I love hearing other people's love stories. When I first meet a new person, and they tell me they are in a relationship; my next question is almost always "HOW DID YOU MEET". There is just something about hearing a story, already knowing there's a happy ending coming.
Even if you met on an app, most people just stop there but I mean...... What did you first think? Did you ask for the second date or did they? Did you know right away it was going to be something or did it take time? What impressed you most about them at first?
See? Every story is lovely and beautiful and I wanna hear it!
So, with that being said; here is my unsolicited sharing of how me and my husband (Jeremy) met.
Us. On the BEST DAY EVER. Literally. The perfect day. Top to bottom. Yes.
*Eases down into an old chair* "ahem" It was the spring of 2011.... I was home from university after my 1st year of studies at Ryerson. ("Home" is Barrie, ON at this point) I'm a go-getter and my parents don't give handouts so my first order of business was getting a job. I probably could have gone back to my last summer's job at the Winners in town but I HATED being inside ALL SUMMER LONG. I wanted the sun, I wanted fun, I wanted to get strong. So that of course, means some kind of landscaping/gardening/golf course job.
FUN FACT: When I was in high school, I started my first business, "The Lawn Ranger" (clever. I know... I was a weird kid ok?)
So with that experience in my little back pocket, I hit kijiji and applied to all the "landscape" "labourer" "gardening" "lawn cutting" jobs. Long story short, I landed a job as part of the "lawn crew" at Joe's Lawn and Garden (not the real name, cause "Joe" turned out to be a real gem of a human.. another tale for another time)
My first day:
It's early in the season and the snow JUST melted (great white north, remember?) So there was no grass yet to cut. The whole team was on "yard clean up". So it's about 5 guys and little ol' me. The guys are totally awesome and chill and nice and I'm okay with being in the company of guys so it wasn't weird at all. They were quick to make me feel welcome. As they went around introducing themselves, they tell me that there is another guy as well, but he's just away doing a run to the dump.
Hmm, okay..... who IS this other guy? Something pinged inside me, like, my antennas went up or something. I was suddenly really aware of this "other guy" and was curious.
So we're raking away, picking up sticks and putting it all into bags when a company truck rolls up. It comes to a stop at the curb and the door opens. I'm watching, rake in hand as the "other guy" casually walks around the vehicle.
Girl. It was like slow motion.......
Okay, not really but DAMN this guy was CUTE!! And holy moly bells were going off in my head like
"THIS GUY IS SPECIAL RACHEL". So weird because this is literally the first time I'm laying eyes on him, but now I see this is what they call "love at first sight". UGH so cheesy but MAN... something HAPPENED. The universe snapping? Who knows. BTW this is Jeremy.
Anyway, time goes on and we're working together. I learn that he is the foreman of the "stone" crew; but "Joe" hasn't secured any stone jobs yet so they're doing lawn clean up with us (I didn't mind, of course) As we get to know each other I learn that Jeremy is lighthearted, funny as hell, easy going and loves to sing while he works. I think he is THE COOLEST EVER. He and one of the other guys on the crew are buddies and I hang around them most of the day.
Watching them, I wanted SO BADLY just to be his friend. I wanted to be his buddy toooooooo!!!!! So I try to find ways to insert myself into the conversations; I eat my lunch close to where they are eating, I tell them"yeah I smoke weed", and just generally hover around as much as I can without looking too creepy.
This goes on for a few weeks, and I still just want to be friends with this guy. He's so cool, and easy to be around! Till one night, I'm at a party with one of my girlfriends from University. I don't know anyone at this party, and I'm bored as hell. I'm also a little tipsy. So what does Drunk Rachel decide is the best course of action? I pop onto Facebook on my phone, and pull up Jeremy's profile. Ohhhh looky hereeeeee Guy has his phone number listed on his page. Dooooonnnn'tttt miiiiiinndd if I do!
I copy the number and send a text (or BBM.. ha, blackberry's)
"Hey. Guess who this is"
(His obvious response:)"Hi. I have no clue"
"Go on, guess!"
"...No idea"
"Ur no fun..... It's Rachel, from work"
And so on....
I KID YOU NOT: We never stopped texting from that day forward. Probably every day (except when we're together) We continued chatting during work, after work, ALL THE TIME.
From this point, our friendship developed. We texted all the time and Jeremy started inviting me to hangout or go swimming with the guys after work. Soon the hangouts and swim meets with the guys, turned into hangouts and swim meets withOUT the guys. It was just us.
We started calling them "secret dates" because we didn't want the other guys to know we were hanging out. (I also didn't want my parents to know, because if I haven't revealed this information at this point, I'm 19.... and Jeremy? is 28. 9 YEARS DIFFERENCE)
The "secret dates" turned into real dates, like dinner and movies and such. And our friendship was DEFINITELY something more. I fell HARD for this guy and I think he fell for me pretty good too.
I think it was August that same year, after helping my parents move AWAY from Barrie when we sat out on the garden swing at their new house in Welland and I pretty much asked him if we were "Official" (he laughed at the fact that I'm even asking the question) But it was yes. We were official.
The oldest picture I could find of us... March 2012. With my NOW brother-in-law Matt.
Now I'm 29, and he's (gonna be) 38. 10 years later. Couldn't be more in love. I love our story, mostly because we're the stars of it...but also because I know the Universe had a BIG plan for us, and when that plan came together.... I could FEEL it. Everything since then has literally fallen into place. I'm so lucky. I'm so fortunate. I'm so grateful.
The day we got engaged. I WAS SO SURPRISED. (another tale for another time)
This was a long one, but a good one. Thanks for sticking around! I'm loving sharing my stories.
OK BYEEEEEEEEEEEE
