How I Met Your Father

A blog I enjoy reading, Kelly's Korner, does something every Friday where other bloggers get to share things from their life. She's done so many like favorite recipes, vacations, organization tips, etc. I have never participated, but this week she is doing "How You Met Your Husband" and I thought I should write about how I met Mike because one day my blog will be turned into a hardcover book (hopefully for mother's day!) for my kids to read and they may be wondering how we met!

Mike and I went to the same elementary, middle, and high school, but he was three years older than me. He was in the same class and good friends with my cousin, Paige, and they even went to homecoming together (or something like that). He and his friends would play cards over at Paige's house and I would go over now and then. I thought he was cute, but he seemed much older than me at the time. Our parents went to school together and my mom and his mom knew each other pretty well. Mike even worked for my dad a bit when he was in high school. I would ride my bike down to my dad's work and Mike would be there cleaning trailers. He still seemed much older than me. Even though I saw him now and then, I don't remember ever really talking to him until we were both out of college.

The summer after I graduated college was one of the best summers ever! I thought I would have been bored and depressed to be out of college, but I had so much fun that summer hanging out with other friends that were also home for the summer. We thought we owned the Blue Bird we hung out there so much. That August (2002) I went to the Cedar Crest Alumni soccer game with Paige (Mike happened to be playing in that game) and then we went out to the Blue Bird afterwards. Mike was at the BB with his dad and Kim. I remember telling Paige that I thought he was cute and I always hoped I would marry a soccer player and a teacher (I am not sure why... I guess because soccer is my favorite sport and I figured if he was a teacher, he would like kids). Well that night, Mike and I started talking and he invited himself to be my date at my cousin's wedding that was coming up. We started dating shortly after that.

I was teaching in E-Town and living at home. Mike was living and teaching in the Pocono's at the time so we had a long distance relationship for a year until he moved back to Lebanon. He moved home that summer (2003), got a job teaching in Lebanon and coaching soccer for CCHS. I bought a townhouse and he moved in with me. That February (2004) we got engaged (that is a whole other story). We were married July 9, 2005. Our wedding was one of my favorite moments. We spent our honeymoon in St. Lucia during hurricane Emily. Despite the hurricane, we still had a good time. I hope to take a second (hurricane free) honeymoon for our tenth wedding anniversary.

The following summer we went to St. John with my family and Boo, Judy, and Maddie. I was so happy to be able to show Mike one of my favorite vacation spots. Unfortunately we lost all our pictures from that trip when Mike's computer crashed. We also traveled to Europe that summer and took a road trip through Belgium, Germany, and Austria with Katie and Joel. We were there during the World Cup which made our trip even better!

After that summer of traveling we felt like we were ready to settle down and start a family.

We still look at each other sometimes and can't believe we are married and have two kids together. It seems like just yesterday we were passing each other in the halls at school and its so funny to think that we had NO idea we were going to be married one day and have kids. We are very much opposites when it comes to some things, but our values and what matters most to us in life are very much the same. I am so lucky to have married such a great person, husband, and father. I always said that if I had a daughter I would want her to marry someone just like Mike. Well, since I don't have a daughter, I hope that Owen and Adam grow up to be like their daddy.