Why I'm marrying my dude...

I couldn't help but take a break from health posts to give a little insight into my personal life.  Today, I had the day off, along with my fiancé Jarrett, and we had such a great day.  He works an odd schedule and we rarely have days off together.  I'm a typical M-F person, he gets days off during the week and sometimes works late.  So it's rare we get to just be together for one day.  And while we were relaxing and hanging by the pool, just enjoying each other's company, I looked over and realized all the reasons why I love this big, tall, cigar-smoking, tan fella.  As of this Saturday, we will be down to exactly 6 months until the day we get married.  So we kind of celebrated that today.  Can. Not. Wait. :) 

Meet Jarrett (this is not our baby, we were just holding it over Mexican food one night.  He's a natural)

J and I met on Match.com.  (Yes, it works).  I had been on some really ridiculous dates up until I met him.  One guy I went out with failed to mention he was "separated"...until he updated his profile about an hour before our date.  To which I called him out on over sushi and flat out asked if he was still married.  He was...AWKWARD.  One guy asked me to go hunting with him...in the woods...by myself...after only one date.  Now granted, I do like to hunt and fish (I'm a bit of a tomboy), but I typically go with people I know.  I wasn't about to get ax-murdered by a stranger.  Even my dad was like "um, I don't think that's a good idea!" Needless to say, I was ready for a really good first date.  Which is exactly what I had with J.  He was waiting on a bench outside of my favorite restaurant, so I drove by and scoped him out before committing to the date.  We had wine, I smiled until my face hurt, ate chocolate cake and talked about life until we were the last 2 people in the place.  It really was the perfect first date.  We had similar family values, we both loved the same football team (FINALLY), and we both were looking for something serious.  I remember going by a girlfriend's house afterwards (with my corked bottle of leftover wine) and telling her that I knew this was something special. 

Fast forward to life 2.5 years later.  I couldn't be happier.  J proposed at that same restaurant on the bench where we first met.  We go back there from time to time to reminisce and the wait staff always remembers us.  Here is the infamous bench...

 

Life is not always hunky-dory.  We've had our share of ups and downs like all couples.  But here is what I love about this man.  He's always concerned for me.  Here is a good example.  On our first year anniversary weekend, we attended a home football game.  My sister came to meet us and hang out.  As he walked off to chill with some buddies, my sister said "He is always looking out for you.  And not in a stalker way.  But he's protective of you as a woman in the right way.  You can feel the love he feels for you.  And that is hard to come by".  Which then resulted in a stream of tears, but that was a special moment.  Then there was the time that we drove to my parents after a football game (our life revolves around it for 4 months, it's AMAZING), and I was in major pain in my lower abdomen.  J was very worried about me, but let me be stubborn and ride out the pain for an hour and a half.  Once we got home, my parents insisted on going to the ER (after 2 more hours of moaning and wincing).  Turns out it was a ruptured ovarian cyst (those things hurt like nothing I've ever felt), so nothing required surgery or an emergency intervention.  My dad came back to talk to me and said "That man is so worried about you.  Stop being so stubborn and let him take care of you, ok?".  Yes sir.  But it was a good life lesson.  I will always let the man I love take control when it's obvious I can no longer handle the situation.  He's a rock.

 

I even had a few moments of sweet thoughts of why I love him today as we were preparing to hang out.  Our ice tray in the freezer broke and he ran out to buy screws to fix it.  While we were sitting at the pool, I had just grabbed a fresh adult canned beverage from the cooler, and had not yet opened it.  He looked at me and said "Why is that not open?".  Always concerned for the best :)  He made me a snack after the pool (it's 97 down here and so humid that it feels like a wet blanket outside, so food and water were in order after pool time).

 

He's pretty great.  He has been a champ at wedding planning.  He puts up with me when I'm emotional and just being a girl, which is often.  He tells me he loves me multiple times a day.  That's the way it always has been. 



Life is not always easy, but I love having someone to share it with.  Sorry if you're all like "EW, too much mushiness, Rebecca!", but hey, this is who I'm marrying.  And he reads all my blog posts....and says they're good. 

Happy Thursday, y'all.  Spend the evening with someone you love!