Love Story: How We Fell In Love

When I last left off, Jesse and I had met and he had asked me out over AIM.  A few days after that he was having his 24th birthday party and a large group of us all went to DaRuMa's for dinner.  While we were waiting for our table, I was a bit nervous and told him about the Zumba class I had attended for the first time that morning.  It was very random.  We had a good dinner and then headed to a bar.  Jesse was having a good time and he ended up telling me how much he liked me and gave me a kiss.  It was a little forward for me and I went home not long after that.

Jesse's 24th Birthday - May 2009

All the following week I was not sure if I still wanted to go on our date because of that sloppy kiss!  Again, Brett convinced me to go because Jesse was a really good guy and at the very least I would have a nice dinner. I didn't change our plan and our Friday date continued.

I was off work that day and Jesse gave me a call a few hours before our date saying that his coworker broke the passenger seat belt in his car and asked me if I could drive.  I agreed, but I wasn't very happy about it. (Strike 1)  Jesse did plan a really great date.  He knew I liked art, so he took me to an FGCU art show.  I drove all the way to Estero and on the way there he answered his phone in the car, on our date!  (Strike 2)  We had a fun time at the art show and then I drove us back down to Naples to go to my favorite Thai restaurant.  We had a great dinner and conversation.  I asked him what was next.  We went to the Naples Pier and sat and chatted some more.  While we were there, I saw my first shooting star and thought about how I could see myself marrying him some day.  We also ended the date with our "second first kiss," since Jesse doesn't remember our first one.  Luckily he never got a third strike.  :)

Our First Date - May 2009

It was a really great date and we got along really well.  My mom and I went on a two week trip to England a few days after that and the whole time I couldn't stop thinking about Jesse.  I looked everywhere for a Manchester United shot glass, but could not find one.  As soon as I got back we had another date and then saw each other pretty much every other day after that.  He asked me to be his girlfriend on June 11 after I brought him Dairy Queen when he was sick at home.  He appreciated me coming to see him and I thought him asking me if I wanted to be his girlfriend was so cute as nobody had ever asked me that before.

Jesse and I pretty much fell in love that summer at the beach and over Legos.  I'm not even much of a beach person, but it really does hold a special place in my heart because of our first summer together six years ago.  Once a week we would go to the beach near my parents' house, sit on a blanket, and chat while the sun was going down.  It was so nice getting to know him and his dreams, joys, and fears.

Our First Holiday - July 4th 2009

We also used to have Lego dates to build Star Wars themed shapes.  They were a lot of fun and yes, we are big nerds.

Lego Date I - June 2009

I don't remember one specific moment where I fell in love with him, but by the end of that summer, I knew I wanted to marry him and spend the rest of our lives together.  The first time he told me he loved me was in August of 2009.  It was so sweet and I will remember it forever!

Parasailing Summer 2009

Where In The World Would You Go?

Ok, so I need your help!  My husband and I are trying to decide where we want to travel to next year.  We've tossed a few ideas around and are definitely leaning one way, but I have a couple questions for you:

Would you want to stuff yourself on culinary delights?  Check out every art museum you can find?  Go on a safari?  Walk a haunted ghost tour?  Take a bike tour?  Attempt a cooking class?  Drink wine straight from the barrel?  Get lost in the crowd?  Relax on a beach?  Sit on a double-decker bus?  Float on an architecture boat tour?  Hike a mountain?  Scuba dive in new waters?

I would love to hear about whatever you would like to do!  If only there was time and money to do it all!  Are you more of a city or country traveler?  If you don't have a dream trip, what have been some of your favorite experiences?  Now that I've been to see Gaudi's architecture in Barcelona (posts to come), I'm trying to figure out what my next dream trip would be.

What I Learned In My 20s

So, this is 30! My birthday was earlier this week. It was a great day thanks to my loving family and coworkers.  :) Yes, I worked on my birthday, but it was such a great day.  I was really spoiled and could really feel the love. If this is a glimpse of what this decade will be like, I am in for a treat! 30 is awesome and not scary at all!

I did a lot in the last decade. I got my bachelor's degree in biology, got a few new jobs, met and married my loving husband, bought a home, and traveled around the world.  I've also learned a lot of stuff about life. I know there is a lot more to learn still, but I still feel like sharing what I've learned so far. My top 10 things I learned in the last 10 years are below:

1. One huge lesson that I learned is that a career doesn’t define who you are. For more than the first half of my 20s I was job searching! I wanted to find my dream job, but I realized that I don’t need the perfect job to be the person I want to be!  So I found a job I enjoy most of the time and choose to be happy.

2. Where I spend my free time shows what I value.  Spending time with Jesse and our families has become a large priority for me as I've gotten older. I try to always take all of their phone calls and respond to texts as soon as I can. It shows them their importance to me. I have tried to cut back on mindless TV and just watching my favorite shows and read instead and I am a big fan of rest and relaxation.

3. Sleep and rest is important! Staying up until 1:00AM doesn't help anybody. I am not very good at sleeping, so I feel it is even more important for me to prioritize this.

4. Owning a home is empowering. It truly makes me feel like I can do anything I put my mind to.

5. Marriage is awesome! As long as you invest your time in it.  Jesse and I are closer than we were before we got married.  We trust, support, and love on each other. Without the other, neither of us would be who we are today.  Cliche but true.

6. Find a workout that you love and it won't be work, but will become a hobby. Mine is Pilates! It took me a long time to find it but I am obsessed and never want to miss a class, seriously!

7. Food is love.  One way I show Jesse I love him is by meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking 4-5 nights a week. Our date nights almost always involve food because it is so personal and intimate.  It's not just indulgent food that is love, but good, healthy food is loving your body.  And there is no other way I would enjoy celebrating than going out to dinner with my friends and/or family and toasting our meal with a glass of bubbly.  I never would have said this ten years ago, but I love food!

8. I'm a planner and I am not ashamed. It helps keep life organized and allows spontaneity. "Failing to plan is planning to fail." - Benjamin Franklin

9. You get what you put in. I learned this in my mid-20s and still say it all the time for all situations. For example, if you halfheartedly complete a project, that project is going to be mediocre at best. Relationships, work, and working out are all definitely included in this theory.

10.  I also learned how to cook this decade.  I only knew how to make a few things when I started my 20s, mostly eggs, and now I cook at least 5 nights a week!

England 2014: Manchester United