Our Date-a-versary; Oh how I love thee... (8)

(An "in the moment" shot captured by our wedding photographer during our engagement picture session.  One of my favorites!)

... let me count the ways.

I love that my husband has given me flowers every week from our first date until now.  A week ago today is what I like to call our "date-a-versary".  We were on vacation so I couldn't celebrate with you all, so today is the day.  That's right.  We celebrate our date-a-versary.  Four years ago on April 8th we went on our first date.  Michael showed up with a bouquet of purple tulips and I have had flowers every day since.  I say I get flowers every week because that's an easy way to explain it.... really, I get new flowers whenever the current ones are dead (or right before they go).  So if a bouquet lasts three days, then I get new flowers after three days.  If a bouquet lasts two weeks, then I get a new bouquet after two weeks.  It's usually about a week though, and that just makes it easier to say.  However, I've never been without flowers.  Sometimes they are the simple bouquets of daisies... sometimes it's a mix of wildflowers... sometimes gerberas, one of my favorites... sometimes carnations... sometimes funky ones that I can't even name... sometimes it's roses.  It's always different, but it's always beautiful.  

If he stopped tomorrow, I'd be OK.  If he stopped next year, I'd be OK.  I mean five years straight of flowers would be pretty spectacular.  I don't ever expect flowers, nor do I demand them.  But I do appreciate them.  The thing I love the most is not the actual flowers, but what they stand for.  They are his way of telling me he honors me.  He tells me he loves me all of the time, but the flowers are his way of saying he adores me, that he's thinking of me... that I'm cherished.  I love that my husband has a special way of telling me that he cares.

So while we're on the topic of our first date, I thought I'd give you a little history.  I actually knew before our date that if the date went well, Michael was going to be the man I was going to marry.  Crazy, huh?  I use to HATE when people said "when you know, you know", but I became that person.

We met at a young adults thing at church, but didn't really talk the first time we met.  I missed the next one because of a concert, but when I finally returned two weeks later he came up to our table and talked to us.  I had no idea he was interested in me, but my friends seemed to catch on.  We chatted it up and found that we had some mutual friends/acquaintances.  I didn't think too much of it.  He happened to be good friends with my bosses son (who I also went to college with).  I mentioned to her that I had met him--just in case something was said to her.  Sure enough, she came into work on Thursday morning and said her son Tommy had called her.  He asked if she thought I had any interest.  Then he told her to talk Michael up to me!  (I found that part out later!)  I told her that I was definitely interested.  It was all a bit junior high, but that's alright. :)  Michael ended up finding me on myspace that night and requested to be my friend.  We talked back and forth online for a little bit that night and then he called me.  We talked for a few hours on the phone that Thursday night.

I always checked my email first thing when I got to work, so when I checked it that Friday morning and already had an email from Michael, I was super happy and excited.  We exchanged email all day long.  He asked if he could see me before church on Sunday.  I already had plans that night with my friend.  Being the loyal person that I am, I kept them and made plans with him for Saturday.  We did talk on the phone that night as well though.

So by the time Saturday had rolled around, I had spent a good number of hours on the phone with him.  I had looked through his myspace page as far back as I could.  I also knew who his friends were (personally) and what they stood for.  I was pretty sure he was a stand up guy.  I knew that if the date went well and he was into me as well, that it would probably be the last first date of my life.  No pressure or anything! :)  Well, the date lived up to my expectations.  It was 9 hours long and we made plans to see each other again the next day.

Two weeks later I took him home to meet my family for Easter.  If you know me, you know how crazy that really was.  It was on that trip that we basically said to each other, "this is it, right?".  After TWO WEEKS we were talking marriage.  When I look back I am still blown away at myself.  That is soooooooooo not me.  But I'm so glad it happened to me and that I chose to jump on the crazy train! :)  We were engaged two and a half months after our first date.  Who knows... it might have even been sooner, but I asked Michael to wait until the school year was over.  We were married a year later.

I'm so thankful that date four years ago happened!  It has led to the best days of my life...