The Beginning +

Pull up a chair and get comfortable. This could take awhile. ;)

I have NO idea how I'm going to be able to sum this up, because I am terrible at summing anything up. Ask my old teachers. "Please sum up this story in one paragraph." Ha, yeah right. More like two paragraphs, or three...or four? :) I'll do the best I can do.

In May of 2006, I was playing around on MySpace. Remember that website? Haha, it's "ancient" now right? Actually, that reminds me, I need to delete mine. Anywho, I was about to leave a comment on my friend Tamara's page when I saw this HUGE WHITE SMILE hangin' out in her "Top 8." <---That just made me giggle. This is the picture that caught my eye. & Yes, I saved it. :)
I immediately was like, "Okay, WHO is this guy? He is HOT!" I decided to be BOLD...something I'm not good at with boys, and wrote, "Hey Tamara, introduce me to Andrew haha..." HOPING he would see it, and then I don't know what. LOL. I had never done anything like that before, and to this day, I don't know what made me do it. I'm just thankful I did.

Fast forward to a few weeks earlier: My friend Tamara had told me about her biology partner at A&M. I went to school at Sam Houston State University, but Tamara and I had grown up together our whole lives in a very, VERY small town. She had mentioned about how goofy he was, and how much he reminded her of me. I didn't think much of it, and went along with my business.

I finally talked to Tamara and asked her who this "Andrew" was. She laughed and said, "Shay! That's my biology partner! The guy I told you about...Remember!?" I didn't know what to say, except I prayed he would want to talk to me. I didn't want to look like an idiot putting that out there, and then "insert cricket noise here." BAM in yo face! Ugh, I was sick to my stomach. Should I delete the comment? Or just leave it?

Okay, so a few days go by. Not a word from him. I just went about my days and didn't think too much about it. Until...


Finally, Drew writes RIGHT above my comment. Burnnn right? So, immediately I'm thinking, "Well, that sucks. LOL..." and figured he'd seen my picture and thought "HELL TO THE NO!" :)

Wrong. That next morning I get a message from Andrew. :) It says, "Hey, you look real familiar...Where do I know you from?" HAHA, nice pick up line right? NEVER met this guy before...because if I had, I would have never stopped thinking about him. He was gorgeous. His smile was out of this world amazing. There was NO way he'd be intersted in a gal like me.

We continued to message back and forth, using Tamara as our common ground. Messaging went from AOL messaging, to exchanging phone numbers...We texted and talked for days. I can't ever remember feeling THAT giddy about anyone. Sure, I had loved before him, and I was still getting over a 4 1/2 year relationship, dating here and there, but nobody had EVER made me feel this way. I sent him pictures of me, which I think sealed the deal.


TOTALLY KIDDING. I did send them to him as a JOKE and said..."Here is what I DON'T look like." He said, "GOOD! I don't like Britney Spears anyway." :)

I was completely, and utterly to the millionth degree IN-freakin-fatuated with this guy. He was kind, hilarious, and he could make me smile. Thinking about it right now makes me want to go kiss him...be right back...

Okay, I'm back. :) Anyway, we decided to meet and I was SO nervous. I drove to College Station from Huntsville and had Tamara come with me. We decided to meet at Casa Ole' at the mall because it was close to his work and he had taken a late lunch because I WAS LATE getting into town. Naturally.

I call him as we are about to get by the mall, and he picks up. I asked where he was, and he says, "Actually, I think I'm right behind you." I turn around and he is waving SO BIG and with so much excitement it made me laugh! I knew right then and there that he was perfect. I love the memory of that first moment. Him waving through the windshield of his little Ford Ranger, holding the phone, smiling from ear to ear, and waving. It was absolutely precious.

We get to the mall, and we park on different rows. I'm freaking out, doing the, "OMG! What if he thinks I'm fat? What if he doesn't like me!?" and I step out of the car. I see him, he sees me, and we give each other a huge hug. I remember my heart was about to come through my chest.

We go to lunch, and because I took forever to get there, he had to leave early. He gave me a hug, told me it was great meeting me, and that he would call later. I felt so bad though because he had to leave before he got his food. Poor guy didn't get to eat lunch.

SO, after Tamara and I left the restaurant, I asked her to drive me to Taco Bell. She immediately was like, "What? Shay! We just ate! LOL!" I said, "I know, but he didn't and I feel so bad. I was on the phone the other day on his lunch break and he was in the Taco Bell drive thru. He said he loved their soft tacos and Dr. Pepper." So, I ordered just that, and I went to his work. I saw this guy pushing around a cart (He worked at Sams Club lol) and I asked him if he knew Andrew. He said yes, so I made him pinky PROMISE me that he'd make sure he got the food and that he wouldn't eat it! The guy promised. I told him I knew where he worked. ;) Haha, but turns out the guy kept his promise.

About an hour later, which felt like forever, I get a text from him saying Thank you and how sweet I was. He couldn't get over what I did, and wouldn't stop telling me how much he enjoyed meeting me.

Scoreeeeeeeeee! :)

So, we went on another double date with Tamara a few days later.

Long story right? Told you. But I can't leave out details.

The next date we went to Cheddars (yummmm) and played Putt Putt. Afterwards, we went to the gas station. I was sitting in the front with Tamara, and Andrew was sitting in the back. All this time, I'm still not 100% sure if he really likes me, or what. He said he did, but I still was insecure, and had my mind set that he didn't want me. There was just no way.
On one of our first dates :)
Tamara gets out to pump the gas...and Andrew *coughs* and says, "So, I'm kinda lonely back here." I just smiled in confusion at him. What was he trying to say? He then scoots to the middle of the car, and pats the seat, *coughs*, and says it again. Tamara hops in the car at this time, and he says, "Come sit by me." I didn't know what to say, except, "What? You want me to sit by you?" OF COURSE HE DID!? He just told me that. I'm an idiot.

So, I hop out and go sit next to him. He scoots over like something you'd see in a movie and smiles. Seriously, I had never experienced giddiness like this. Was it possible that a guy was THIS precious?

On one our first double dates. Being goofballs.

We go to this drive-in snow-cone place and Tamara starts to order. The window is halfway cracked open so I could tell the guy what kind of snow-cone we want. Andrew points to the window crack and says, "What's that???" I turn my head to look at the window and as I turn my head back towards him to say, "What?" Andrew leans in quicker than lightening and plants a small little kiss on my lips.

I was frozen. He started laughing, and turned red. I turned red and started laughing.

Did he seriously just do that? It was without a doubt, one of my most favorite moments...ever.

Our first "kiss" :)

We finally got to the point we were comfortable enough to go on a date, just the two of us. We went to see Nacho Libre a few days later and went and got ice-cream. So romantic right? Haha.

About a month later (June 27th, 2006), I had just got back from a trip with my family. I didn't get back til' late, so I didn't get to his house until 11:00 at night. When I got there, he had Sour Patch Kids and orchids (my fav) waiting for me.

We talked and cuddled on the couch, and he leaned in and kissed me.

He then, grabbed my face and asked, "Shalyn, will you be my girlfriend?"

I nodded yes, and the rest is historyyyy.

Well, I guess if I had to summarize it in one sentence: We met kinda sorta through a mutual friend.

What's the fun in that? I find the small little details much more interesting. :)

I'll be doing a photo dump in the next post with some of my favorite pictures from the "dating" period of our relationship. :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday! :)