Celebrating 14 on the 14th

I've known him for twenty nine years. How is that possible?

We met in junior high, he was the new kid in town. (Go ahead, do the math, I'm okay with that!)

He was my "boyfriend" or whatever you call it when you are too young to drive or go anywhere unsupervised. Only for a few weeks. And then, I told him to go away.

We had similar friends, activities, and even classes throughout high school.

We both travelled to separate ends of the state after high school.

We are fairly certain we were at the same Depeche Mode concert at Dodger Stadium in 1990. We had many random life parallels like that.

Every time I'd have a bad relationship experience, I'd joke with my friends, should have stuck with Shea.

And then, fate would have it. We both moved "home." We both escaped to the gym and while I was on the tread mill (or maybe it was the Stairmaster) he approached me. Said hello. I wasn't sure who he was at first. And then I knew.

It bugged me for days that after all this time, we'd just said hello and left it at that.

I called him. He couldn't find a pen to write down my number.

We met at a little Mexican restaurant for dinner. We went to dinner again. We drove around in his Jeep with his dog Pete. The dog that shed everywhere and had the grossest, slobberiest drive by licks.

And then. He asked me a question. I said yes.

December 14th. 1996. We sealed the deal.

14 years ago today.

I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else.