How We Met
Sean and I met freshman year of high school. We had English class together and became best friends. We would walk from lunch to English class together every day. We spent many nights texting and instant messaging talking about anything and everything. Sophomore year he asked me to the homecoming dance. I was nervous to take this next step in our relationship but something told me that it would all be worth it. I am so thankful to my 15-year-old self that I took that chance.
We started dating soon after the dance and have been together ever since. We went through college together, I became a teacher and he chose to go to physical therapy school, he moved to Alabama for 4 months, and now we are working and living in two different states. We have been through a lot of changes over the past ten years but my constant support through it all has been Sean.
how they asked
Over the past ten years of our relationship, I have always said that Sean is better at writing his feelings than saying them. The cards that he would write me for birthdays or anniversaries could make even the most cold-hearted person shed a tear. This November was our ten year anniversary of being together. He had just finished physical therapy school (3 years of getting his doctorate) and had started a residency program. We had talked about getting married but he just kept telling me that it wasn’t in the cards right now and he wanted to be more financially stable before we took that leap. The Tuesday before our anniversary I came out of the gym to a letter on my car. It was from Sean explaining that to celebrate our anniversary he would be writing me a letter a day that would share some of his favorite memories of us and the life lessons that I have taught him.
He got some help from my bestie/roommate and for the next couple days I got the most amazing handwritten letters explaining to me how I have taught him to be himself, love unconditionally, and dream big. On Saturday morning I got my letter for the day and it explained that this trip down memory lane would not be complete without a trip back to our high school where it all began. He told me to meet him there at 4 that day for the next letter and more directions on what our plans for the night would be. He even put an asterisk on the back of this letter saying that he would not be proposing at out high school because he thought that would be corny! I was totally thrown off and pulled into our old high school that day expecting to see Sean. All I could find was this gift bag with another letter inside it. This one was about how 10 years later he still considers me his best friend and love of his life. He told me to join him for a special outdoor dinner at one of my favorite places on earth, my grandparents’ farm.
Needless to say, that drive to their house was filled with nerves and questions but I just kept going back to the asterisk on the letter and the fact that this just could not be happening right now! When I got there he was sitting at a little table at the top of the hill with sunflowers (my favorite) and a big smile on his face. As I walked up he asked if I was hungry for dinner and I said yes but where was it! He laughed and said that is not what we are here for. He stood up and started telling me how I have been his best friend for the past ten years and that he wants to spend forever with me. I can’t remember what else he said because I started crying and saying, “ NO WAY!” He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I kissed him and hugged him so much I forgot to even look at the ring! Eventually, he asked if I wanted to see the ring and if my answer was yes and I said, “Of course!”. Clearly, he has been listening to the hints I had been dropping for the last 10 years because the ring was exactly what I had always dreamed of.
