If you've kept up...I'm sure you know that I HAVE BEEN PRETTY SICK. That also means I haven't been able to do a whole lot in the last couple of weeks. To the point that just being lazy while well feels more productive than this. It's frustrating. But I'm getting better...
Besides WORKING ON STAYING WELL, I have been blessed to have backup & reinforcement to help me out...
Even though I am not one to put mushy-gushy things out there...I am going to about my hubby. He has been amazing & patient thru this whole thing. He works really hard to keep up his calling...nearly thanklessly...and then coming home & having to deal with home stuff that I just can't get to.
If you remember, and you should by now, I AM A DISNEY PRINCESS. Amm-i-rite? And my hubby is truly my Prince Charming.
Here I've already compared myself to SNOW WHITE/PRINCESS LEIA, and then to PRINCESS MIA...then I came across this:
Yes, it's that major moment in Cinderella's life: THE MOMENT she meets Prince Charming. And it got me thinking about meeting my hubby...
So...I present to you our modern day fairy tale!
*ahem*
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Once upon a time...it was incredibly close to Christmas when a couple of people I grew up with had decided to get married. It was a Friday night. I had just gotten off of work & had a busy evening ahead. After the wedding, I was also supposed to go to a friend's house to exchange gifts.I was also single...been out of a not-so-good relationship that lasted WAY too long! Had been swimming in the dating pool...and not looking for any long-term anything, especially after what I'd been thru.
I met up with my mom at the wedding, which was happening at our church. It was a large wedding in my hometown, and I knew pretty much everyone there. However, I was seated by a guy that looked VERY familiar, but couldn't quite put my finger on it...
As I was seated next to my mom in the church pew, and the wedding got started, I began to realize that I knew the entire wedding party, except for one. Like I said, the groomsman that sat me looked familiar, so I had to have at least seen him somewhere before...but it was the best man that I didn't even recognize. So weird.
My mom & I sat there during the wedding discussing as to how I might know the groomsman who sat me. She asked me if he was a customer where I worked. I was a bank receptionist at the time, and I felt like I had seen this guy there, but didn't remember him being a customer. So I was baffled.
But I was quite focused on that best man...you know...the mystery guy - the one I did NOT know at all. Cuz he was really quite nice looking, I must say...
Now then...much like Cinderella, I really had kind of a "curfew" since I had a place to be...so having an evening wedding kind of knocked out the chance of going to the reception. Bummer...
When the wedding was over, and we were headed out of the sanctuary, the familiar groomsman, the mystery best man & a blonde in between them were sitting in the back pew. (no...this is not the beginning of a joke) All of a sudden, the familiar groomsman pointed at me & yelled, "HEY! You're the bank lady!" I was startled, and also realized I really did know this dude from my workplace. When I confirmed his accusation, he told me he comes in every other week to get our rugs. OH!!! That's why he looked familiar! He just looked very different in a tux. Then the mystery best man looked confuzzled as he asked the groomsman, "You mean, you know her?" And then out the sanctuary we went with the flow of the crowd...
As I prepared to leave, my mom decided to twist my arm a bit & convinced me that I should go the reception for just a little while...you know...maybe to see who the blonde is with. Because, "...you never know..."
Hmmm...not a bad idea. And who IS the blonde with??
Plus, I'm sure my friend wouldn't mind if I got there a little later than planned. Keep in mind...this was before the whole everyone-has-a-cellphone kick. So it's not like I could dial her up real quick...or send a text to tell her the situation. So...I would just have to make her wait. Simmer down! I was only 20...I didn't know better. OK?
Well...I got myself to the reception hall. I chatted with some folks I knew, mingled a little more...and just waited...and waited...and waited...and. . . . waited . . .
Wow these pictures were taking a long time! At least in my mind. And I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only single lady there to try to get some face time with part of the wedding party...who was hopefully single.
(Did that just sound like an hipster Bachelor episode? Hmmm...Prince Charming is the hipster Bachelor. Think on that one. The prince trying to find a mate from a large group of preselected women...you know...before it was cool.)
Finally the wedding party was being introduced coming into the building! So, like an idiot...I sat positioned at the end of a table to face the doorway...with the biggest, cheesiest smile on my face. Cuz...who wouldn't want that? Amm-i-rite?
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| Yeah...kind of what I looked like. Really...what guy would not want to get to know this right here? C'mon! *face palm* |
So, I waited for the Familiar Groomsman & Mystery Best Man to walk thru the door. As it turned out...they entered...together...with The Blonde right in between them...hanging on to each of their elbows. Are you kidding me??? *sigh*
As the night continued, The Blonde stayed firmly planted between the 2 guys. It was a bit frustrating...especially when The Blonde would kiss one on their cheek & then turn to repeat the same thing with the other. I was about to give up...
Someone did point out that we (my mom & I) should go look at the cake since it was SO amazing. Whatever. Frustrating night...I'll just go stare at cake. Well, we got over to look at it...and this is kind of what we saw...just slightly less elaborate:
As the newly married couple cut the cake, a voice right behind me said, "So, any bets on who shoves cake into the other's face?" I thought it was a weird thing to say...cuz it wasn't a familiar voice, so there's no way they could've been talking to me...but it was awful close. So, I turned around...
I think my eyes popped out of my head & my jaw may have hit the floor when I realized I was being spoken to...by this unfamiliar voice...of the Mystery Best Man! I was doing cartwheels in my head, but I could hardly move or talk at that moment. I could see my mom backed up in the distance...her eyes were as big as mine!
From that moment on, he had me by the hand. The only time we were actually separated was when it was only the wedding party on the dance floor to dance. But as soon as that was over, The Best Man was back with me...and we danced almost the rest of the time. *swoon* It was like Cinderella dancing with the prince at the ball...
But I had to go...remember? The Best Man had asked if I would continue the evening with him at a movie or something. I had to decline...and had to run off. It was almost a Cinderella moment of the magic wearing off at a certain time...but I left my number instead of a shoe. He did escort me to my car & kissed me on the cheek.
And off I went to my friend's house. I was only 3 hours late. Oops...but I told her all about this Best Man & how the evening went. I, being such a girl, had imagined if I'd married him...as my friend was just smiling & nodding at me.
I do believe, to this very day, it was love at first sight. Seriously.
Oh...and The Blonde was with The Groomsman. They [were] married.
On Christmas (only 2 days later), I got a call from The Best Man. Happy Christmas to me! And? AND? We set up getting together the following night.
So, on a Monday night, December 26th, The Best Man came to pick me up, took my mom to another room to tell her where he would be taking me & then asked if I was ready. My mom just kept repeating, "Oh my goodness...oh my word...oh my word...oh my goodness..." Uh, yeah...what would ever be alarming about that? My heart pounded harder as he escorted me outside opened my door on the passenger side of his truck & had a rose waiting for me in my seat. And off we went...
The carriage (read 'truck') took us to a really nice Italian restaurant. It was a place in Johnson County called "Martini's". Anyone remember that place? We got to talk & really get to know each other there. I even almost spilled water all over my date...and he had such quick reflexes, he actually stopped my glass from tipping over. WOW! Just...wow.
Then...we were off again...we drove by an airfield, & then realized we were pulling into the little airport...
When we pulled in, The Best Man parked & came to open my door & help me out. We walked over to where a plane was waiting for us...so we could get a view of the famous Plaza Lights from the sky!
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| Yep...in a plane like this one over the lights of the Plaza. *swoon* (Que up the song "A Whole New World") |
We flew over the entire KC area. We even saw the Longview lights, but from the sky...I could even see my house from there!! Amazing & breathtaking! Jelly? Oh, you should be!
When we landed...it was back to the carriage. We decided it's not really a date unless we see a movie. Amm-i-rite? So...off to the movie theater we went...
Then we decided to see a movie...and we picked the most romantic movie that was showing at the time, obviously! So we kept the amazing magic romance momentum & feel of the evening going by seeing...
That's right. We went and saw "Dumb & Dumber" in the theater. Thank you...thank you very much.
After the hilarious gross out humor...that we BOTH laughed at...my prince took me back home. He escorted me to the door for one last goodnight before he had to ride off. I hated for the date to be over. But we both had to work the next day, so it was sadly inevitable.
Probably the best 1st date EVER...especially after how we met! OK, OK...it WAS the best 1st date ever! I love telling people about it.
When I got into work the next day, a co-worker & former classmate of mine that went to the wedding, too, came to my desk, slammed her hands on my desk & proclaimed, "I. HATE. YOU." Well, that was a dramatic greeting...but I cordially responded with, "Well, good morning!"
Come to find out, she is also single & was sat by The Best Man...and just knew that he wanted her. So I asked her, "Did you go to the reception?" She did not...and she heard that I got to spend a lot of time with The Best Man. I didn't have the heart to tell her about my amazing date...but I did inform her that I was at the reception...hehe
The Best Man & I spent every evening together the rest of the week...he even invited me over to cook for me! *swoon*
Then...it was more & more time together. There was hardly a day that went by when we didn't see each other...
You know what? We were just a thing. It just was. Eventually...just over a year later, on Valentine's Day, The Best Man asked me to marry him. So, coming up on 17 years ago...I said yes to my hubby.
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| Young couple...modern day Cinderella & Prince Charming |
On my wedding day...The Blonde...who [was] the wife of my hubby's best friend...told my hubby I looked like Cinderella.
And we are still happily together to this day.
We even relived the first date just over a year ago. However...none of the things we went to exist anymore:
~ The restaurant is no longer there...it became something else that didn't do well. It closed & became a TGIFriday's. We had a couple of dinners at TGIFriday's just because of the memory of the location. But, we certainly could not relive our first date there.
~ The little airport no longer gave the plane rides.
~ The movie theater became a gym. So we were not going to be able to watch a movie there again, either.
Once all of these things shut down, we just figured our 1st date was stand-alone. It could not be repeated. But we could do our best...
It was a Monday, December 26th, 17 years later...we went to a really nice Italian place that we heard about, which happened to be close to us:
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| Cafe Verona on Independence Square. It's amazing! |
From there, we headed to the Plaza. Since we couldn't fly over it, we thought we could enjoy it from a horse drawn carriage. However, there weren't any available for a little while...but...for $10 more, we could be whisked away in the lighted princess carriage right then & there...so we did:
Even though it was difficult to see the lights, something else happened...
Little girls in restaurant windows & with their parents along the sidewalks would light up as they saw a princess riding by. They would wave so big! It was so much fun to wave back to them. What a fun & beautiful moment.
And, since we do have children...we needed to get back home. We did make sure to get "Dumb & Dumber" so we could finish the night the right way...and introduce the kids to our beloved romantic movie.
** A follow up to Dumb & Dumber HERE
And here we are...after meeting over 18 years ago...
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| The fairy tale continues... |
...living the ever after...happily.
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Is it all sunshine & rainbows everyday, riding on a pegasus quadracorn on streets of glitter & gold? No. There are ups & downs, highs & lows...and we took these vows to get thru them together...forever. This wedded bliss has lasted longer than most already. And, in this day & age...that is a real life, modern day fairy tale at it's finest.
Stay tuned...
God Bless, AM~Erica
Sometimes, the pretty girl and the handsome guy really do live happily ever after.
ReplyDeleteYes they do. The princess really can find a good prince!
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