Lets step back to August 9th, 1998.  I was a skinny, underfed, over worked, sleep deprived, poor, 19 year old college student going to school during the day and working at night for minimum wage to pay the bills.  Girls were constantly on my mind, but having a girlfriend was not a priority.  Time and money were slim to none and we all know that girls require a decent amount of both to keep happy. 

I would occasionally sit out on the deck of my apartment drinking beer (I had a roommate of age to buy it for me) and smoking cigarettes.  I would notice these two girls, especially the blonde one, who lived across the courtyard. They were the social type bouncing from apartment to apartment with all the neighbors having a good time.

Me, I am socially awkward to put it nice.  For the most part I keep to myself and am fine with that.  I could never go up and introduce myself to these girls, and I knew that.  That would have just been a blubbering mess sure to ruin every chance I might have of becoming friends with them.   So I just sat there on the deck, drinking and smoking, and occasionally glancing their way to check them out while trying to work up the nerve to go over and talk to them.

Then one day while sitting there I happened to be reading a PlayBoy on the deck when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.  I thought it must be the neighbor coming up to their apartment, so I rolled the PlayBoy up so that the neighbor wouldn’t see what I was looking at and then label me as some perv or something.  As I look up it was those two girls.  Oh great!!  Now what do I do!

I just sat there and took another puff off my smoke to try and look calm and collected and to draw their attention away from the nudie magazine.  Maybe they are going to visit one of my neighbors and I will not have to embarrass myself trying to have conversation with them.  Oh man, they are headed my way!  Now what!  What do I say?  My gut twisted from the nervousness.

As they walk up I noticed their smiles and their confidence.  They were on a mission…

The conversation (or lack thereof) went something like this…

Them: “Hi, what’s your name?”
Me:  “Jared”
Them: “What are you doing?”
Me: “Nothing”  (One word answers were all I could muster up.)
Them:  “What are you reading?”

And the blonde one came over and grabbed the rolled up magazine out my hand.

The Blonde One: “Wow, you smell good!  What is that smell?”
Me: “Brut”

The Blonde one opens the magazine…

The Blonde One: “A PlayBoy!”

…and she starts flipping through the pages.

I was waiting for her to be disgusted, for her to throw the magazine in my face, and for them to storm away, but they didn’t!  They just giggled…  WTH?  These girls are pretty cool!

They continued asking me questions, and I continued giving one or two word answers. 

Over the next few days we talked and partied a little bit and got to know each other pretty well…me and The Blonde One that is.

Things progressed and eventually I took her out on our first date to somewhere a poor college student could afford…Burger King and the movies. 

Step ahead four years later, September 7th, 2002.  I stood on the alter with The Blonde One in front of all our family and friends.

I never will forget how beautiful Momma looked in that dress walking down the aisle.  How I held back the tears, and how her smile glowed..even through the veil.

I never will forget being nervous saying my vows, but how holding her hands in mine gave me more confidence than I had ever had.

I never will forget how the Priest called us by the wrong names….and how we laughed about it later. 

I never will forget the reception where everyone was sloppy drunk, there was almost a fight, and people were falling down on the dance floor in their dresses….and how we laughed about it later.

And I sure as hell will never forget the wedding night!!! 

Well, it is exactly 10 years later and I am still happily married to my best friend!!!  We have two amazing kids and I would never ask for it to be any different!  If there is one thing that I could always count on over the past 10 years, it is the fact that no matter what random shit life threw at me that day, Momma would ALWAYS be there, waiting for me with her arms wide open.  She’s my rock and I’ll gladly admit that!

Happy 10th Anniversary Momma!

I will forever be grateful that you came over to talk to me that day and saw me for who I am, even through my nervous one word answers.