How I Met Your Father Theory

It was at band camp.

No, I'm not kidding.

I met Anna's father at band camp. It was freshman year of high school. I debated joining the marching band, because I wasn't a huge fan of it, but they were going to the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix and I thought it was kind of awesome. So I joined.

And on day one, I walked into the band room, and there he was.

The room was almost empty.

He was standing behind a drum case, pulling a snare drum out and attaching it to a harness. His hair was a little long, and his teeth were a little crooked. But I fell for him right away. He's always had this air of sweet kindness about him, and his smile....well it makes me weak at the knees. Every time.

Love at first sight.

Somehow we became part of a group of friends, and over the next two years became really good friends. We would talk on the phone every night. You know, the corded kind that was stuck to the wall and your mother yelled at you for hogging it and how it better not be long distance.

We would email (texting and Instant Messaging didn't really exist yet...GASP) late into the night when there was only one computer in the whole house and your sisters were screaming at you because it was THEIR TURN and how dare you hog it.

We would sit next to each other on the bus to competitions and football games.

We had special nicknames for each other (they are too embarrassing to post) and traded notes between classes. I still have a box of those notes. 

We did this for over two years.

And then he finally got the message.

I had a crush on him.

It happened in late summer, and we ended up holding hands in the back of a friend's car.

That was as far as we got.

Another gentleman (that's being a little too kind) came between us...and as an emotional teenager I went for the confident, cocky jerkface instead of the kind, sweet, caring person I'd crushed on for two years.

I know. I was an IDIOT.

MORON.

OUT OF MY MARBLES.

I broke his heart. He's said it. I've said it. His MOTHER has said it (and trust me, that hurt a bit...since it was only a few weeks ago).

I did it. Guilty as charged.

We still stayed friends, and we nearly got back together our senior year, long after jerkface was gone.

And then we went our separate ways. To college. About 100 miles apart.

And we lost touch for a bit.

And then I started doing a charity event called Relay For Life. I ran one in college, and decided to be part of it back in my hometown. I wanted to start my own team, and I got in touch with old friends on Facebook.

He responded. And came over to talk about joining the team.

And he walked in that door....

....and it was band camp all over again.

We flirted the entire event....dyed our hair green together....and got invited to go watch fireworks with friends. And after a Fourth of July FULL of teenage flirting (as college grads) he went for it and put his arm around me (didn't take him long to get the message the second time around). A few days later, he came over to watch a movie.

We had a moment, and he finally...FINALLY...kissed me.

Bam.

Fireworks.

And the rest?

History. ; )