Happy Anniversary, Babe!

Today is my actual anniversary, even though we celebrated it last weekend in SA! We have been married for 5 years! Hard to believe how much has changed in our lives!

Heath and I met our freshmen year at DBU. DBU is a really small college, however, it is growing substantially, but because it was small it was kind of like a large high school. There's the most popular, the class clown, the weird one, the best athlete, etc... Heath from the moment he stepped onto that campus was immediately the most popular and the most funny. He had everybody, from freshmen to seniors, under his spell of hilarity. There was not a time when he was not causing everyone to roll on the floor in laughter, especially in big groups.

I, myself, was not so much the popular one nor did I hang out with the popular kids. One reason was that I registered late and was put in the upper class men dorm instead of with my fellow peers, so I became great friends with girls that were a year older than me. Heath had no idea who I was and probably didn't really care to know who I was, not because he was mean, he just already had tons of friends. In fact, our first semester I had a class at noon and he got off work at noon and we would pass each other on the same sidewalk 3 times a week and I was maybe lucky to get a smile from him. (Heath to this day denies this.) I was not at all bothered by this, but looking back I think it's hilarious!

So how in the world did our two worlds finally collide?

The second semester of my freshmen year, I enrolled in my most dreaded class, Speech! I do not, at all, possess a gift of public speaking and so I knew this was going to be a semester of torture. So the first day of class, I nervously walked in a couple minutes late (very not like me) and took a seat in the closest chair, which happened to be on the front row. I didn't take the time to look around the room to see who all was in my class, with the hopes of being not noticed myself.

This is what was happening behind me...Heath was sitting on the next to last row and unbeknownst to me I grabbed his attention as I walked in, not passing by him on the sidewalk 3 times a week, but when I walked in the door to our boring Speech class. Heath has told me that he thought, "hmmm, she's pretty, maybe she wants to sit by me."
The next class when I walked in, totally prepared to keep the seat I previously possessed, when what to my surprise there was Heath waving at me and pointing at the seat next to him. Shock and wonderment were going through my head. Of course, I did sit next to him, it was Heath AND did I really want to sit on the front row all semester? Heath told me much later that he purposely got to class extra early that day so he could get his same seat and spread his books out on the desk next to him to secretly save it for me. To this day this strikes me as extremely sweet and bold! I would never ever be so aggressive.

The semester was filled with much flirting, mainly from Heath's end. It was the most fun semester and it lead straight into the best summer! That summer, we both remained on campus to take classes and work, which at DBU there was a very small number of people that did that, so if you were one of the ones still there, it was a blast because all the summer people hung out with each other everyday, even if at the beginning it was somebody you didn't know. I can't even describe the fun we had! Starting at the beginning of that Speech class and throughout summer, established in us such a great foundation of friendship. There was no dating throughout that time, just hanging out as friends.

However, Heath would have definitely been more on the side of dating. He didn't make any attempts to ask me out during the semester, but as soon as summer started, there was no holding back. He did the most creative stuff to tell me in a not subtle way that he wanted me to be his. I would always find random things from him, like flowers in certain places, a huge stuffed pooh bear in my car's driver's seat, sweet notes. This went on and on all summer, but still I was not liking him in that way. I don't know what I was thinking. It just wasn't the right time yet in my head.

And then this happened, I went to Kansas to visit family and while there we went on a nature walk. I am highly allergic to poison ivy and of course had a reaction. But it wasn't on my arms and legs like usual, oh no, it was primarily on my face. My face and eyes swelled up twice the normal size and was bright red. I was a sight to be seen. Heath, so sweetly, wanted to come over to my parent's house and spend time with me, but what girl would allow the guy that they now have a crush on to see them in such a state. I refused. A day later I received a delivery of 2 dozen beautiful roses with a get well card from you know who and that was it. I could no longer resist! That night we had our DTR (determine the relationship) conversation over the phone. We talked for 4 hours. After my face mostly healed and I could face the public, I finally headed back to DBU and that started our long dating relationship.

I wish I could finish this story. Maybe I should write a book. It would be filled with story after story of romantic dates and gifts. It would filled with the funniest stories you've ever heard. And it would be filled with precious memories.

Heath, you have filled my life for the last decade with fun, laughter, tears, frustrations, joy, love, excitement, adventure and family. Thank you!