A Dozen Years

It all began (at least from my point of view) when Travis asked to be my softball partner in our sophomore gym class. Little did he know I had been playing softball since I was 6 years old. He said I blew him away because I could actually throw a ball, ha! We became friends and remained that way for the rest of the semester. After Christmas break I told Travis that my former boyfriend and I had broken up and without skipping a beat he asked me what I was doing that night. So what did I do? I gave him my best friend's number! We did hang out that night. And the next night, and the night after that. But we weren't considered boyfriend and girlfriend yet. I wasn't ready. My naive little high school heart didn't want to be in a relationship just yet. So I told him when I was ready I would be the one to ask him out. He must have really found something in me he liked to be okay with waiting! Any other high school guy would've left. January 22, 2001 was like any other day. We went to school, ate lunch together like usual, and spoke on the phone for an hour before hanging up. After we said our good-nights for the evening there was something I still wanted to say. I called Travis up right away.

"Hello?" Travis answers.

"I'mreadyforarelationshipnow." I sputtered out. Silence on the other end for a few seconds, I'm sure because he was trying to process what I actually said. Then...

"Yes!"

"Ok, cool! Well then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school. Good night!"

"Good night!"

And that was 12 years ago. It really doesn't feel like that long ago but we've been together almost half of our lives! I sometimes still feel like that high school couple, spending every moment we can with one another, walking to the Tasty Freeze down the street from Travis' family's house, babysitting my younger siblings, and talking about our future beach mansion one day. I feel so blessed to have married my high school sweetheart, to be spending the rest of my life with him, and raising a family together. To the man I love with all my heart, you still make my stomach flutter and my heart skip a beat like it did 12 years ago!

First comes love

Then comes marriage

And then comes a baby in a baby carriage