Today is Valentine’s Day, and what better day it tell you a love story.  Our love story… Here it goes

Derek and I met in 1997. We were just kids in tenth grade. We had 2nd period P.E. together. He sat across the blacktop and smiled at me. I was smitten. His bleach blond hair and baggy pants, my oh my!

When we ended up on the same football team the friendship began. I had a boyfriend at the time, but Derek pursued and 2 years later I gave in. Our senior year started and so did our relationship. I told my parents I really liked this boy at school. He worked at Pizza Chalet and my parents went in to check him out without him knowing. Luckily he passed their test. My dad did still answered the door with a “Nice to meet you son, would you like to see my gun collection.” They made quick friends after that.

Derek was fun and exciting. We did everything to together. We became inseparable. He had my heart and I knew there was something special and different about what I had found. We had our hard times. We were so young and went our separate ways after a year and a half together. I was heartbroken and distraught over his decision. My best girlfriend and I moved 8 hours away. That was my “I’m strong and moving on. How do you like that?” Well he went and moved to Utah. I guess he won the “How do you like that” game… A few months later 9-11 happened and I knew his sister was going to New York. As we all were so sad and scared and wanted to tell our loved ones what they meant, I called her to make sure she was not there and she was safe. I gave her my new number and a week later the phone rang and it was DEREK! He called from Utah and we talked for hours. It was like old times. He wanted to come visit and a few months after that visit he planed to move up to where I was. It was wonderful! We were back together and madly in love. Nothing would EVER separate us again.

We got married in 2004 and when we said those vows we absolutely meant them. We have had a rough first 6 years of marriage, with our miscarriages, my trying to bleed to death on him, his shingles due to it all being, a bit too much and now our one and only, sweetest joy of life Ginger Blue having CF. It could have thrown us over the edge. It didn’t though. It is OUR past and OUR future to live together.

We have stood by each other and had the love and support of those around us to hold us up when it gets too hard. Today he told me we’ve been together so long I’ve been his only Valentine. I love that we will be old together and tell our grandchildren we are high school sweethearts. We have grown up together. We’ve made it on our own. We’ve seen hard times and we’ve seen the times worth living for TOGETHER. We need each other and will stand by each other. I found MY soulmate all those years ago on the black top.

I’m living my dream.

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