Part of the love story

It's 6am and there is only one thing that would get me up at this ridiculous hour - my blog! Today is scheduled to be a repeat of yesterday, completely full and me not home until 9:30pm so if I am going to blog, then it's gotta be now.

Today is our anniversary. And we both agree on that. What we don't agree on is the day that The Love proposed. I know it was May 30th and Lovey says I'm nuts. He has no idea what day it was either and keeps randomly picking days.

And that is the beginning of this love story. Well, actually it's not. It's the beginning of our amazing marriage. Let me start at the beginning of this love story.

Joseph and I met in Colorado. I was aimlessly wandering and he was attending the United States Air Force Academy aka - the Zoo. I had been working at a camp, Lutheran Valley Retreat, in the middle of Pike National Forrest and through a bazillion bizarre circumstances ended up staying in Colorado past the summer and living with an amazing family. I had no idea why I was in Colorado (at the time) and what I was supposed to be doing there. I didn't really have a job, money, and had left my car, clothes and most my earthly belongings in Texas. (I'll stop here because this could be a whole post in itself and time is ticking!) So, yeah, I was really wandering. Joseph, on the other hand, was doing the complete opposite from wandering. He was a driven man, with a mission, on a path.

We are so different.

So while I was working at this camp, I would come down to Colorado Springs and attend church. Joseph attended the same church. And that is where we met. I like that we met at church. It will come in handy with the kids someday!

I remember the first time I met him. He went to church with 2 fellow cadets and all 3 of them walked into the room, completely self assured and (I would venture to say) somewhat arrogantly. Hehe. (It's funny because his "2 fellow cadets" that were with him are still very dear friends that we just vacationed with! They would mock my arrogant statement!!) I am full of digression today, so please be patient with my rambling...

This college class that they walked into was led by the father of the family that I was living with and he liked to pick a topic and debate (with scripture as your backing) the different topics. It was a great way to have very lively discussion and really learn your bible. Well, in walk these 3 cadets who think that they know everything. And Joseph and I had differing views on everything. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. We debated each other quite a bit. In looking back now, we believe that we get to the same ending point, of a thought or belief, but how we get there is very different. If you ask Lovey, he will say that he goes the straight, logical route and I wander over the river and through the forest. (this post may be inadvertently proving his point!)

He always says that he thought I was cute until I opened my mouth. Hmm....

We did agree on one thing: We did not like each other at all in the beginning.

And that was the summer of 2000. We would see each other every Sunday at church and outside of arguing with one another we would never talk.

Then January of 2001, I went to a Ben Glover concert (I wonder what ever happened to 'ole Ben?) and Joseph happened to be there. I almost didn't go because I wasn't feeling well at all. I must have looked like I wasn't feeling well because Joseph asked me if I was okay. Those were the nicest words that he had uttered to me in 6 months. And he seemed to genuine. So I was nice back.

Digression Alert: That is still so indicative of our relationship even now. Joseph is always the first one to offer the peace offering and is almost always the first one to initiate conversation after we have had a disagreement.

Back to the longest story in history... After the Ben Glover concert everyone was going to have coffee at this coffee house in the Springs. It was snowing and cold and I almost didn't go, but Joseph was encouraging me to go so I went. While we were there, he was being so nice to me and quite attentive so I thought, "This boy isn't so bad." We ended up staying to talk after every one else left.

After that he started calling me and then ended up asking me out. Our first date was to see a movie, and because I had to get to the movie early (I used to have this obsession about getting to the movies, like and hour early. Isn't that weird?!) we didn't have a ton of time to eat so went to Fazoli's. I remember paying for my own dinner, but Lovey swears I'm off my rocker and that didn't happen. Hmmm.

And that is how we started dating.

We had been dating for a very short while when we went on a Spring Break trip together. We took a road trip through Arizona, to Vegas, then to Disney and back through Moab before returning home. We were gone for a week and I'm really surprised we got engaged after that trip. You get to know someone really well when you travel with them.

Shortly after that, Joseph got his first orders to (drum roll please) Minot AFB, North Dakota. I remember the day clearly. He called and said he got his order and it was to North Dakota. I had to get a map to even see where North Dakota was! He was surprised that he got ND and I was surprised that he got orders. I had no idea what the military was like. Completely ignorant.

So when he called and told me he was moving to ND, I think I asked him something like, "Do you really have to go?" (how naive!)

He quietly replied, "yes."

And I said what any normal human being that has been dating someone for like a month says, "Well, I have no reason to stay here, I could go with you."

There you have it people. We met in July (2000) and couldn't stand one another, started talking in January (2001), dating in February, engaged in May, married July 15 and moved/reported to Minot AFB, July 30, 2001.

And while we are already spouting off dates: Got pregnant with Caleb, Sept 2001 and had him June 2002 a month before our 1st anniversary. Moved across the country to DC and had Luke a couple weeks later in the summer of 2004. Started medical school that same summer. Moved across the country again in the summer of 2006, had the twins in 2007, graduated medical school in 2008 and voila! Here we are celebrating our 7th anniversary!! That is a lot to accomplish in 7 years.

While there have been many ups and downs -how could there not be with that much going on?- through it all I know one thing for sure. My man loves me with every ounce of his soul. And without him I'm not complete. I have documented for you all more times than I'm sure you care to remember how amazing my husband is and I will continue to shout it from the roof tops. In a world where husbands/fathers are absent, self-absorbed and distant from their families, my husband stands out!

I love you JKM and think you are a Rockstar!! My Rockstar!

(I am so out of time, but I have to tell you how he proposed!!)