Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Show and Tell Tuesday: Share your Love Story

Happy Tuesday, Friends!  I am so so so excited about today!  I can't wait to read through all of your love stories.  There is a lot of mean and nasty out there and there is NOTHING sweeter than reminiscing about your love story and hearing about others.  Flipping through pictures and recounting the last 16 years with Dave was JUST what I needed yesterday.

Dave and I met in the Fall of 1999... he was a Junior and I was a Sophomore in High School.  We were in band together, but didn't interact a whole lot because he was the captain of Drumline and I played trombone.  If you're not from Texas that may seem strange... but our high school band was 250+ people, so within band everyone kind of had their own groups.  One of my friends, Erin, was on drumline and she invited me to dinner one night with them.  I gladly tagged along (there was a guy in my grade who was on drumline that I would NOT have been upset about sitting next to at the restaurant - hahaha), and ended up sitting next to Dave.  We instantly hit it off, shared mozzarella sticks and have been pretty much inseparable ever since. 

We did all of those "high school dating relationship things"... like Dave would come over on Saturday mornings to help my dad to yardwork so we could hang out...


... and he even rode with my parents (and JUST my parents) several hours in the car after only a month or so of dating to watch me perform with the Metropolitan Winds at a concert out of town. (yes... not only did I play trombone... I played it pretty well.  I was the youngest member of the Metropolitan Winds, a group of professional musicians and music teachers who perform a concert series several times a year.  I played with them for their Broadway series and had so much fun!)

At The Meyerson after a Metropolitan Winds performance


When we think back on high school, lots of our memories revolve around band.  We played at COUNTLESS football games, contests and concerts.  We marched, played for school musicals and I played bass trombone for our school's jazz band as well.  

This was us at Dave's Senior Night game in 2000.


When we weren't doing band stuff, we were involved in youth group and had the chance to do lots of trips together.

Mexico Mission Trip in 1999



Arkansas 2000




Colorado 2001



We also attended our share of school dances together. :)  At least six that we could remember.

Prom 2001


Prom 2002


And let's not forget about that one time that we were performing at a band competition in Corpus Christi (and we all got to stay in beach condos... so fun!) and Dave (with the help of his friends) made a giant heart out of sea weed and spelled out PROM? :) hahaha  Nothing says Prom like seaweed!!! 


Dave graduated in 2001 and started working on his associate's degree at a local community college and I graduated in 2002.  I went to the University of Texas at Dallas and Dave transferred there after his associate's degree in 2003.

We both ended up with Business Administration degrees (funny since he started off in Criminal Justice adn I started off with med school intentions).


We were a little bit atypical in that we were both VERY focused on life after college.  Dave worked full time all the way through college and I worked almost full time.  We're not "party people", but are more "hang out with our friends" people and so we spent lots and lots of time at Dave's apartment doing just that.  

I think a "defining moment" in our relationship was a trip to Brazil in 2004.  We both raised the money to go on an almost two week trip to the Amazon where we lived on a boat and served local people who had no medical or dental care.


We were totally unplugged and really got to see each other in our element...

I did VBS and crafts with the kids who had traveled (by canoe... some several days) to where we were with their families to receive medical and dental care.

I entertained, sung, dance, held babies and blew more bubbles than I care to remember.

and Dave did what Dave does best.... whatever needs to be done :) Seriously, I've said it before... Dave is the hardest working most selfless person I know and he definitely isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.  He helped with construction, played soccer with the older kids, and held people's heads in his lap as they had their teeth extracted.  Seriously.  He's in the red shirt heading back from the jungle area to get logs.


He even got INTO THE AMAZON RIVER when our boat got stuck on the return trip to help pull it out. EEEK!

We were dirty and hungry and tired and I think it was then that we both knew we were in it for the long haul.

Which brings me to our engagement story.

I worked with a FABULOUS woman named Kay at a store on the square while I was in high school and college.  She was three times my age, but we were soul sisters :)  She was like another mom to me and I adored her!  Kay was on the board of a local historical society and she and I spent lots of time volunteering at a local historical village named Chestnut Square.  She and I helped host dinner parties, we cleaned the historic houses and ran the little general store. 

We hosted a historical Halloween Party...


and even planned and hosted a Murder Mystery Dinner for charity.  BEFORE you see the picture, I feel like you should know that Kay told me not to worry about an outfit - that she would find some pieces for me to wear to be a "cigarette girl" (I'm not sure I even knew what that was).  I showed up and was MORTIFIED! hahaha

Can you see me attempting to hide between Heather, the flapper and Kay as Carmen Miranda???


I have ALWAYS been super modest (like... I was wearing a one piece athletic speedo bathing suit to the pool in high school when all my girlfriends were in two pieces. hahaha) and this night about did me in.  I would have done anything for Kay though... which is important in the next part of my story...


In April of 2004, Kay called me and said that she was working on promotional materials for Chestnut Square and she wanted me to pose for pictures in their rose garden for their new wedding brochure.  Again, not my thing, but Kay asked and so I obliged.  She told me she had a guy lined up and I sighed and started stressing about having my picture taken for print materials. :)  

She called me about 2 days before the photo shoot and told me that the guy she had lined up couldn't make it and asked if I thought Dave would mind doing it since she already had the photographer lined up and the weather was supposed to be pretty.  My suspicions should have been peaked when Dave happily agreed, but I went with it because again, Dave will do whatever is needed... even if that means being photographed for a wedding brochure.

Kay told me to wear my white prom dress from a few years back and asked Dave to wear a suit.  We got to Chestnut Square and the photographer took pics of us on the porch of the chapel, inside the chapel and then last, moved us to the rose garden.
  

Photographer: "Hey, Dave. Why don't you pick a rose and have Andrea smell it?"
Me: "ummmm.... okay." #awkward #whyamiwearinglipstick

Photographer: "Okay, Dave.  Now get down on one knee and hand her the flower"
Me: clueless

Photographer: "The only thing that would make this better would be if Dave had a ring"
Dave: "Oh wait, I have a ring!"
Me: "What the what?!?!?!"

Insert lots of sweet words from Dave and lots of tears from me.

Me: "You jerk! You told me that we weren't getting engaged for a while since you just spent all your money on a new car."  #liarliarpantsonfire #butthatsadiamond #soillforgiveyou


This was pre-crazy nail color Andrea :)

The entire thing had been an elaborate set up orchestrated by Dave because he KNEW I'd want pictures of everything :)  #hesakeeper


We were married 7 months later!  

So, that's our story!  Or at least the condensed version :)  I love that Dave and I have so much "history".  That we have memories of being stupid high schoolers wrapping houses together, performing at Cowboys stadium for a playoff game together and eating biscuits and gravy at 2 a.m. at What-A-Burger together.  Dave is THE MOST caring person I know and I'm glad that I snagged him, even if I was 15. hahaha  

So, what's your love story??? I can't wait to read it!!!

And one last thing - St. Paddy's is exactly ONE MONTH away from today and Sprinklings is doing 30% off of all her St. Patrick's Day necklaces with the code lucky30.  The sale is running through midnight tonight and she has lots of cute options posted. Hurry though, because it's only while her stock lasts :)  


   
   

52 comments :

  1. Awwww! I teared up.

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  2. Awwww!!! This made me tear up. You and your husband have such a beautiful history together!!! <3

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  3. At first, I thought my favorite part of this story was going to be how you got engaged when you were 12...but then, I was going to comment on your fabulous Prom tan...but by the end, my very, very, very favorite part was that you have engagement pictures! Why have I not seen those before?!?! That's just so sweet! Love that!!!

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  4. What a wonderful love story and the engagement Wow! Having pictures to document it all is priceless.

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  5. Wow....cold you two have been any more perfect for each other??!!!

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  6. I had to make that picture bigger!!! It looked like the scarf was your cleavage!! Hahahahaha!

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  7. ANDREA! Such a great story! I loved reading it and seeing all the pictures!!! Being married to your high school sweetheart is the best. It's so much fun to have SO MUCH HISTORY! I always tell Chris it was his blue and green windbreaker in Algebra that stole my heart. :)

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  8. This is so sweet! I love it that he kinda like read your mind and set the whole thing up just so y'all could have pictures!! Yay! And I love it that you played trombone and were in marching band! I played flute/piccolo and was in marching band too! #bandgeeksunite :) happy Tuesday friend

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  9. Sweetest ever! The pictures really did speak a thousand words.. So adorable :)

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  10. Oh my gosh...so many tears so early in the morning. So sweeeet.

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  11. First, I attend UTDallas right now with a major in Business Administration. So cool! But also, you guys make such a sweet couple and I was getting chills as I was reading. So glad God put you together that one night over mozzarella sticks because now you have an amazing life with 3 great kids. So so happy for you!

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  12. I think my favorite part of your story would be that Dave set that up so that you would have pictures of the whole thing! How sweet is that?? Xoxo

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  13. What a great story! One of the things my husband and I always say is that we wish we had met earlier, like in high school or college (we were 28 and 29 when we met). It's so great that you have such a long history together.

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  14. So sweet! My husband and I started dating my sophomore year of high school and his junior year of high school too. Loved the engagement pictures! Thanks for this wonderful idea to do this post.

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  15. O my goodness! ! This is such an adorable love story!! Y'all were just so cute!!

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  16. Such an awesome story! I love high school sweetheart stories. I am sure your kids will love it one day, too! So special.

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  17. Andrea, what a great story...How creative it was to have the engagement photographed! (Even before it was popular!) Id love to have our engagement session in photos. It's so funny to that your band group got to visit Corpus Christi, it's where we live.. so tell your husband there is still plenty of seaweed to suprise you with! Thanks again for your sweet story I can't wait to post ours!

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  18. Awww this is SO SO sweet, I love your engagement story!!!

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  19. Such a sweet story. But it's really amazing that Dave has eluded the law for so long for dating and marrying a 12 year old girl! ;)

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  20. This is so cute, You guys looked so young!! This kind of thing never happened for me, I wish it did....sometimes!!

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  21. I love your story!!! and the pictures are great!! ;)

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  22. I love high school sweetheart stories! My husband and I met and started dating in high school and I wouldn't change a single thing. Growing old together is fun, but growing up together is great too!

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  23. Sounds like God had Dave picked out for you from the time you were born. Such a beautiful story. I feel like I know you, Shay, Erika, Shaffer, and Narci through your blogs and now, for you to open up and give us an even deeper glimpse into your history. Thank you. You BOTH have a servant's heart. And I could see the love for the children in the mission pics..the same way you look at your children today. Again, thank you, Andrea.

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  24. WHat a cute story I love iT!!
    Chelsea@thewilliamsjourney1.blogspot.com

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  25. Oh my gosh this is just the sweetest! Love these pictures too, you guys were such babies :-) so fun to look back.

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  26. Love the history and the sweet, sweet story of you and Dave! And that engagement? Oh my! My heart melts!

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  27. Love love love. Such a sweet story and even sweeter that Dave went all out and arranged the whole story/setup so you'd have these wonderful pics to go along with the memory!!!!! Awesome! :)

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  28. What a sweet story! I have to say I laughed when I read your high school band have over 250 people...my graduating class in high school had just under 300 people!

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  29. Wow amazing story and I'm all teary!! Yes he's definitely a keeper.

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  30. Holy cow, I played trombone in high school too! I was the Drum Major at my school, so crazy! I've never "met" another girl trombone player, and a small one at that, haha! People used to always ask me how I chose it, it was actually the instrument I liked the best when we did the instrument test. I'll have to dig out pictures of me playing trombone :) Oh high school band lol. I did wind ensemble, jazz, marching...fun times. Love your and Dave's story. You guys are just the cutest together. And that he got pictures of your engagement, amazing!

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  31. I met my hubby in high school in 2001, too! Must have been the year of HS romance haha.

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  32. What a beautiful love story! So sweet!

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  33. What a sweet story! How perfect to have engagement photos!! Great series!

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  34. I met my husband at 15 too! We are high school sweethearts also (linked up #72). I found your blog a few months ago and I enjoy reading and keeping up with your sweet family so much! Thanks for sharing and providing the platform to link up!

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  35. This is so fun, Andrea! :) I wasn't able to write a new post today because teething toddler problems, so I'm sharing our anniversary post I wrote in October. Hope that's okay. I didn't want to miss out on all the fun. Love this! Thanks for hosting this extra fun linkup!

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  36. Andrea, this is the sweetest love story!!!!! You 2 are adorable!

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  37. What a sweet story! You were so young!
    My husband and I met when I was 18 and he was 19. We got married a year and a half later, and the rest is history!

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  38. That picture of you in the wheelbarrow looks so much like Mason! I always cry at engagements and those pictures did me in.

    -Bradley

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  39. Wow, just when I thought your hubby couldn't be any more AWESOME you go and post this! What a great guy!

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  40. Nothing better than a thoughtful guy. You are blessed! What a sweet love story!

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  41. I love your story! You are right, all history makes it extra sweet. My Chris & I have been together for 21 years. Started dating in 94 as Juniors in HS! Wouldn't trade a day!

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  42. You are so right about engagement stories brightening up one's day! You are Dave have such a great love story, he knows you inside and out and I am sure he didn't get the short end of the stick either, lol! ;)

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  43. Your engagement story is SO SWEET!!!! I love it! Such a thoughtful man! You've got yourself a keeper :)

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  44. Loved reading this, Andrea! Such a fun link up!! :-)

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  45. You were a t-bone player, so am I. The only thing is that I am not that good. When was the last time you played?

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  46. What a sweet, sweet story. You look angelic in all the photos.
    You and Dave make a beautiful couple and now have these three sweet kids.
    Thanks so much for sharing. I loved it!

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  47. I'm sorry, but you guys are too cute!

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  48. Such as sweet sweet story! Thank you for sharing this with us!

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  49. What a sweet story! -Jess
    www.sweetlittleonesblog.com

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