How My Husband Fell Madly In Love With Me (and vice versa)

Welcome again to My Life Monday. Mondays are all about ME, baby! Well, GREG and me today.


Our topic: "The Story of My Spouse, How We Met and Got Together".

Folks, this story may take a while so go take a bathroom break, pop some popcorn and change into your comfy clothes. We'll meet back here in five minutes.

Okay. You ready?

August, 1997. I had just started my freshman year of college. It was the first day of school and since I wasn't a total slacker yet and actually went to class, I was coming out of the Fine Arts building. There were hundreds of students crawling the campus that morning, but one person in particular caught my eye. Standing about 50 feet away from me was a guy with longish brown hair and blue eyes with a red bag over one shoulder. He ran his fingers through his hair, then went through the door into the building.

I thought to myself, "Dang, that guy has really nice hair. It looks so soft! He's cute too! I love college!" and continued on my merry way. I didn't think I'd see him again and put him out of my mind.

September, 1997. I lived in the on campus coed dorms and was having the time of my life at school. Everyone in my building knew each other, most of us hung out together and since it was Utah, we all went to the same church. It was SO much fun. One day I was in one of the dorms hanging out with some friends when the guy with longish brown hair and blue eyes walked in the room (with his trademark red bag too). I remembered him right away. I was a little shocked to see him again, especially in my building and decided to investigate:

Me: What are you doing here?

Guy with longish brown hair: I live here.

Me: No you DON'T. I know EVERYONE that lives here and I've never met you.

Guy with longish brown hair: Yeah, I DO live here. *rolls his eyes and sighs*

Me: Then how come you never come out in the hall and talk to us?

Guy with longish brown hair: How old are you?

Me: Eighteen! *peppy little smile on my face*

Guy with longish brown hair: THAT is why I don't come out in the hall and talk to you.

He turned around and went into his room.

I was LIVID. LIVID I tell you. I hated him. I found out his name (Greg) from his roommates (who were totally laughing at me) and told everyone what a big jerk he was. NO one talked to me that way! Especially some 21-year-old, fresh-off-the-mission jerk. I glared at him every chance I got and pretended to ignore him when I saw him coming.

November, 1997. One day I wanted to be alone, so I went to the common area. (go figure, NO one used the common area) I was stressed about money and my family and all sorts of other issues and just needed a good cry. Greg walked by and saw me, paused for a minute and then came back and asked me if I was okay. He seemed sincere, so I talked. And talked and talked and talked. For the first time in my life I met someone that really LISTENED to me. I hadn't (and still haven't) ever met anyone who listened as well as Greg. He is wonderful and always has profound things to say.

So we became friends. I started hanging out with him more and more and realized what a funny guy he was. And smart too. He was so smart! Then one day my friend was talking to me about a date I had been on the previous night and I found myself shushing her since Greg was sitting right there. I didn't want him to hear about me dating someone else. She looked at me strangely for shushing her and all of the sudden I realized that I was shushing because I LIKED him!

What? Where did this come from? We were just buddies! Besides, he would NEVER go for a girl like me. I had seen the type of girls he went out with before me and I was NOT it. I was way too outgoing, way too shallow. He was smart, I was not. Plus he knew I was a big flirt. He hated girls like me! Still we were friends, so maybe there WAS a chance. Hmmm....

So I decided to drop some hints, try to plant a seed here or there. Maybe he'd get the hint. (I know. I was young and didn't realize that men don't really do that well with "hints".)

December, 1997. I told him that he needed to date more. I told him that he should ask out someone in my apartment. So he did, he asked Stephanie. They went on a WONDERFUL date, he brought her flowers, etc. I was mad. So I told him he should ask out someone ELSE in our apartment. So he did, he asked Adrian. They went on a wonderful date too, she had a fantastic time and talked about it for days. I was TOTALLY mad. My stupid plan did not work.

At this point it is finals week right before Christmas break. Everyone is stressed, including me. I'm not stressed for the school reason though (even though I REALLY should have been...) , I'm stressed for the GREG reason. He just wasn't getting the clue. I was pulling out every trick I knew. Flirting with the guy, dropping hints, etc. NOTHING. I am getting extremely frustrated.

So one day we are in his apartment wrapping up a coat that we bought for one of those Giving Tree things. I am acting snippy towards him. Finally he gets tired of it and asks me what is wrong and tears fill my eyes and I say, "NOTHING IS WRONG, I HAVE HAD IT!!" I storm down down the hall, out of his apartment, and up the stairs with him trailing after me. I get to my apartment door and he stops me. "What is WRONG with you?" he says.

"Did you ever think that when I told you to ask someone out in my apartment I meant ME??" Tears are rolling down my face. He looks completely shocked. I slam the door in his face.

Holy PMS Batman! There goes that, I thought. Way to freak out on him, Emily. He'll TOTALLY want you now! I was mortified and did NOT want to face the humiliation of seeing him ever again.

The next day I got home from school and there was a card with my name on it on the Christmas tree. It was from him! I opened it up not expecting what I found. Inside was a Japanese coin tied on a piece of leather (that matched the one he wore around his neck...he served a mission in Japan) and the sweetest Christmas card ever, with an apology for his suckiness at flirtation and hint-getting. Also a request to take me "Greg-Style Dancing". (Something along the lines of "Me, you, the car radio and the night sky" Totally romantic.

We went to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square in Salt Lake City on our first date. He held my hand for the first time at the reflection pool in front of the Church Office Building. We ate at Arby's on the way home. He folded his sandwich wrapper when he was done, I crinkled mine. We still do it like that today. Funny the stuff you remember and smile about.

When we got to our apartment building it was late. He flipped through the stations on the radio until he found a good song (Carolina On My Mind, James Taylor), came to my side of the car, opened the door and asked me to dance with him.

We dated for six months, had a six month engagement and have been married for 7 1/2 years now. We are completely different types of people, but perfect for each other. He makes up where I lack and I make up where he does. I am more in love with him now than I have ever been. He is my best friend. He still makes me laugh, he still listens when I need to talk. He still makes me want to be a better person. I love going through this little journey of life with him.

I got all nostalgic when I started writing this and went through some of our old letters and such. I gave this little poem to him around our first Valentine's Day and it made me smile:

Give three cheers for Cupid
And his craftiness with a bow
his arrow struck your heart and mine
As we stood in the falling snow.

Love you, hon. I'm glad it's you who I get to spend eternity with.

PS--Yes, that picture was taken in 1997. Greg now has a respectable haircut and I no longer wear a scrunchy on my wrist "just in case".