Opening Day
It’s remarkable how your memory works. A smell, a song, or even a voice can trigger a flood of memories. This morning I heard a radio DJ quote, “life begins on opening day,” and was instantly taken back to when I started dating my husband.
I met my husband, Chris, in college our sophomore year. Mutual friends introduced us, and we discovered we had a class that overlapped. Little did I know I would meet my future husband in a sociology class called Marriage and Family.
Our first time off campus together was a trip to Taco Johns. Romantic, right? We went with a friend and I sat there trying not to crush on this handsome man sitting in the seat in front of me.
A few weeks later, after a failed attempt of him asking me to go running with him (like that was ever going to happen), we went on our first date – dinner at Culver's and the movie Couples Retreat. He just came off of a long-term relationship and I was looking for someone who would be a good role model for my son. At this point in my life it was hard to find a guy who wasn’t scared off by a baby. Jacob was just over a year old and I was trying to figure out how to be a mother, a college student, work two jobs, and still date.
My First Brewer's Game. Milwaukee, WI
The next summer, Chris took me to my first Brewer’s game. He picked me up from work with his best friend who would later be the best man at our wedding, Justin. As any lady out there can attest, when you are in a new relationship, you try to look “cute” over “practical”. So of course I left my thick mop of hair down and nearly passed out from a heat stroke but hey- my hair looked good.
Baseball became a part of us; we watched games at home when we didn’t have tickets, and we eventually collected a ridiculous amount of bobble heads. I knew so much about baseball, I could talk shop with any guy that dared speak down about the Brewers.
Chris and Jacob Grilling on the Deck. June, 2010
My husband and I have been together for almost seven years. He has introduced me to baseball and the Harry Potter series, and I have introduced him to vegetables and a whole world of other foods beyond just hamburgers. He embraced being an instant dad and I embraced knowing I found the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I thank God every day for putting Chris in my life and continuing to bless me with more than I could have ever imagined for myself.
And to this day, Couples Retreat is still my favorite movie and I feel like I need to dress up to go to Culver's – for hamburgers, of course.
>Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8<
