7 Years ago today...

I met the most handsome man I've ever laid eyes on. I'm a lucky lucky lady (okay, more blessed is more like it) to have Dave as my longest boyfriend, as well as my perfect-for-me husband.

Dave and I met 7 years ago today at Grandma's Sports Garden in Duluth while we were both visiting friends. I was visiting my friend Robin for her birthday weekend (happy b-day Jan 25 Rob-bobs!!), and Dave was celebrating with a group of his friends the fact that he finished a challenging J-term interning with United Hospital as a social worker.

So here's how the story goes... Robin and I walked into Grandma's, and she saw some friends she wanted to go chat with. Instead of dragging me across the bar, she sat me at a table with this group of people, introduced them to me and said, "These people are from Le Sueur, we can sit with them tonight and I'm sure you'll find things in common with them". Le Sueur was the "rival" high school of Saint Peter (where I grew up). Then she went to go chat with her friends and I stayed at the table. I was a little intimidated, but she was right - I had a great time talking with this group of people.

So at the table were 3 couples and Dave. The couples were Brad and Regan, Brent and Amy, & Mike and Kylie. Dave was the only other single person sitting at the table. We had a good time drinking cocktails and joking around. Later during the night, Brent (Dave's best friend from high school) pulled me aside and said, "You know that guy, Dave, who's at our table? He's an AWESOME guy. He's putting himself through school, works full-time, interned at a hospital, is going to be a social worker, LOVES his mom, AND he sings and dances!! You should go for him". I laughed when he said it, but later Dave asked me to dance with him on the dance floor. We danced the entire night away.

Dave asked for my phone number, and he called me the very next day, after receiving some very good advice from a female friend. His guy friends told him he had to wait 3 days because they didn't want him to look "desperate". His female friend said, "That's stupid, if you like this girl, then just call her". So he took that advice and called me the next day, which was a very good thing because I had decided that if he didn't call me quick enough I wasn't going to give him a chance :)

Dave came down from Saint Paul that Thursday night and took me to dinner in Mankato (where I was living). He stayed to watch some tv with me, and then drove all the way back up to Saint Paul that night. Dave and I clicked right away, and my dad will tell you that there was something in the way I talked about him the very next day after I met him that made him realize that he was "the one".

I've never questioned that Dave and I belong together. God created us for one another and I've never had to wonder about that. There were so many times that our paths should have crossed in our lives (mutual friends we had as children - we were probably at the same birthday parties a couple of times!!). Dave and I were also at similar places in struggling with and questioning our Christian walks at the time we met. I truly believe that God used us to bring each other closer to Him.

Dave drives me crazy in a way that I never want anyone else to drive me crazy. When we argue or fight, it makes me realize that I never want to argue or fight with anyone else. Dave GETS me. He loves me for me, and I always feel special and beautiful when I am with him. Dave makes me laugh in a way that no one else possibly can - his voices (especially Old Man Maine) are my favorite voices, and I love the way his eyeballs look like they're going to pop out of his head when he's really trying to be funny. The one thing that will make me hyperventilate with laughter every single time he does it is when he copies me. I know - copying people is so simple and stupid, but the way he does it makes me cry because I laugh so hard. Dave is a man of integrity, and is growing to be a Christian leader that I am amazed by. I thank God for Dave every time I pray because I know Dave and I being together is totally a God thing.

I can't wait to see what kind of leader Dave will be for our children. He's going to be a great father, and already has so much love for our children. Dave, I can't wait to see what the next 70 years have in store for us!!!