How Did We Get Here?

Many of you know the story of Dean and I. 

Some of you, more than others, and some of you, THINK you know. 

So before I go into labor and give birth to our first child, I thought telling the story of us would be appropriate. 

Especially today, as it has been 7 months since we've been married and I'm only 9 days from my due date.

So let's start from the beginning, shall we?

My first memory of Dean and I talking to each other was sometime in January 2007 (forgive me for not knowing the exact dates, it's been a while). We were both working at Wal-Mart, and one day I was on break sitting in the employee lounge when Dean, out of nowhere, came and sat down directly across from me. I was 16, in my junior year of high school, and shy around people I didn't know. Dean was 18, almost 19, graduated from high school, working full time at Wal-Mart and going to the local community college full time.

Dean asked me what all I was involved in. 

At the time, the list went something like this:

*Chorus

*Cheerleading

*Member of the Class Board

*Member of the Communications club

* Member of Future Educators of America

* Member of the National Honor Society

*Holding a 4.0 GPA

*Working part-time at Wal-Mart

Stunned, Dean proceeded to brag to the 4 other people in the room that I was something else, and he could never imagine being involved in anything in High School, let alone as much as I was. 

Time went on, Dean flirted, and I flirted back, and eventually, I told one of my friends that I worked with that it was okay to give Dean my phone number. That night, I got a text (who would'a thought!)

So after texting for several days, Dean invited me to a friend's house that he would be at after work.

Of course, I BEGGED my Mom to let me go, and she finally agreed.

That night was February 10, 2007, and that was the night we became "official"

We dated, and worked together, and it was a typical relationship. 

Soon, we ended up arguing too often, and a few days after my Junior Prom, we broke up.

We spent the entire summer apart, and after some drama, we found ourselves with each other again.

Fast forward to January 2009, (because who really wants to hear about how in love we were, and couldn't be separated?) and Dean and I found ourselves moving out of our parent's houses and into our own place together. Dean, still with Wal-Mart had recently gotten a promotion to Assistant Manager at a store in Frederick, and I was still working at Wal-Mart in Westminster, going to the local Community College.

Around May, Dean and I found ourselves fighting more than we ever had, and broke up. I moved back home, and he stayed in the place we moved into. 

After a long summer of Dean enjoying his "bachelor pad" and partying just about 24/7, and me attempting to get over a heart break and going out with friends, we soon found ourselves speaking to one another again. We both admitted that we had done wrong, and around August or September of 2009, Dean and I were full fledged back together. 

A short time later, I had moved back in, and our relationship was stronger than ever. 

In July of 2010, Dean and I went to North Carolina to visit some friends. The first night we were there, Dean told me he wanted to take me to the beach for a walk.

"That's cute" I thought, at the same time wondering what was up his sleeve. 

So, we get to the beach, Emerald Isle specifically, and we began to take a nice stroll along the shoreline. The stars were out, and it was super romantic. Probably the most romantic thing Dean has ever done for me. After what we thought was Beach Patrol coming for us, Dean made a quick diversion and stopped me, telling me he wanted to ask me a question.

As he got down on one knee, he promised to love me forever, and asked me to marry him.

Of course, I said YES!

After many hugs and kisses, we just about ran back to the car and started calling everyone!

We were getting married! Life couldn't get any better than this!

Time went on, and I became a wedding planning crazy lady, our date set for September 24, 2011.

Around January of 2011 Dean had gotten another promotion, this time for Co-Manager in a store in Virginia. VIRGINIA! Much farther than where we were currently. 

Because of the position Dean was now in, and where we needed to be physically, plus where we were emotionally, Dean and I sought out a realtor, and bought our first home. 

In March of 2011, we had settled and moved into our first home in Martinsburg, West Virginia. We had made our location centralized enough to still be close enough to "home" (Maryland), but also if Dean were to get another promotion or transfer, there were plenty of stores around that he could do so with, and we would still be "safe" in our home. 

So there we were. Living in our own home, preparing to get married in September, living the American dream. 

On September 1, twenty-three days before our wedding, I found out I was pregnant. Something that should be so exciting for a couple, came to us as a complete shock (insert jokes here about how it shouldn't have been, we both know how babies are made, yaddah yaddah yaddah). We told our family and friends, all of which were more than supportive. We were in a good position, owning our own home, and financially stable (as stable as you can be in today's economy), and days away from getting married.

September 24 came and it was beautiful. At the end of the day, Dean and I were husband and wife, and our lives together had truly begun.

So there you have it folks. The story of how we got here to this day. Each event is important to us and has shaped us into who we are today. "Newlyweds" expecting their first child any day now, that know without a doubt that this is forever. 

I'm not afraid to tell people how scared I am of growing old, and dying; but knowing that I have Dean by my side for the rest of my life, makes it seem not so bad.