Six Years Ago Today...

Six years ago today I was a freshman in college. I was a sorority girl. I was a size two. My hair was cut to my ears. The Cardinals were playing post season baseball. I hate phrases like, “finding out who you are,” but I had absolutely no idea who I was or even what I liked and didn’t like. The only things I knew about myself were that I was a freshman in college and I was going to live.it.up.

But that all changed one night after going to one of Fulton’s classiest bars, Whiskey Wild. You might think that the living it up was just beginning after going to a bar, but that was not the case for me. As someone who absolutely did not want to date anyone right out of the gate in college, I had to get that idea out of my head. And fast.

Because there he was.

Now, I don’t remember much of the evening (interpret that how you will), but thank goodness I have my favorite memory locked in my brain. I saw him standing across the bar, him with a group of guys, me with a group of girls. He was wearing a brown and white striped American Eagle button up shirt, hair buzzed short, and holding a beer. It was not one of those made in the movies, love at first sight moments, but it was a man he’s hot moment. We met eyes for a second, and then went about doing our own thing. That was that. Lord knows I wasn’t going to go up and talk to him. Remember the girls I was with? Turns out, they knew him. As we made the rounds, one of them introduced us. He told me his name was Todd, and he played baseball at William Woods. And my goodness did Todd have pretty eyes! I never thought I was an “eye” girl until I saw those bad boys. We shared a dance. Which I hated. Not because of Todd, but because I hate dancing. Nor am I good at it. But I made it through. And afterwards his 19 year old self asked my 18 year old self if I wanted a drink. Ro-man-tic. And because my parents read this blog, I’ll leave my response unanswered.

And that’s it. We exchanged numbers and texted some throughout the night, but that was the extent of our meeting.  

The next morning I was talking to another sorority sister about our night. I told her I met a guy named Todd that played baseball at William Woods. She was a junior, and told me that she didn’t think there was a baseball player named Todd. I was completely confused, and absolutely sure I was correct on the name.

Let’s just say thank God for facebook. He added me as a friend, and what do you know – his name wasn’t Todd at all! Kyyyyle. As Lloyd Christmas would say, “I was way off!” Once the facebook relationship got going there was no stopping us. I tried my hardest to not get too attached, after all, I wanted to not get too caught up in a guy right off the bat. But I couldn’t help myself. Those eyes! I was stuck.

Our first “date” consisted of watching Anchorman in his room. Then I needed his help carving pumpkins for a party, and that turned into me watching him carve all of my pumpkins. Then we had a real first date – dinner and a movie. What movie? Oh, nothing too exciting, just Saw II. You remember I hate scary movies, right? I have always been terrified of them. Can’t watch previews, never watched ET because I coulnd’t make it past the first scene; it’s bad. But I couldn’t let Kyle know that, I didn’t want him to think I was some sort of baby. So I went, terrified. I watched it, terrified. And I stayed terrified for weeks! When Saw III came out and he asked if I wanted to go I filled him in on my secret. When he brought up the point that I saw the second one with him I was quick to explain that I liked him a lot more back then. For some reason he realllly wanted me to go. I told him if I was going I would close my eyes and ears for the entire movie. He said ok, he must have thought I was joking. I was not. I didn’t see or hear a second of that movie. And I will never watch another scary movie with him (or anyone) as long as I live.

One of his baseball buddies told me he only ate chicken strips early on. I laughed. I had no idea. And the amount of ketchup I have seen him eat over the years has to have broken some kind of record. I couldn’t marry a guy that only ate chicken strips, so we kicked that habit. And the ketchup has stayed, but I make him use the kind without corn syrup.

Early on, I would skip my classes to hang out with him. But then I realized something, he never skipped his. And he studied. Crap. I thought I was dating a baseball player, not a nerd. Turns out he was both. So after getting an awfully low GPA my first semester thanks to him, it never went below a 3.5 the rest of my time in college also thanks to him.

Speaking of baseball player, that was a new experience. I hated baseball. I had been to one Cardinals game in my life, and I swore I’d never go back. And now I figured he’d want me to watch him play. So I did. Every stinkin’ game he had. And he was a pitcher, so he didn’t even play every game. But I was there. The first game I ever saw was in Feburary, and it was sleeting. I was completely numb, but I actually had a good time. And it got more and more fun over the years. Without me knowing it he not only turned me into a baseball fan, but a Cardinals fan.

He aged me quite a bit after we met. Remember all of that living I wanted to do? Well, I never got around to it. I was too busy sleeping. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I went out after we started dating. I don’t think I’ll ever understand why. My two best theories are as follows: He gave me confidence to be comfortable with myself. Comfortable enough to know that I am not a partier even if it’s the cool thing to do. I stopped trying to fit in, and realized that I was much happier going to bed at 9. Or: I got the guy I wasn’t even looking for, I knew he was it, and I was ready to get on with life.

And get on with life we did. Six years later and we’re married. I am not a size two. My hair has grown. The Cardinals are still in post season play (whoop), and I’ve got a pretty good handle on “who I am.” I spent this day six years ago sleeping in, going to classes, getting ready, and going out to a bar. Today I spent it buying our family outfits for Christmas pictures, rocking our baby girl to sleep, cleaning spit up off the couch, and filing bills. Today was more fun.

Coincidentally, if you would have told me that night after I met Todd at the bar that in six years to the day our daughter would turn 14 weeks old I would have laughed in your face.

I’ve (I think we’ve) had a lot of fun over the past six years. And before you judge us for meeting in a bar, I think it’s fair to assume that God knew there was no way we were going to meet in a church. But I think He’s happy with how it all turned out.

And in the next several years we’ll have to get creative with the story to make it Leah appropriate.

This was his facebook picture back then. Do you see what I mean with the eyes?!