The Story of Us: Part 4 + $175 Paypal CASH Giveaway!!!

Well, well, well, we're finally to the last part of the story. Well, the last part of the story of how we met and started dating, anyway. One day maybe I will tell you our engagement story, but today is not that day.

Thank you all for sticking with me, I know I drew this story out way longer than I needed to, but I had fun with it, and that's all that matters right? Right.

If you missed the other parts of the story they are here, here, and here.

AND don't go without entering the giveaway at the bottom, because CASH! 

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So he asks me out and I go into panic mode and say we should just be friends for now. I had, quite literally, zero experience with dating at this point so I was totally over analyzing the whole situation and I was just plain scared. But being the wonderful fella Adam is, he said he understood. We chatted for a few minutes after that and then we said goodbye and I pretty much felt like the worst person ever.

I talked to Kevin after that and I was a little upset, and I guess word got back to Adam, so he calls back and says "Are you okay?" I told him I was and he said "Ok, well I just wanted to make sure you were okay, DO NOT feel bad okay? You didn't do anything wrong."

Well, color me impressed. I was really kind of floored that it was that important to him that I not feel guilty or upset.

OMGeeee I had SO MUCH HAIR!!

We ended up talking on the phone for hours later that night, and we were just really honest about our feelings. He told me what he felt like a dating relationship would entail, I admitted I was clueless and scared. By the end of that conversation a couple of things were clear: we really cared about each other and were still interested in seeing where this could go, whatever that meant. And we could have a really honest, no holds barred conversation. This guy is not afraid of communication. I think I've already mentioned this, but he's better at communicating than I am.

A couple of days later I had a choir concert, which he came to (if he will come to your boring choir concerts, especially if he will come to more than one, he may be a keeper ladies), and then afterwards we had planned to hang out, just the two of us (We were SO already dating at this point. Semantics). We really wanted to see if we could pick up where we left off and make sure there wasn't any weirdness or awkwardness. There wasn't of course. It's always been so natural and easy with us. We went to Starbucks and then to the park, and he played his guitar and we talked.

We ended up spending the next couple of evenings together, chatting at the coffee shop or the park, or we would just sit at the school and talk. We prayed together about where this was going, and I think at that point we both felt like this was headed somewhere pretty special. One evening we were sitting in his car talking, and he reached over and grabbed my hand. You guys, this was the first time we had held hands and I was on Cloud 9.

It had been less than a week since he asked me to go on a date, but through all of our talking and praying the fear was gone and my feelings were so much clearer to me now. As we were sitting there holding hands, all giddy like 13 year olds or something, he asked me if I would be his girlfriend.

And I just felt this...peace. This rightness about it. So, less than a week from the day I said "just friends," I said "Yes, I will be your girlfriend." And I'm pretty sure it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

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The Story of Us: Part 3

Are y'all tired of hearing this story yet? I can sure drag a story out, can't I? If you missed parts 1 and 2, check them out here and here.

So where was I? Oh yes, he started hanging out with our group more. One thing I was really impressed with was that he was great with my friends. We were obviously getting to know each other but in group settings he would never just single me out and talk only to me, he would talk to everyone and he fit right in effortlessly. And they loved him.

You know the part in "Failure to Launch" when Sarah Jessica Parker's character is talking to her roommate (Zooey Deschanel) about how important it is to get "the nod" from the friends, and then they look over at the friends and they are smiling and nodding? Adam totally got "the nod" from my friends.

So in the midst of all this I was preparing for my Senior Recital, which was a requirement of my major in order to graduate. I had to sing several classical arias and other songs, some in different languages, at a performance in which I would be graded. It was basically the culmination of my college career, NBD.

IDK what the heck was going on with my hair in this picture. Tulsa wind is crazy y'all. 

My dad came into town for the recital and he got to meet Adam (although he was just meeting him as one of my friends at this point). When the time came for the recital I really wasn't sure if Adam would come to the recital or not, I mean it's really not an exciting event unless your into Italian and German arias from the Baroque period.

But he came, and funnily enough, his presence there actually kind of calmed me rather than making me that much more nervous. He brought me a beautiful single red rose. Afterwards we (me, my dad, Adam and the rest of the gang) all went to dinner and had a wonderful time.

Not the greatest picture, but Adam is there! He was sitting by my dad. 

So a few days later, I am chatting with Adam online (remember Yahoo messenger?? Those were the days). We were just casually chatting and he mentioned he had something he needed to do later that evening. I was like, "Oh? What's that?" And he said he couldn't say. So I teasingly said "Hey no secrets!" He laughed and said he would tell me after my evening class. So I'm starting to get a little suspicious at this point. I asked if he would tell me later on IM? And he said "No, this is better on the phone, trust me."

::Insert wide-eyed emoji here::

So I'm mildly freaking out and thinking this class is going to feel interminable. I get to class and find out it was cancelled! Sweet! So I called him right away and he was like "Hello??" in this slightly incredulous voice. He wasn't expecting me to call for another hour and a half. I was like "Hey, my class was cancelled. So what's the secret?"

"Well....I'd like to take you out on a date sometime."

At this point I remember feeling kind of hot and cold and warm all at the same time, and I think I sounded something like Porky Pig "Abedee abedee abedee..." And then...I totally chickened out you guys. I told him I thought we should just be friends for now. Why? Because, true to form, I was WAY overthinking it and analyzing the crap out of it and putting way more emphasis on a simple date than I should have.

What followed was the one of the most emotional, wonderful, whirlwind weeks of my life up to that point. But we'll get to that next week.

Spoiler alert: we get together in the end. 

I SWEAR I'm almost done though. 

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And don't forget!

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The Story of Us: Part 2

Ok, part 2 of our story is up next! If you missed Part 1, you can read that here.

So anyways...we had the game night and Sarah and Emily had been acting kind of weird for a couple of days afterwards. Like whispering and smiling and such, you know how girls do. I really didn't think much of it, just figured if there was something they knew that involved me, they would tell me.

A few nights later Sarah told me "Adam had a really good time the other night" and I think from her tone of voice and the way she said it I pretty much immediately figured out what she was trying to say. They (Sarah and Emily) had debated whether they should tell me that Adam liked me and wanted to get to know me better, and that he had asked if they thought he should just call me sometime or wait until we had another group thing. Knowing me and my super shy nature Emily and Sarah thought I might feel more comfortable in a group setting at first, so they planned a lunch thing at Kevin's apartment.

It was pretty much a typical weekend afternoon for us, eating KFC and playing Mario Party (we were CRAZY college kids, you guys). Adam and I interacted of course, but no more than anyone else, we all just had fun together.

About a week later, when Rebecca and I came back from the gym, I walked in the door and Sarah immediately tells me "Adam called." (This was on my cell phone, and it just occurred to me...I went to the gym and left without my cell phone?? How times have changed.)

I quickly checked my voicemail and his message said that he had gotten my number from Emily and he wanted to know if I wanted to do something that night. I promptly began to freak OUT because as you may recall at this point I have pretty much zero experience with dating AND I'm an overthinker so I'm all nervous and awkward. I had plans already for that night so I called him back and asked him if he wanted to do something tomorrow instead. He said that would work and the plan was set.

The next afternoon after church (it was a Sunday) I called and we agreed to meet at a local arcade later that afternoon. I went to lunch with Sarah and Rebecca in the cafeteria and could barely eat anything, I was so nervous. We met at the arcade and played all the games for a while, then went to Starbucks for a while, just chatting. I honestly can't really remember what we talked about, but I do remember it just being so natural and easy, even with my nervousness. I was all "Hey this isn't so bad, this guy is really easy to talk to" and he said we would call me later that week.

About a week later was the day before Valentine's Day "date" and after that he started hanging out with our group a lot more and we started calling and texting each other a few nights a week. I was starting to fall for him, and I didn't even realize it yet.

The Story of Us

This will definitely be a two-parter, and maybe even a multiple-parter, I haven't decided for sure yet. Because I'm wordy and I know it (heh).

But I promise I won't try to fit this all in one post because that would just be too much reading and not as much fun as dragging it out. Well, not as much fun for me, anyway. This will be interspersed with pictures from college which may or may not directly relate to the part of the story I'm telling, but pictures must be had.

So our story kind of starts my Sophomore year of college, but doesn't really get going until my Senior year. I will 'splain:

I met Adam's sister Emily through my friend Kevin, and she was in my Music History class my Sophomore year of college (Yes, Music History. I was a music major, and I love music, but this class was as boring as it sounds). The three of us (me, Kevin, and Emily) suffered through that class together. I mean, really suffered. One of our regular assignments was to listen to and analyze Gregorian chant. I wish I was kidding.

Adam and Emily

So we would sometimes go over to Emily's house (her family lived in town) and hang out, watch movies or TV, etc. One time in particular I remember our regular group of 5 plus several other people came over to watch old Boy Meets World episodes (we binge-watched TV before it was cool). There were a lot of people crammed in that living room and I remember Adam and a friend of his dropping by briefly and we all kind of waved and said hello, but that was about it.

Over the next couple of years we would see Adam every now and then, but he didn't hang out with us a lot. He's about a year older than me but a couple of years younger than Emily, so he had his own friends and interests.

Fast forward a couple of years to January of my Senior year. Our group all still hung out together constantly, it was me, my roommate Sarah, our friend Rebecca who lived next door to us in the dorm, Kevin (who lived in an apartment off campus), and Emily (lived off campus as well).

The Crew

Adam told Emily that he wanted to get to know me better and so he wanted to start hanging out with our group more (unbeknownst to me at this point). So Emily invited Adam, Sarah and I over for a game night at her apartment. This way it could be a little more one-on-one and Adam and I could interact more directly than being in a larger group (Again, I was clueless at this point).

So we arrive at Emily's apartment that night. I think it was a Tuesday. Ahh the carefree days of college life when I wouldn't think twice about going out and staying up late on a school night! Now I'm like "I have to be in bed by 10:30 PM I have work tomorrow, are you nuts??"

Emily had MadGab (funnest game eveeeerrr) and conveniently Adam and I were placed on the same team, with Emily and Sarah on the other team. We had a great time! But I had zero idea of his interest in me and thought we were all just hanging out as friends.

A couple of days later Sarah and I were chatting and she suddenly stops and goes "Do you want to know something?"

Me: "Sure"

Sarah: "Are you sure??"

Me: "Ummm....I think so?"

Sarah: "Ok...well, Emily told me Adam had a really good time the other night..."

Yeah, this is definitely going to be a multiple-parter. Sorry for all the words and stuff. But it's really fun thinking back and reliving all of this! Stay tuned for part 2 next Thursday!