Our Love Story

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Our love story begins as any good nerdy love story should.... we met online.

It all started when I (Eva) lost a bet with a few of my former co-workers.  As part of the wager, I had to "put myself out there more."  I guess I had an blossoming reputation as a future crazy-cat-lady.  I lost the bet and in turn, went to a free dating site-Plenty Of Fish- and put in my profile that I considered myself to be pretty nerdy-- in an effort to hopefully avoid much awkwardness and replies to my posting.

Well, that plan didn't work... or maybe I should say it did.  After a little while being on the site, Adam messaged me. Let it be known that his first contact was more than just a " 'sup?" but instead a well written note of a few sentences.  I was impressed and intrigued.   Apparently my nerdiness caught his eye, and after a few exchanges (granted, there were some delays between messages mainly because of my "fritzy" -cough- stolen from the neighbors -cough- internet service) we had plans to instant message or possibly call each other soon.

And then I went to Canada.  To work.  For three weeks.

Over the course of the next three weeks, I spent my days working, freezing, exploring the lovely town of Kingston, and having little to no sleep as Adam and I stayed up through the twilight hours talking about anything and everything. Thank goodness for energy drinks and yahoo voice messaging. We bonded over a mutual love of Mythbusters while he mined in the online game EVE in the background.  Adam even let me name one of his ships (an ice mining ship-- I chose to name it R. Van Winkle)... yes, my friends, this was nerd love at its finest.

And we hadn't even met yet.

After three weeks of talking, a long flight home, and losing my luggage; it was finally time to meet.  We made plans for dinner the night I got home.  It was a Saturday -- October 4, 2008.  I was running behind and he was right on time.  He held the door open for me as I got into his car and off we went to Olive Garden. Conversation came easily and the night ended far too soon. Oh, and the icing on the cake...

He even gave me his mints.

After our first date, we saw each other as often as we could.  Then, after a few weeks home, I went back to Canada for another three weeks. I think I got a little more sleep the second time around, but it wasn't much.  More late nights of talking and by the time I came home, we had plans of spending Thanksgiving with each other's families.

Fast forward to a few months later after surviving the holidays with our families and Adam's first exposure to College Night, we moved in together.  Now, if you know me at all-- you can probably guess how I expected the move to go-- labeled and organized boxes, color-coded by room and contents.  Adam, however, had a different idea.  Who needs packing boxes when you have Lawn and Garden black garbage bags?  He came over with a few car loads of garbage bags.. including a few that still had garbage in them.  Imagine the look on my face when, as I'm helping him unpack, I unearthed a few half-eaten wings that had long been forgotten.

Over the months, we learned each others ways -- I quit worrying if the Mayo jar wasn't facing label out and he tossed his dirty clothes into the hamper.  I applied for graduate school and he bought me ice cream when I had one of my many breakdowns.  We adopted Inari (our little grey kitten) and were feeling quite domestic.

On a whim, in late October 2009, we toured a little cottage in the mill village.  It was just for fun, but on the way home Adam said the magic words "We should buy a house."

So in December of 2009, we closed on our nerdy nest and spent the first night (immediately following my first semester finals) in our home. We ordered Chinese food from MK's and slept on a pallet of quilts, afghans, and pillows on the floor. Oh, and it was freezing.  Like, wear layers to bed freezing.

But it was home.

We made it all the way to May before I went DIY-remodeling crazy.  We debated over paint colors, agreed on a fridge (and fell a little in love with it,) decided on tile, scraped up layers of linoleum. washed dishes in the tub, painted cabinets in the sweltering heat of summer, and survived it all.

Just barely, I think the kitchen light nearly did Adam in.  But we made it -- relationship intact.

Little did I know, as we approached our 3rd anniversary, in October of 2011-- a plan was in action.  Adam secretly met with my dad (at Arby's one day after work) to ask for his permission to marry me.  He had suggested I get my bracelet and ring size taken a month or so before our anniversary, and I was insistent to everyone that I knew Adam and I knew our relationship and that a proposal was NOT in the works.  I even suggested to his mother that she would probably be in Depends and using a walker before she'd see me walking down the aisle.

Yeah, I was wrong.  Very wrong.  I've never enjoyed being wrong this much in my life.

Adam proposed after our annual dinner at Olive Garden, three years after we met for the first time, on the front porch of our home, and under a clear and starry night sky.  The moment couldn't have been more perfect and I was completely and totally surprised.  So surprised, that when he asked and held out the ring, the first thing I said was "Seriously?!?"

Immediately followed by a "YES! Of course!!" and lots of tears and hugging and general sappiness.

And that, our dear friends and family, leads us to today.  We are counting down the days until our wedding day...

October 4th, 2013 -- exactly 5 years after we first met

...when we can officially become the old married couple we already act like.

Did I leave anything out?  Feel free to leave a comment if I forgot one of your favorite moments, or if you want to know more... though I think I've rambled quite sufficiently. 

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