There is a quote that says, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” This was true when it came to meeting the love of my life. I was in love with another. I had been chasing this other love since third grade and I was now beginning college, therefore this was not just a passing fancy, it was a “this could possibly be my forever love.” Well, things were not panning out as I had hoped, and it turned out my feelings were stronger than his. During my freshman year in college, I was left with a broken heart. Looking for another guy to date was not a possibility. I was done with guys for awhile.
I moved into a co-ed dorm on the college campus. This dorm had girls on one side of the building and guys on the other. Tadd had a room on the men’s third floor and I was on the girl’s third floor. Tadd was one of those “life of the party” guys; I was shyer. My girlfriend at the time liked him, and I kind of hung out with one of his friends. I think both of us were having fun hanging out and flirting. Tadd and I became good friends. I found we could talk for long periods of time, and I would come to him with all my boy troubles. He was a friend before he was anything else, and I think this foundation helped us through difficult times that were ahead.
I loved being with him. He became my best friend in college. We always were in a group when we hung out. As the year was coming to a close, he headed back to Virginia and I returned to Arizona. I remember talking to my sister and Mom saying, “Tadd is very nice, I enjoy being with him, but I am not attracted to him.” During the summer, we racked up the long distance phone bills and kept in touch.
The next school year, I was moving into an all-girls dorm that had nicer rooms. Along with my sister, I drove up with my car packed, ready to move into my new dorm room. Tadd, who was already settled in, came over and began helping. My sister (who was just seeing Tadd for the first time) took one look at him and said “He is hot!” I looked at my sister with narrowed eyes and said, “He’s mine!” And I guess like they say, the rest is history.
We dated for three years before he proposed to me during my senior year of college. And I do have to agree with my sister—even after fifteen years of marriage, he is still “hot.”
Have the fifteen years been easy? No, but as we begin 2009, remember why you and your spouse came together in the first place and make your relationship a priority in this new year.
Lori is the author of the blog Lori’s Reflections. Lori and her husband Tadd of fifteen years are currently raising two teenage sons and one elementary son.
