We Met on a Bottle of Tequila...

Mr. P doesn’t remember the very first time we met in January 2002. He was too busy getting ready to go out! I remember stopping by his apartment with my friend Leah, who was dating his friend Ammar at the time, seeing Mr. P, and wishing he’d stay around to hang out with us for the evening. So since he doesn't remember, flash forward to four months later...

The second time we met was May 22, 2002 – his roommate’s birthday party. I decided to tag along with Leah again. (In college, we’d see each other about twice a year, so we didn’t really worry about who else was around – it was our chance to catch up.) About 10 of us walked from the apartment over to Applebee’s for dinner. Mr. P sat next to me (woohoo!) and ordered a beer…no food. I saw him eyeing my fries, and about halfway through dinner I offered him some. The F*@&er ate ALL of my French fries! (I guess I let him, though.) I got goosebumps every time our arms brushed against each other :)

After dinner, we all walked over to Schnucks. I walked with Leah, and told her I was going to marry Mr. P – she just laughed. We pushed the grocery cart full of booze up the hill to their apartment (such rebels, I know!) and Mr. P and I started doing tequila shots and telling jokes with the rest of the group. At one point, we were both done drinking, and sat out on the porch talking…before we knew it, the sun was coming up.

We spent that entire summer together – I practically lived there (sorry, Pop)! There are some people in life that you can talk to and never get bored. Mr. P is one of those people, and his passion for life is what drew me to him (well, that, and maybe his eyes…). We’d stay up late discussing anything – art, economy, even the Oberweis dairy truck! I never got tired, and rarely (if ever) got more than three hours of sleep a night that summer.

When I had to leave in August to head back to Mizzou, Mr. P was getting ready to move back to Texas to be closer to his dad. I seriously considered moving there with him. There’s a picture of us from about 6am the morning we said goodbye – I was headed to school, and he was leaving for Texas the next day. It’s not a “good” picture, but neither of us has ever looked happier, or sadder, at the same time. We each had a copy, but have no idea where it is today. We did long-distance for a year and a half, then he moved back to St. Louis right before I graduated.

In 2005, we moved in together.

On May 22, 2006, four years to the day after we “first met,” Mr. P called my boss and arranged for me to take the afternoon off work. It was a Monday, so I decided to take the whole day to spend with him! He made me breakfast (mmm, bacon!), and in the afternoon sent me to the Face & Body for a massage and facial as an “anniversary present.” I got home to a clean apartment (!), our favorite song playing (DMB “Where Are You Going?” – our song from the summer we met), and the lights off. Mr. P was dressed up, grabbed my hand and led me into the bedroom. White rose petals and votive candles were everywhere, and he got down on one knee…

Here we are today, married, and I still haven’t gotten bored. Ammar was one of our groomsmen. For the most part, I’ve lost touch with Leah. Mr. P and I haven’t seen his two roommates since that summer. It’s amazing how much things can change, and how they still seem like they were intentional. It’s like this crazy roller coaster that I never want to end...

I need to keep an eye out for that picture. It makes me smile just thinking about it :)


(note: some details have been omitted to protect the guilty!)