5 Years Ago Today - The Story of Us

Five years ago today, on June 8, 2007, Andy and I went our first date and we've never looked back ;)  People ask us all the time how we met, so I'll tell the story to all of you now.

It actually began on May 14, 2007.  I had ended a long-term relationship and was looking to branch out on my own for a bit.  I didn't really trust myself to pick out a guy since I'd done pretty bad in the past.  As fate would have it, an eHarmony commercial came on TV that night, you know the one they show advertising free viewing of your matches.  That very night, I went online and filled out my profile to get my matches.  That night there were four matches and online one really interested me.  There was one guy named Andrew who talked about being ambitious and funny, etc.  Unfortunately, without paying you can't see a picture.  I decided to wait and think about it before committing any money.

The next morning, I woke up to an email, saying that Andrew had contacted me.  I couldn't contact unless I paid, so I thought about it that whole morning while I was at my summer course.  It was election day, so when I went out to vote with my mom, I talked to her about it.  She thought that since it was the only one I was interested in, that I should go for it.  She figured the creeps out there wouldn't be willing to pay for a service like that.

I decided to get the year subscription since it was the cheapest per month.  Little did I know at the time that I probably only needed two weeks.  Andrew and I went back and forth via the steps of communication that eHarmony sets up.  Finally we exchanged phone numbers.  On Memorial Day, while celebrating at my grandparents' house we had our first phone call.  I was outside playing with my cousins and my cousin, Ava, who was only 3 at the time, grabbed my cell and screamed into it.  I could've died on the spot, figuring that I'd never meet this guy, who had become Andy instead of Andrew over the past few weeks.  Turned out he liked kids and didn't hold it against me. 

We spent the next two weeks talking on the phone every single night, learning what we could about each other.  We'd spend about 3 hours talking every night and I laughed the whole time.  He was just so much fun!  Finally, we got around to setting up a first date and he was so accommodating about it, offering to let me bring a friend, or even my mom, since he knew it could be scary meeting someone from the internet.  I decided that I could go on my own, and he even picked a place closer to my house than his.  We were set to meet at Bravo's on June 8.

I remember waiting around all day for the time to get ready.  This guy seemed way too good to be true and I had body image issues, so even though I was at my lowest in years, I wasn't sure it was good enough.  I remember sitting out in the car in the rain, mentally talking myself out of the car, I was so nervous.  I knew he was already inside because he'd told me what kind of car he drove.  I worked up the courage to go in (thank goodness), and he looked up at me, flashed his smile, winked, and said, "Look at you."  We had an amazing time at dinner and even sat in the Starbucks at the Barnes and Noble across the street talking until almost midnight.  That was the beginning of us as a couple.

This was my profile picture and along with a pic of me in a suit at my brother's confirmation is a big part of what attracted Andy to my profile.  He liked that I could be versatile and in this red dress, called me gorgeous.  I thought he was joking or being cheesy because no guy had ever called me that before.

For the first couple of months, we spent almost every single day together.  This is him at one of the Pitt football games where I was performing in September 2007.

The first time he took me up to Penn State in September 2007.

Hanging with friends in the early days.

Making muffins in the kitchen when we were living in Washington (2007).

 

 Above we are pictured together just before Christmas.  I had joined eHarmony expecting to date for a while and certainly wasn't expecting anything serious for a while.  We got serious fast and by Christmas had already been to the jeweler to design my engagement ring, although we weren't officially engaged yet.

Our first Christmas together (2007).

The night we got engaged (January 31, 2008).  We had dinner at the Tin Angel on Mount Washington, and after dinner he took me to a lookout point and got down on one knee.  We had wedding pictures taken on that same platform only 15 months later.

Going out for our first Valentine's Day to the Grand Concourse (2008).

Sealing the deal with a kiss on May 9, 2009, only 23 months after the day we met.

June 8 always holds a special place in our heart and is doubly special, since on June 8, 2009 we found out that we were pregnant with Brady.  It's really hard to believe that it's been five whole years and at the time I was only 21 and Andy was only 24.  We've done so much in that five years and who would have ever thought that we'd have lived in four states together and even lived in Europe!  Today we are celebrating our special day in the most romantic city in the world, Paris!  I can only hope the next five years are just as wonderful and filled with adventure.