My Valentine Story

This is my Valentine.

He's a hunk, I know ;)

He's also a great dad...

no...

he's an AMAZING dad!

And he makes me happy.

Have I ever told you our story though?

This is the part where you can either hang around for a few moments of mushy-ness or you can just flip through the pictures and move on...your choice, I am going to tell my story no matter what you end up doing though.

When we were in 9th grade, Seth moved to Virginia from Dallas.  

I remember the first time I met him.  He had tennis shoes on that made his feet look like boats, but I remember thinking how cute he was...short, but cute.

In highschool, Seth was one of the more popular kids but he was super awkward when it came to certain social situations.  He overcompensated for this by putting on a super macho, "Im better than you" kind of  attitude which made a lot of people realllllllly not like him.  I didn't hate the guy but I did think he was full of himself.  That's just because I hadn't taken the time to get to know him yet.

He moved a lot growing up...every 3-4 years for the most part, so he was used to coming into a new place and having to fend for himself.  His attitude that he showed was his defense mechanism to not get too close to the people around him so that it wouldn't be that difficult when he had to move again.  The funny thing is that the way Seth portrayed himself was the farthest thing from who he really was that he could have ever gotten!

So let me tell you another thing about Seth.  In 10th grade, he fell in love with me.  As in, he was convinced at the age of 15 that he was going to marry me.

I on the other hand had a boyfriend and didn't like Seth at all.  I still thought he was a handsome thing but remember that whole "I'm the best" attitude we just talked about?  Yeah.  That wasn't cutting it for me.  I made it pretty obvious that I didn't like the guy but that didn't keep him from trying.  I literally could not get away from the guy.

He used to wait around at my locker EVERY day after school and walk me to my car. One day, I hid in a classroom and had someone watch the hall for me so they could tell me when Seth finally gave up and left my locker...I'm so sweet, aren't I???

There's another twist in this story.  Seth's best friend, Kevin, was also one of my best friends.  That makes it awkward, right?  Kevin was good about telling me how much Seth loved me...even though I had a boyfriend ALL through highschool.  And I was good at telling Kevin how much I didn't like Seth.

The summer of 10th grade, my boyfriend and I broke up for a few weeks.

Guess who was literally blowing my phone up before the news hardly had a chance to get out?

Yep, Seth.

It always seemed as though my boyfriend and I would break up every summer for a few weeks and Seth was always there to ask me out on a date.

And I always went. 

There was something intriguing about Seth's persistence.  Plus, it was a fun night out and he always did it high class...we never went to McDonald's or the dollar movie...no siree.  

He would take me to a nice, sit down dinner and the expensive movies!

He even would get creative and play date games.

This is where he would create a game with all different options of what we could do that night and depending on how I answered the questions or figured out the puzzles would determine what kind of date we would have.

The excitement and adventure of the unknown date was usually reallllly fun, except for that one time when I wore really cute high heels and we ended up trying to fly kites at the park on a day when there was ZERO wind...

But then, school would start again and I would go back to my boyfriend that was familiar to me.  Seth would be left wondering what he did wrong and then he would try to forget about the whole thing, including me.

A few months before we graduated high school, my long time boyfriend and I broke up for good.  There was no turning back this time...we were totally different people and I was ready for the big, exciting world of college!

Guess who I had fun with all summer though?

Yep.  Ol' Sethy Poo.

We literally had the best summer ever.

Seth kept on coming back to me, trying to win me over time after time.

His own family even told him to leave me alone...and deep down he probably knew he should because he always ended up with a broken heart, but he just couldn't let himself give up.

Now Seth and I might have dated all summer but we never held hands or gave hugs and we definitely didn't kiss...it just wasn't that sort of thing for me...I wanted to keep it as neutral as possible, that way I didn't feel so bad when school started again and I would kick him to the curb.

One night, he brought me home from one of our fun night's out.

Everyone in my family was already in bed and Seth and I sat around talking for a while.

He got up to leave and asked for a hug.

I thought that was weird but I was so tired and I ready for him to leave, I just gave him one.

Crazy thing is, I couldn't get out of the hug.  The guy was literally hug locking me.  THEN he grabs my face, kisses me...which really meant he kissed my TEETH because I had NO idea what was going on.  Then the wimp ran out of the door, laughing!!!

I was SO MAD at him!!!

The next morning, I told my mom what had happened, sure that she would be super angry at him.

But, nope.  She said, "Well it's about time he got him a kiss!"

I didn't speak to Seth for a few days.

Then he apologized, not because he was really sorry but because he wanted to be on speaking terms again.

It makes for a pretty funny first kiss story though, doesn't it?

Then the college years began.  

Of course, I completely ignored the wonderful summer I had had with Seth, kicked him to the curb and started college as a completely single gal. 

I was having fun...and don't get me wrong, Seth wasn't moping around.

Yeah, he wanted to be my boyfriend but since I was making that impossible, he literally went crazy on the dating scene.  Some weeks he would have a different date for each day of the weekend.

He was a ladies man.  He knew what to say and how to treat a lady, which of course made all the girls swoon for him.  But he didn't care because for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why every girl except the one he really wanted, fell for him.

And Seth doesn't give up easily, have I mentioned that?

You'd think once I girl looked you in the face a few times and told you it just wasn't gonna work out, you'd eventually move on...but not Seth.

I found a boyfriend.  

Yes...another one.

(What was wrong with me???)

He was older than me, which is the main reason I allowed him to manipulate me into being his girlfriend.

He was an only child and a spoiled brat.

He only went to college because his grandpa told him that if he didn't, the military would draft him...(talk about a wimp, and the antitheses of everything Seth is...but we won't go there, yet)

He was so cheap that he would take me to Sam's club to eat the SAMPLES for a lunch date and on a special day, he would actually buy me something from the little snack bar.

He wasn't cute, charming, chivalrous.  He didn't show me much respect or treat me like a lady.  He was super jealous and he was a manipulator and a big mama's boy.

Pretty much the complete opposite of Seth.

My college boyfriend hated Seth.

Mostly because every chance Seth got, he would take with me.

He would instant message me online (the days before facebook became huge!), asking me out...while I was still dating my boyfriend.

He would see me at school and come over and talk and try to ask me out.

One night, he and my boyfriend had it out on the phone.  My boyfriend called Seth "Son" and if Seth could have come through the phone and punched him, he totally would have.

The summer of my freshman year, I went and stayed with my friend Tandy for a month.

During that time, I was able to talk to her about my boyfriend situation.  She didn't like the way I was being treated and I finally had the courage to break things off with the loser boyfriend.

It wasn't even a day later and I was trying to hunt down Seth.

I found out that he was in Texas with his family. 

I tried and tried calling his cell, but he had turned it off.

I went through great lengths, but finally found his house number from a friend.

Seth remembers the day he got that phone call from me.

He had planned to spend the rest of the summer home, but as soon as he found out I was single AND calling him, he packed up his truck and made the 20+ hour trek back to Virginia to try and win my heart.

Believe it or not, things still didn't work out right away.

I dated a few more guys...wasted a little more time.

That Christmas, I finally came around.

I threw him a little birthday party and we started officially dating for the first time ever.

Once we committed to each other..or rather once I decided to commit to him, we never broke up.

I had to date a few losers to realize how much I appreciated Seth.  I'm certain that had I never taken the time to date those guys, I never would know how great of a catch I have.

Now we have been married for 4 1/2 years and together 6 1/2 years.

He still calls me, even if it's from the next room over, and asks me out on dates.

He opens my door and sits and stares at me telling me how beautiful I am.

He supports me in everything I do, even when it doesn't make any sense to him.

He sends me out to have time for myself and cleans the house while I'm gone.

He has a genuine curiosity about things I'm interested in.

He works hard.

He joined the military because he wanted to, because he has a love for his country.

He encourages me when I'm spiritually down...and God is definitely number one on his priority list.

Every decision he makes is based on what God's plans for our lives are...and he doesn't compromise his faith, for anyone or any reason.

He sends me verses from Proverbs 31, telling me how great of a wife I am...especially on days when he knows I'm feeling down and overwhelmed.

He is the leader of our home and the best dad to our little boy.

He's smart...impressively smart.

He's a thinker and a doer and I'm pretty sure there isn't a lazy bone in his body.

He doesn't give up.  He's in it for the long haul.  He doesn't take no for an answer.

He's a man's man.  Nothing about Seth is wimpy.  If there's a number one spot to be won, he's gonna do it.  If there's a job to be done, he's gonna finish it and give it 100%.

He's tough and he's strong, both inside and out.

But at the same time, he's loving. He has the most tender heart you'll ever find and he has a genuine love for those around him.  He has a giving spirit...always looking for ways to help others.

He easily forgives and forgets.

I just love him so much.

Ooolala...he's so good lookin in his military gear.

Who knows how many times I broke Seth's heart.

I have since cried about how badly I treated him and how heartless I was.  

I've apologized countless times and he forgave me a long time ago.

Every day isn't perfect but we sure try hard at making it.

For Valentine's, he surprised me and took me out for dinner and a movie and bought me roses.

He set up the babysitter without me even knowing and took me to see "The Vow" because I've been talking about it non-stop. 

AND we started our date off with a game...just like we used to 10 years ago.

Almost 5 years into our marriage and he's still surprising me.

This Saint Patricks Day will be the 5th anniversary of our engagement.

I don't regret marrying Seth one bit and I'd do it all over again.

I love him with all my heart.

Happy Valentines Day to my hunky husband!!!

Thanks for never giving up on me.

Here's my other Valentine...I can't forget about this little guy.

He's just like his daddy.

He tells me several times a day,

 "Mommy, I WUV you!!!"

Well Caleb, I WUV YOU TOO!

Happy Valentine's everyone!

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.