It only took a few months of casually hanging out as 'friends,' for us to both realize that we really wanted soo much more. It all fell together, it was effortless and just felt right all the time. He always went out of his way to show me how he felt.
The night he told me how he felt still feels like a dream. At the time, we were college kids who had just ended serious relationships and agreed neither of us were ready to start anything new. Late nights out with friends, drinks at the Dixie Chicken or Hurricane Harry's, the random one or two drunken kisses, followed by apologies in the morning for overstepping our friendship, occurred a few times. Then one night, after only a single drink each, he kissed me again. Not sure where this was headed, I just reminded him that we had to play it cool and stay friends, after all that is what he had previously said he wanted too. However, I had already fallen for that sweet and handsome farm kid from Cameron, Texas. It was at that moment that he grabbed my hand and told me that he meant it, the kiss was real and he knew what he was doing.
Can we pause for a second and talk about that feeling of butterflies you get when it feels like all the heartache and broken pieces of your past are instantly forgotten, when all you can feel is overwhelming joy and excitement to be with someone who really feels the same way and you can't control your emotions. How just the thought of their smile or looking into their eyes makes you melt all over again, every single time! I know you know what I'm taking about. This boy could and still does give me butterflies - ALL THE TIME!
March 23rd, 2012
Fast forward a few weeks and I now have the most handsome wedding date I've ever had, ironically for a friends wedding in Waco, Texas. Before heading back to College Station, this handsome boy decides that on the way, we should stop and meet his ENTIRE family. Only got a few hours notice, so now this girl is in sheer panic mode as I followed him to Cameron for the very first time! Lunch was perfect, Gino's Italian, surrounded by his family - Mom, Uncle, Aunt and Papa (his grandfather). Little did I know that these strangers would become a part of my world and my family.
Let's move a few more weeks down the road, to the week before Jordan's graduation in May of 2012, when we learned that he had been offered his dream job working for Case IH in Iowa. After lots of prayer and thought, I told him that he had to follow his dreams and we could figure it out on the way. Was I scared? Hell yeah! Did I really want him to leave Texas? Hard no! That summer was a very difficult one for so many reasons - I was interning at a veterinary clinic in Uvalde, while he was traveling back and forth finalizing living arrangements. Eventually, a specific week in June, the final move came too soon. With the help of his mom and dad, we packed the last of his things into his truck and I drove away from his parents house, knowing he'd cross the state line in just a few short hours. We were headed into an unknown territory with only a few months under our belt. Could we make long distance work? I wanted to believe we could with every fiber in my body and it's safe to say I was head over heals in love with this boy.
We can talk about long distance relationships a bit more later, but that summer was make or break. At first, we didn't think it was going to work and even called it all off. I tried soo hard to stay strong during that time and not get hurt again, but after only a few weeks, we both realized how much we still wanted to be together. From that moment on, we figured out how to do this and how to make it work. Lots of FaceTime calls - some to actually talk, others to cook 'together' or watch TV 'together,' but I'm still thankful for the technology that allowed us to keep our relationship strong. We were only able to see each other in person a few times during the year for holidays and breaks, but we were so incredibly thankful for those moments.
Okay, enough of that for now! Stay tuned for more of our story!
Xoxo,
Brittany