I used to see Taylor out at bars or football games and think he was so cute. He was my crush from afar but never someone I thought I would date. Or more accurately, never someone I thought would date me. To say my husband was a flirt back in his college days would be a major understatement. I was convinced for years that he only talked to me to get to my sister. Sure he would stop by my dorm room from time to time but I also conveniently lived on the all-girls floor...lots of guys found excuses to visit there. And hey, I met the guy because he was taking my suite-mate to a mixer! Plus we both ended up being in long-term relationships and by the time college was over I rarely saw or spoke to him anymore.
Fate has a funny way of stepping in when you least expect it and that exactly what happened a few years after college. I still remember where I was and what I was doing when I got that phone call from Taylor. I knew he didn't like me like that so I just couldn't figure out why he would be calling. Not one to be very serious, our conversations usually involved lots of joking so I never knew what he was thinking but somehow he asked me out to a movie. I had never believed in the whole "you just know when its right" b.s until suddenly I just knew it was right. Taylor felt like home and we just never looked back.
After a surprise proposal in Paris (yes PARIS!) we set a date and got married as fast as we could. We, like most married couples have had plenty of ups and downs and there are few secrets between us anymore. Sometimes thats a good thing and sometimes not so much. But above all he still makes me laugh and still keeps me interested. He is romantic and complicated and most importantly a great dad to our boys.
Being parents together has definitely brought us so much closer but at the same time has created distance just because of sheer lack of energy and time. We do our best to make small talk at night and stay as connected as we can throughout the busy weeks but the days of endless hours to talk and just be "us" are a fading memory. So this anniversary was just what we needed. My mom kept the boys overnight and we just made our plans on the fly. We wandered the mall without time restrictions, we didn't head out to dinner until 9 (unheard of in parent-land!!) and we took it back old-school! We watched football, ate good bar food, and drank college drinks. There was that point in the night where we both could have easily gone home and called it a night but we decided not to. Instead we stayed out late and danced like we were back in our freshman year. I am sure it wasn't pretty but we had a blast.
We laughed about how its weird that at this age you can go to a crowded bar and not run into a single person you know. Thats probably because they are all home with kids. But even friendless we had so much fun. It was nice to get carried away for a night and forget all responsibility and to REMEMBER what we were like before marriage and kids and grown up life. It was nice to carry nothing but lipstick and my license in my pocket. It was nice to check out my husband and remember that he is HOT! It was just nice to realize that underneath all the hustle and bustle of life and work and parenthood there is still our relationship. The one that kicked off the beautiful life we have now. And not to mention I believe celebrations are in order for every year you make it through marriage without getting a divorce...marriage is HARD y'all! It made me look at my boys a little differently tonight...they felt even more special because they are a reminder of how far we have come. One little phone call changed it all and I can't wait to see where else the story takes us!
Congrats on 7 years Beth!!!! :-) I wish nothing but many happy more for the two of you!!!
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