How We Met
Remember the first time you thought a boy or girl didn’t have cooties anymore? Well, Tyler was that boy for me. When I was just 12 years old and in 6th grade I had the biggest crush on the CUTEST 7th grader in the whole school. We both attended Doerre Middle School. I liked him so much that I had the guts to slip a note in his locker that read, “Hi, my name is Allyson Smith and I like you. Do you like me? Check yes or no.”
A few days later, I found a note in my locker from THE Tyler Halliday. I remember feeling like I was on cloud nine when I found that first note in my locker. For the rest of that school year we wrote notes and put them in each others lockers. After the school year ended, I moved to a different school just 10 minutes away, but we had started a little flame that would change my life. We kept in touch through the rest of our middle school years and both went to the same high school. We began dating when were 15 and 16. We dated for about two years and it was the time of my life! We were inseparable for those two full years. His football coaches and friends would call me Halliday (his last name). We were definitely a package deal and that IT couple of high school.
Sadly, we broke up and both went our own ways for a while. As soon as we broke up Ty said, “You know we are still going to get married one day.” I was so mad he said that! We had just broken up, but deep down I knew he was right. He served a two-year mission for our church in Seattle, Washington and I went to play soccer in college at Stephen F. Austin State University.
After he returned from his mission we saw each other for the first time in about 3 years and it was just like old times, still so in love. It took a couple months for the timing to workout because we were both dating other people, but finally it all worked out. I got a text from Ty that said, “next time you’re in town, I’m taking you out because I have to talk to you.”
The next time I was home from school, we finally had time together. I convinced myself that I was going to play hard to get because he was the one who broke up with me so many years ago. Haha, but that didn’t last long. That night we confessed how our feelings had never changed for each other. Five days later we had our second, first kiss. The next few months, we were just like those middle school kids that still giddy with huge crushes on each other.
how they asked
Ty took me on a scavenger hunt to all of our significant places in our hometown. As we went to each place I was blindfolded and when we got there Ty would take off my blind fold and give me a note reminiscing on why that place was significant in our story and relationship. We went to all sorts of places like the place of our first date, our first kiss, my 16th paint fight birthday, where he asked me to be his girlfriend, and so on.
The last stop on the scavenger hunt he blindfolded me and took me into this building where I walked up two flights of stairs and I was so confused.
When I took off the blind fold I opened my eyes and saw a note on a locker that said “Dear my beautiful Allyson, for 10 whole years I have had the biggest crush on you! I reeeeeeeeeeaaallly want to marry you! Do you want to marry too? Check yes or no.”
He had taken me back to our middle school, Doerre. He brought me to the same exact locker that started it all and asked me to be his wife. I made the easiest decision of my life and checked yes. My family and his family both came out from behind the lockers while the song “Check yes or no” by George Strait played and we all celebrated together.
Through the years, we both dated other people and a different boy even had a ring for me. However, we never outgrew our love for each other. Ten years later, I’m so happy to be marrying my middle school sweetheart.
