Love.

I figure I should probably get a post up about how my husband and I met, so here it goes! 

I should probably start by saying that I've always thought online dating sites were super creepy… I had never been on one so I really didn't know what to expect. Anyway, while browsing my Myspace (does this even exist anymore? haha) I kept seeing ads pop up on the sidebar about a website called Christian Mingle. Out of curiosity, I decided to click on it, created a free profile, and really just wanted to see what kind of people were on there. I wasn't even looking for a relationship… I may have actually only created the profile out of complete boredom. ha! 

After a couple of weeks of browsing Christian Mingle, a pop up with "people who are compatible for you" came up and I saw a guy with the most GORGEOUS smile ever! (I'm a sucker for cute smiles!) I immediately clicked on his profile and sent him a "smile" saying something corny like "hope you're having a good day!" Sending smiles was my only way of communicating with him because I had a free profile which allowed you to look without actually messaging the person. The next couple of days, we sent smiles back and forth, until I decided to put my URL for Myspace as the caption to one of my photos. (sneaky, i know.) I was hoping he'd browse my photos and figure it out! :P

Sure enough, a few days later, I received a message on Myspace from Matthew Goode that read, "You're the face from CM, yea?" I replied with a little about me and asked him some questions about him. I still remember sitting on my sister's lazy boy, getting all giddy that he'd found me on Myspace and we were actually able to talk! (I may have done a little yahoo jump!) He messaged me back and wrote a mini-book telling me all about him a few days later to which I replied and left my phone number (clearly I didn't waste much time)! He sent me his phone number and we pretty much left it at that for a few weeks. 

Fast forward a few weeks, all I could think about was this silly, handsome, interesting, cool, and handsome guy that I met online. We finally started texting each other here and there… Our short texts eventually progressed to longer texts until Matthew asked if he could call me one night. We ended up talking on the phone for hours… I think we may have finally hung up around 4am because I had to work at 8am and needed at least a couple of hours to get some sleep. (call me crazy!) At this point, we were pretty much texting each other everyday! We were both working and going to school so I think texting was really just way more convenient for our busy schedules! 

So we initially started talking via Myspace sometime in July, and by December, I decided that I'd celebrate my 21st birthday in Las Vegas with a friend and visit Matthew as well! I worked the plans out with my friend and told Matthew that I was planning to visit Las Vegas for my birthday! It was pretty obvious by our constant texting/talking on the phone that we really liked each other… We both agree that we were "unofficially" committed to one another… (are you weirded out yet?) On January 31st 2009, Matthew sent me a text that read, "I think I'm going to change my Facebook [relationship] status!" I replied, "you should probably ask me to be your girlfriend first!" ha! He called me within five minutes to ask me if I'd be his girlfriend to which I happily replied YES, right there from an Urban Outfitters dressing room! (Fun little fact: Jan 31st is my sister and Matthew's dad's birthday!) We were officially a couple (without ever having met in person, yet) thanks to a Facebook status! hahaha! (Matthew can never live that down and I like teasing him about it! :P) 

On February 13th, I left Seattle and headed to Las Vegas to celebrate my birthday, but more importantly to meet Matthew! I arrived in the morning and had a taxi take me to the Stratosphere hotel. Matthew was working when I arrived so we planned to meet up after he got off of work. Around 6pm, Matthew sent me a text that he was on his way to see me. Gosh, I was soooooo nervous and excited! I remember talking to my sister telling her that he was on his way, just in case he turned out to be a serial killer or something! lol. I was pacing back and forth while talking to her because of how nervous I was! I got a text saying he was here so I hung up with my sister and tried to play it cool, waiting for him to come up to my room. Minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and I opened it to Matthew standing there with a bouquet of flowers and a huge smile! After chatting for a little, we went out for dinner! It wasn't as awkward/weird as I thought it'd be meeting him for the first time. I felt like I had been dating him for forever!

Visiting him for the first time in Las Vegas.  

<3!

My friend took this photo while we were at dinner.  

My friend took this unposed photo. 

The next day (Valentines Day) Matthew said that he'd gotten tickets to see the Phantom of the Opera for us! He picked me up in the morning and we hung out until he dropped me off at my hotel so that we could get changed for the show. At 6ish, he came back and before we headed to dinner and the show, he said he wanted to give me something… He pulled out his purity ring (from 8th grade) and said he wanted me to have it. It fit and I was over the moon that he would give such a special gift. He got us front row tickets, and I just remember holding both hands as we enjoyed the show! I had fallen so hard for him. 

I ended up staying in Las Vegas for a week and we were inseparable! At the end of my stay, he drove my friend and I to the airport. I was so sad to be leaving him, but work and school were waiting for me back home. Back to reality. Back to the grind. 

Matthew came to visit me in Seattle for Spring break so that he could meet my family. I guess while I was at work one day, he went to lunch with my parents and sisters where he asked my parents for their blessing to ask me to marry him. (I didn't know about this until after he asked me.)

Matthew and I talked about our hopes for the future… Marriage, kids, goals, and what we wanted to do in life. I planned to visit him again in May, to be there for his graduation from UNLV. I arrived late at night on May 8, and Matthew said he wanted me to do something for him as a graduation gift. He asked if I'd go with him to get a caricature drawn of us… I was a little confused, but went along with it. (I only wished I could have changed out of my yoga pants!) We had to hurry to the Excalibur casino because it was late and the caricature artist would be leaving soon. We made it in time to have our caricature photo drawn and I tried to see the photo before he showed the both of us because people kept walking by and some would give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down, but the artist said he had to show us together and I couldn't sneak a peek. ugh. About 20 or 30 minutes later, he finished and revealed a drawing of Matthew proposing to me! Matthew got down on one knee, pulled out a ring, and asked me to marry him! I was probably red in the face and said YES!!! The next day, I showed up to his graduation as his very proud fiancée! The news didn't come as a surprise to my family, because they already knew he was planning to ask me from when he visited me in April. 

I stayed in Las Vegas for a few days before heading back home to Seattle to begin the wedding plans! When I thought about what I wanted for a wedding, I wanted it to be simple. Just our close friends and family celebrating with us. I also knew I wanted it to be sooner than later. I couldn't wait to start a new life with my best friend and it was getting difficult to be in a long distance relationship when all I wanted was to spend every waking moment with Matthew. We decided on a July 18th wedding day in Seattle because we planned for me to move to Las Vegas after we were married! (July 18th is my other sister's birthday! lol.) Matthew tried to help me plan as much as he could being miles away! He ended up flying to Seattle at the end of May (when school was out) to help me plan our wedding.

 July 18th came and it was all that I hoped it would be. Our friends and family joined us as we pledged to spend the rest of our lives together. The best part was saying, "I do" to my very best friend! :)