How we met..and why I'm glad we did!

My life has been out of control lately. I love having a little place online to write bits and pieces, but I find that I get too overwhelmed with life to have anything to say! But, seeing as how the mid-Atlantic has a gazillion feet of snow, our exchange student is busy with the craft I set in front of her, I got out of bed at 1 pm, I really don't feel like cleaning, and a couple of my awesome friends are doing this fun "Valentine's Day Extravaganza" with fun blogging prompts, I think I am out of excuses! Since I'm a few days behind the game, I'm going to do two prompts in a row.

Day 1: "Tell me how you met your love..and/or your best friend"

This is a constant source of argument for hubbs and me! He remembers meeting me at the end-of-the-year Young Life cookout at our committee chair's house. It was the June after my freshman year of college and the end of his sophomore year. He had just finished his two year program at Anne Arundel Community College and had been accepted at the University of Maryland. I had just finished a year of "training" and would start volunteer leading with Young Life; Lenny had already been volunteering for two years in Annapolis and wanted to start helping out in Montgomery County. There were tons of other people there, and I was sort of seeing someone else, so I have absolutely no memory of him at all whatsoever.
See? He's not even in the picture!

Fast-forward three months.

Classes at UMD had been in session for a week. My little summer fling had ended, and I was pretty peeved at the guy I'd spent the summer talking to on the phone. My 8 am biology class had met twice, and the upcoming weekend held plans for a Young Life kick-off weekend at Deep Creek Lake. I couldn't wait to get away with some of my friends and meet some new ones; however, summer guy was going to be there and I was not excited about that. I remember having a blast on the 3-hour drive up with a car full of friends. Everyone was gathering for the night at the house the girls would be staying at, so when we got there, the girls dumped off our bags and immediately threw on our swim suits. I remember breezing through the house on my way outside to jump in the lake at dark with my girlfriends, all three of whom would become some of my best friends for life.

If I were Zach Morris, this is where I would say, "FREEZE!"

Lenny, meanwhile, had been hanging at the house for while. He was starting a new semester at a new school and, basically, a whole new life. He had decided to swear off girls for the year in an effort to make stellar grades and focus on getting into a groove at UMD. This is where my breezing turned his head. Not recognizing me from the summer (and me still not even noticing him!) he took one look at me, shook his head and thought, "This girl is going to be a problem."

He was right.

Ok, unfreeze!

After leaping into dark and murky waters with my girlfriends, we then proceeded to spend the rest of the evening, into the wee, wee, hours of the morning, discussing boys. How lame they were. How stupid. How clueless. Little did two of us know that our husbands were sound asleep (probably dreaming of us) across the lake and that we would spend the rest of the weekend laughing, singing, tubing, eating, and joking with them.

Really, I have two memories of my husband from that weekend. First, Saturday morning, during our Bible study, we went around and introduced ourselves. We were supposed to say our names along with an adjective that began with the first letter of our name that described us. (For example, "Sweet Susan" ) Lenny was directly across from me in the circle. I remember thinking that he had beautiful eyes and that he was probably 30. (He was 20.) When his turn came, he called himself "Long Lashes Lenny" and I thought he was one of those guys who knew he was attractive. (You know the type- ug. Turns out, he totally wasn't; that was just one of his mom's nicknames for him.) Lenny was looking at me at realized he recognized me. Remember that 8 am biology class? We were in it together.

The second memory was Sunday morning. A few of the guys had gotten out their guitars and were going around the room playing different songs. Lenny played Ben Harper's "Steal My Kisses" and I loved it. Suddenly, we were fast friends. After a slow start, we were off and running on what was to be a year of a remarkable friendship. And truly, just friends.

Day 2: Best Date
We have truly had so many incredible dates (as well as a few not so great!) The date I always go back to though was the date Lenny planned for me as my graduation from gift from college.

I had been up most of the night finishing up my last ever project for school. When I dropped that baby off, I felt like I could soar; I was so happy, so relieved...so accomplished. I was also terrified to finish up the four most wonderful years of my life. My guy knew this, and proceeded to whisk me away for a wonderful afternoon in Annapolis. The weather was perfect, the sky bright and sparkling. He packed a delicious gluten free lunch which we ate on one of the many docks along the Severn River. He then rented a canoe and we spent the next several hours rowing around. Well, he did most of the rowing- even when the weather changed and it started raining. He rowed me around the little Annapolis harbor and a bunch of ladies at happy hour at a restaurant off the dock started screaming, "You've got a catch there, girl!"

We then went out to eat at a really nice restaurant. The whole day was so special and memorable. I loved it because he thought of every detail and of me at every turn.

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