for a month or two.  Tom throwing a grill at the outside of his apartment once when he was mad at me (highlight!).  Us making up and being friends again.  Me dating a random snowboarder dude that Tom made fun of constantly.  Me dating the third baseman on the baseball team (Tom was the shortstop).  Us always still hanging out, eating together, studying... pretty much becoming best friends.  Me finally giving up dating anyone else because I knew I was supposed to be with Tom.  Me finally convincing Tom to break up with his freshman on the way home from us going on a road trip together.  Me going to Florida for Tom's last spring trip with the baseball team.  Me trying to ditch the third baseman who still wanted to hang out with me.  Tom finally knowing we should be together.  Me meeting my future in-laws for the first time on a trip to a spring training game where they sat in the front of the car and Tom, the third baseman and I sat in the back of the car together (because Tom asked me to go and then INVITED HIM ALONG - that could be an entire post in itself).  Tom deciding that he was finally ready to actually date me.  Me deciding he'd have to work pretty hard because I was pretty much over it.  Us going on our first date.  Us kissing on the porch BEFORE we left for our first date.  Us deciding we were officially a couple in Jamestown, North Dakota, during Tom's senior year regional tournament.  Tom then telling me he'd ask me to marry him in a year.  Tom asking me to marry him a year later.  Us getting married a year after that.

And THAT is our story.  I knew all along. :)

Comments

[heather]

i love a good love story :)
(and i'd read the separate "that'd be it's own blog post" chapters as well...)

[Melissa]

so cute.. great story but I really want to know more about that road trip...who does that?!

[megan]

awww, memories.

[stacy]

very cute story...

thanks for sharing!

[lauren]

yay! i love reading the stories about how others meet! thank you for sharing it with us!! feel free to expand on any of the side stories any time! ;)
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[anne]

I'd like to hear more about the grill-throwing incident.

[LeeAnn Howard]

Awww I love this story!!