Our Love Story Truly is my Favorite!

It's not often you hear people say, "I've known my spouse my entire life." It's true, my whole life. Darin is 7 months younger than me. Our awesome Mom's had been friends for many years before Darin and I were even a thought.

We went to Junior High School and High School together. I dated Darin's best friends older brother through most of High School. I had the privilege of my boyfriends obnoxious little brother and obnoxious best friend going places with us. I always thought Darin was cute but he tease me mercilessly (nothings changed). We were friends.

Fast forward 22 years~after both divorcing, me with 2 kids & a dog, Darin with 3 kids and a lizard. Darin finds me on Match.com. NO, JOKE! I'm dying laughing as I write this, who meets the love of their life on a dating site? Especially someone they already know but didn't know they were single. I joined Match after my friends informed me I needed to get a life. My kids were spending every other weekend with their Dad and I was spending my weekends rearranging and deep cleaning my house to the point that my hands were cracking and bleeding. Peer pressure is sometimes a HUGE blessing. In this case it was. I caved to peer pressure!

I was coming out of a rough break-up with someone I had finally trusted. He broke the #1 relationship rule. DO NOT CHEAT! I was Done! At this point in my life I had no problem dropping relationships like they were hot if they were no longer healthy or hurt me. 13 years of therapy really helped me to set boundaries. I had BIG trust issues, I was NEVER getting married again. I just want to let lose a little and get out of the house. PERIOD!

Darin contacted me 5 days into my membership, his was expiring in 3 days. Coincidence? Nope! Tender Mercy.....I lost my Mom one week and 2 days into dating Darin.

Remember:

*I'm NOT getting Married EVER again. I was finally happy right were I was!

*I'm NOT dating anyone with children younger than my youngest!

*I'm NOT dating anyone who doesn't live in the same town as me!

*I really wasn't dating, I was just getting a life so my hands would heal!

I really wish I had pictures of our first date. Red Lobster for lunch. Nothing unusual about eating lunch it was the events that followed. I talked Darin into using his truck to pick up a dresser I had bought for my daughter that wouldn't quite fit in my Altima. Then off to Darin's family ranch were Darin piggy-backed me across a stream, made me drive a backhoe through a field of land mines. Ok they weren't land mines but that's what I pictured when he said, "now don't run over any of those pipes you see sticking out of the ground for an irrigation system." I could just imagine me running over one of them as water exploded into the air and set of a domino effect with the rest of them. Then I had to drive the backhoe across the creek that literally scared the crap out of me. "Just don't kill it mid-stream!" Seriously? Who takes a girl on a date and makes her get completely out of her comfort zone in a quick hurry? That would be Darin. Then off to Darin's Mom's house to pick up Darin's son. OMG, talk about being thrown into a fire. I hadn't see Darin's Mom since I was a little girl. She is nothing short of amazing! I also met Darin's Grandparents. I loved them both immediately.

The Minute I Knew I Was In Love: Sitting in a restaurant across from a man I had known forever, had been on 3 dates with and was on our 4th. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I think I even cried. In a restaurant full of people. I didn't want to be in love. I didn't even want to be loved. I was living a great life without the complications of a relationship.

I don't believe in accidents. Every person that comes into your life has a purpose! Everything happens for a reason! People come into your life at the exact moment they are supposed to! Darin came into mine at the exact moment I would need HIM......one week and two days before my Best-Friend, My Biggest Supporter, My Confidant, My Shoulder to Cry on, My Pick me UP when I couldn't pick myself up, My Mother left this earthly life. I thank God every day for my Tender Mercy. (Losing my Mom is a post for another day)

When you've found the one, YOU KNOW! We were talking marriage a week into dating.

Ka-Ray-Zeee!!!! I know, I couldn't imagine my life without him after 7 days. I loved his kids. His youngest became my side-kick. He was freaking adorable, funny and he loved to cuddle with me. He was 9.

Darin even asked my Dad's permission to marry me. My poor Dad had just lost his wife and his oldest daughter was jumping head first off the biggest cliff she could find. He thought we were moving to fast and that we should spend a little more time dating and getting reacquainted. (HA jokes on him! This is a blog for another day. My Dad now knows love doesn't have a time clock) But he gave his blessing anyway. I loved that he had so much respect for the best man I had known all my life, my Dad. That sealed the deal even more for me.

I'm not an impulsive person. I don't make quick decisions. I'm pretty sure my family thought I was having another nervous breakdown. I knew exactly what I was doing!

I married the love of my life 8 years ago this month. We made the decision to elope. We'd both done the big, expensive, time consuming wedding before. There was no point, we are just as married without all the fuss and expense. The only thing I would do different is I would have taken the kids with us and I would have taken their phones away from them because I wanted peace and calm as long as possible, I knew we were going to get to deal with the outside opinions of others soon enough.

Every day with my husband is an adventure. An adventure I wouldn't want to take with anyone but him. He is my forever LOVE!