Boy Meets Girl

So I just realized something. I realize I talk about my hubby all of the time, but I haven't told the story of how we met. So because this is the season where our relationship began to grow into something serious, I thought it would be the perfect time to tell it! (Plus, who doesn't love a good love story on a dreary Fall day?!) So with that, I give you the tale on how the Petrellese's came to be…

It was the 4th of July and the smell of BBQ hot dogs filled the air. My dad and I were driving to the Delta to meet up with our old family friends that we hadn't seen in 10 years. 

*Side-note: Growing up, my family use to go camping multiple times a summer. We usually took a weeklong trip with a bunch of weekend trips sprinkled in, and we always went with the Roque Family. They had two boys, one who is a year older than me, and one a year younger than me and a year older than my brother, so we were all very close in age. There isn't one camping trip I have taken that doesn't involve them*

So my Dad and I show up and it is like those 10 years of not seeing each other never happened, we fell right into where things left off which was pretty cool. It was going to be a great day on the water with old friends! (Matt, the youngest brother brought along his girlfriend, and Justin, the older brother brought along his best friend…can you see where this is going to go?) So we spent the day bbqing, wake boarding, and just enjoying each others company. But that was it, no sparks flew, it was just a perfect day spent on the water.

Fast forward a month and that's where the real story starts. We had all decided to take a camping trip, so after packing up the trucks with tents and firewood, we were off! There is something so refreshing about being out in the wilderness, unplugged from the cell phones and distractions of every day life, it really gives you the chance to spend quality time with the people you're with, and that is such a beautiful thing. So there we were, up in the forest for 4 days, no cell phones, no computers, just boats, bbqs, and campfires. 

Over the course of the next couple days, we really got to know each other deep down in our cores. Despite me being sunburned, my hair a hot frizzy mess, and not an ounce of makeup on, Mike really got to know me for who I was on the inside, no questions asked. 

The turning point really came on our second night there. There was a meteor shower going on that night, so our group decided to go down to the docks by the lake and watch it. The rest of our group wanted to drive the truck down, but Mike and I opted to walk as it was warm enough to head down in shorts and tank tops. On that walk down to the lake, we went straight for the deep stuff, relationships, career, family. There were no questions, no topic off limits, and even though I had just met him, I felt as if I had known him for years. I felt incredibly safe around him, that I could tell him anything, and he just made me feel completely like myself, which is something I had been missing with the other guys I had been dating. 

Once we got down to the docks, we laid down on our backs, and looked up at the sky, and it was full of stars and meteors that looked like shooting stars. I mean, come on, how can you not fall in love with a setting like that?! That moment in time made me feel as if this was the start of something much greater than myself, and it was such a comforting feeling. 

He's the hunk in the black with no hat :)

After that camping trip ended, we went back to the craziness of our busy lives (I was working at a hotel as an event planner and he was heading up a huge shut down at his refinery) and didn't talk for a few days. Then I got a text from him asking me on a date…And while I was really excited, I was also a bit skeptical…You see….He had been in a long term relationship that had just recently ended. And while I knew in my heart how strong our connection was, I really didn't want to turn out to be that rebound girl. So I kept giving him the brush off, telling him he needed time to himself to really make sure I was what he wanted…basically was trying to ignore him so I wouldn't get hurt, because of how deep my feelings were, I knew how easily that could happen. 

But folks, this man was relentless. And when I say relentless, that is really a nice way of saying HE WOULDN'T LEAVE ME ALONE! It finally got to the point that he wore me down so much, I said yes just so he would get off my back about it. And friends, it was the best thing I've ever said yes to (apart from his marriage proposal). We went on one date, (which was amazing and is definitely worthy of its own post), and the rest is history. 

One camping trip changed my life. And I am so grateful for the way we met. I know in my heart of hearts that he fell for who I was on the inside, no gimmicks of my hair, or outfits, or makeup, he got to know the real me, and that created such a solid foundation that I don't think we would have had otherwise. 

Petrellese Established August 22, 2015

So that's it!! And now we're MARRIED!!! 

I would LOVE to hear about how you and your significant other met! I do love me a good love story :)