On this day, 1,095 days ago, Andrew and I said “I do!” Happy Anniversary to us! In dedication to our dedication, I thought it appropriate for today’s post to be a breakdown of our little life together. Not only that, I even convinced Andrew to make his additions to the post. All the text in bold is from the man, himself!
We met on April 8th, 2008 by the fate of a mutual friend. I was out on a first date and with a group of friends, at our local hang out spot. Andrew strolled on in with his friends, who conveniently knew Ryan who was a friend of mine. They joined our gang, and for the entire evening, I thought there might be something wrong with this Andrew fellow. Either he liked me, or was a creep, because he kept starring. But, I thought he was cute so I wasn’t about to say anything. During the hang out, he was taken by my foot because it’s clad with a Tampa Bay Lightning tattoo, and he loves hockey. My sister was out with us that night as well, and loved him instantly. A nickname was even given when she deemed him Teen Wolf because of his facial hair. At some point during the evening, I said something sarcastic to him and he flicked me off. It was a very interesting night. At the end of the night, I figured out his staring was more for liking me then being creepy because he asked our mutual friend for my number. Since I was out on a date, I thought it was somewhat inappropriate to set anything up so my only response was “If he’s that serious, he can find me on MySpace.” MySpace was actually still REALLY popular back then, okay guys?
Andrew’s perspective: On April 4th, my friends and I were planning on having a night out on the town (to the hookah bar for ladies night for a while then back to James’ house for Guitar Hero). As we walked into the lounge I made it a habit to do a survey of the available seats and to make an assessment of the best ones available. The best couches in the joint were taken by a group of people but I recognized one of them to be a friend from high school. Seeing that there was a fine woman in his company, I convinced my friends that we were going to barge into their circle that night. This night I would not be denied, it was obvious she was with somebody at the time but he was just a speed bump, not a stop sign (if we consider me to be a wet paper towel, then this poor schmuck was drenched). Yes, I was drawn to the Lightning tattoo on her foot and as it turns out Martin St. Louis aka Marty Muffin, would have an integral role in our courtship. I took our mutual friend Ryan aside and pried for more information but he couldn’t give me much, what he did do was get my foot in the door. I begged him to set me up with her and the best he could do was get me the okay for a MySpace rendezvous of which I deleted my account long ago.
You probably all thought this would be the most romantic post ever, but our life wouldn’t be our life without sarcasm and cynicism!
On April 11th, 2008 (Really? Three whole days later!), I got a message on my MySpace account from William the Bloody. William the Bloody was the name I gave him because his middle name is William and I already knew someone named Andrew. I thought it was a prime opportunity to reference Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
“Hey there, I’m Ryan’s friend from the hookah bar the other night.”
A man of many words. This is what I waited three days for?
A week or so later, we went out on a date of sorts and I thought he was probably the most boring person on the planet. To the point where I compared to him to a wet paper towel. Terrible, yes…but also hilarious considering the circumstances. Despite the fact that I thought I couldn’t stand him, we kept hanging out. And hanging out some more. Then, I found myself situated at the same table every weekend at the bar he was working at. You can see where this was going…
Andrew’s perspective: Our dating phase was interesting. It consisted of going out, driving around, eating, talking about gross teenagers walking around in public bathrooms without shoes on, and listening to her CDs in my car in front of her house for hours. We have come to agree to disagree on favored genres of music. (He likes talk rock, and I’m poppy all the way.) All the while I was working at a bar downtown which the primary clientele were cougars and gay men. Jessica staked her claim at the high top closest to where I was working as to keep an eye on me and any customers that would take an interest in her man. I thought that was quite endearing.
Fast forward to July 28th, 2008 and we are officially a couple. Once we made it official, we spent every possible moment together. Andrew and I would plan out fun day dates, consisting of heading to the Salvatore Dali Museum, or spending time at various parks. We headed to St. Augustine in celebration of Andrew’s 21st birthday, in October. We met Hal Sparks at The Improv, and got sick on the Tilt-A-Whirl ride at our local carnival. We attended hockey games, and attempted to go two different concerts which ended up being failed attempts. We cooked our first Thanksgiving meal together and consumed an unhealthy amount of McDonald’s coffee.
Andrew’s perspective: What ultimately brought us together was our love for a one Mr. Martin St. Louis. I had gotten a bobble head from a game a while ago and Jessica saw it and immediately wanted it for herself. I refused to give it up and so we decided that the best thing to do was to start dating and eventually get married so we would both have custody. Everybody wins!
On December 12th, 2008 , we decided that we couldn’t live without each other. Thus meaning, we were engaged!
28 days later, we were married! Our ceremony was small and intimate, and was officiated by my mom. The weather was perfect that day, and the skies were clear as we said our I Do’s at Sand Key park. Once the ceremony was over, we headed over to our luncheon styled reception at the Columbia Restaurant. The Columbia holds a special place in our hearts, because it was one of the first restaurants Andrew took me too when we started dating. During our time together, we’ve made a point to attend each location and it’s always a great experience.
Andrew’s perspective: Bobble heads aside, I can’t imagine how my life would be without Jessica. I’m just glad she still loves me even after she found out that I’m not 100% Swedish. (Which is what he told me he was, heritage wise.) Our wedding was all that Jessica and I had hoped for. It was a beautiful day with the people we cared most about – and we got to go to the Columbia!
Talk about a whirlwind romance, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Before our 1st anniversary, we moved into our home after closing on December 22nd, 2008. Two weeks later, Andrew gave me our baby girl Columbia as an anniversary gift. He knew I wasn’t complete without a kitty to call my own.
Andrew’s perspective: If there is any one word that could describe our first year of marriage living in my mother’s house for a full year is “endurance”. This as the first true test of our relationship and now I am certain that we can endure anything. Jessica is a trooper. She took the reins on scouting out a house and after six months or so of looking, she is the reason we are where we are, in our perfect little happy home in delightful Dunedin.
On our second anniversary, we were both disgustingly sick but we sucked it up to continue our tradition of going to the Columbia Restaurant. Yes, we named our cat after the restaurant, which is completely fitting judging by her eating habits. Unfortunately, because we were feeling awful that year, we didn’t take our anniversary photo.
Andrew’s perspective: We can’t pass up an excuse to go to the Columbia and eat Palomilla!
Now, with three years under our belt – we are happy to say that we’re happier than ever. We’ve got a great house with charm and character that we love fixing up. We’ve got a cat who gets fatter by the day. But more importantly, we have each other and there is nothing better than that.
P.S. It turns out Andrew isn’t boring at all. He was just really nervous. He’s actually the weirdest person I know, and that just complements my personality perfectly.
Andrew’s perspective: My personality offers a lot, thank you very much.
Love, J and A
