How I Met My Valentine..

These pictures are some of the first ones ever taken of Nathan and I. There is also a "doodle" that he drew of us. The kiss picture is from August 2001, after we were 'officially' a couple. The group picture is from the first time Nathan hung out my friends and I. The pink heart picture is from my birthday, October 2001. Then the one with the drawing is when Nathan got his apartment with Ben.


Marie, you have inspired me once again to steal an idea from you. I thought it was such a good idea to write about how you met your Valentine.
Nathan started working at Ruby Tuesday a few months into 2001. I thought he was quiet----but cool. He seemed so different than all the other guys that worked there. He didnt seem to be concerned with going out and getting drunk, "hooking up with chicks" like all the other guys. There was a specific reason I never dated the guys at work. I remember Nathan wore 'A Clockwork Orange' shirt, and he had a really cool Frank Sinatra one. He drove a Diamanti that was a MESS on the inside. I dont know why I remember that :) He had a girlfriend named Emily, and I had just stopped seeing a real JERK. Nathan was like a breath of fresh air. He made me laugh constantly. He made work fun for me again. I remember one day when he was telling me some of the bands he listened to, and he named some that I thought no one but me had even heard of. Then I found out he actually lived on the same street as I did! We went a couple months being "just friends". We worked together every day, and he became like my best friend. We became so close that we could read each others minds. Work was NOT the same if Nathan was off. It was totally innocent. I had the biggest crush on him, but he had a girlfriend so I ignored those feelings. He was also five years older than me, so I thought he would see me as 'too young'. I had a group of friends that I always spent time with, we would always ask Nathan to go to a movie with us, but he never did. Little did I know, Nathan and Emily were *THIS* close to breaking up. (YAY!) Emily just took off one night and went to Florida without saying anything to Nathan. He ended up inviting some of us to his house to watch a movie. That night I realized that I had more than a crush..I saw Nathan as someone I could really see myself with. We stayed up until 3:00 am talking, we went to Hardee's as soon as they served breakfast. He was funny, and artistic. He doodled pictures for me while I was bored at work. He started hanging out with us, and all of our friends would say "Nathan likes you, I can tell", or "You two should just get together already!". We both denied that we had any feelings for each other whatsoever. Emily didn't like us hanging out one bit---but we were always in a group of friends. There was nothing shady going on, I was never even alone with Nathan. Still, she saw me as 'the other woman', and I guess she was right. I never tried to break them up..I just KNEW it would happen. I knew that Nathan and I were meant to be together and everything would just fall into place. Finally, Nathan and Emily broke up. Nathan moved into an apartment with our friend Ben, and we have pretty much been together ever since. We never actually had that relationship talk...we just went from hanging out and being best friends, to being a couple. It was such a smooth transition for us. We have definitely had our up's and down's, but somehow we have always worked out our issues, and we have become stronger for it. Nobody knows me the way Nathan does. I honestly think we are meant for each other. He is still the sweetest guy I know, even after almost five years of being in each others lives. He does things for me every day. And no matter how small, I try not to take these things for granted.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!