Show and Tell Tuesday: How I met my Husband!

Yay for Tuesday! Today I am linking up with Andrea for her Show and Tell Tuesdays Series!

Today it is all about how you met your spouse!

Warning- this story is a bit long :)

I have been looking forward to writing this post!  My husband and I have a pretty unique and special "meeting" story and I love telling people about it!  It all started back when I was living in Chicago in 2005 as a single gal.  I had been living there for a year and while I had a few great friends and a job I really enjoyed...Chicago was just NOT for me.  The winters there are very brutal, I found it hard to navigate living in such a BIG city and my dating life was pretty much non-existent.  Sounds like a blast, huh?!?  I decided I needed to make a huge life shift and MOVE.  After an insanely awesome weekend visit to Austin, TX with one of my best friends- I knew where I was meant to go!  If you have been to Austin or live there- you know it is an incredible city.  The weather is amazing, the people are SO nice and fun, everyone is active and the overall vibe is AWESOME.  So, in August 2006, I packed up everything I had and with the help of my wonderful parents, moved from Chicago, IL to Austin, TX!
This wasn't the first time I had just picked up and moved somewhere- I did the same thing when I went to graduate school.  And while it is really nerve-wracking and definitely gave me some funny feelings, moving to a place where you know NO one is quite exhilarating.  Moving to Austin was a FRESH start for me.  I was able to push the re-start button and make some changes that had been a long time coming.  Anyway....I started my new job and immediately met some wonderful women.  I lived in a great area and was LOVING the Austin lifestyle.  
There was just one thing missing....HOW DO I MEET A NICE GUY!?  I wasn't comfortable going to a bar or restaurant by myself and because I literally knew no one- I didn't have any friends to set me up with their friends :)  
So...with a nervous yet excited pit in my stomach, I signed up for a ONE month membership to Match.com.  I knew I needed to be pro-active if I wanted to meet someone and this seemed like the perfect way to get connected.  I knew I needed to keep a really open mind and heart if this could possibly work, so I established three criteria the guys I would go out with had to have- they had to TALL (I am 5' 8"), they had to be NON smokers, and they had to believe in GOD.  Other than that, I would give them a shot- HA!  
Oh my gosh.  I had so much fun on Match.com!  I went out with 4 guys in the first two weeks of my membership.  They were all super nice- but none of them were a "Match."  They were all really cool and there was no weirdness when I communicated I wasn't interested.  Another really fun part about this whole process was I was getting to know my new city by going on fun dates!  I was going to cool restaurants and coffee shops and it was a really awesome way for me to explore Austin.  
One night I was checking my Match.com account and saw I had gotten a new email.  I started reading it and was kind of intrigued- but also thought- this guy sounds like he has a chip on his shoulder.  He told me I could call HIM if I wanted to talk or set up a date.  UM. NO. My momma taught me that I don't call boys.  They call me :)  So that is exactly what I told him.  I said, "I don't call boys- but if you want to talk or meet up-here is my number!"  Before he called me, he actually texted me a few times, asking if I wanted to go on a breakfast date...during the week...which I thought was TOTALLY weird.  I worked at an elementary school and had to be at work by 7:30 am.  And it made me wonder- "what kind of job does this guy have that he can have a leisurely breakfast date during the week?!?"
Yeah- so I was not super excited about this guy.  So when he called me for the first time, a big part of me just wanted to ignore his call...but I knew I needed to give him a chance...so I answered my phone, he made me laugh within 2 minutes of talking to him and we ended up being on the phone for 3 1/2 hours that night.  We talked again a couple days later, for another 3 hours and set up our first date for the next night.  I was excited :)  I knew there was something different about this guy, just by the way our conversations were going...I couldn't wait to meet him in person to see if the connection we were having over the phone was "real." 
Sidenote- during this whole process- I made sure I was INCREDIBLY safe with how I met up with the guys I was dating.  I would always tell someone when I was leaving and where I was going.  I always drove myself to the place and drove myself home.  None of the guys I went out with came to my apartment.  
Well...for some odd reason, this didn't even cross my mind when I told this guy he could come pick me up at my apartment.  One of my best friends from Chicago had ended up moving down to Austin and was my roommate- so I knew she would be able to meet him- but STILL.  I look back and can't believe I just let him come over to my apartment having never met him!
Around 9 pm on September 14, 2006,  I opened my apartment door to a super tall guy with an awesome smile named Aaron.  He gave me a huge hug and I simultaneously felt crazy butterflies and a calming sense of safety.  Definitely something I had never felt before :)
He met my roommate and behind his back she was mouthing to me, "He is really cute! I like him!" :)  
We left for our date and immediately just started talking like we had known each other for a really long time.  We had such a fun time!! I quickly realized how easy Aaron was to talk to and that he was an extremely respectable man.  We both knew this was going to turn into more of a "first and only date" when were sitting outside, having a drink and he asked me, "So...what do you want to do with your life?"  Not even thinking I might scare him off, I immediately responded, "I want to be a mom." He smiled really big and said, "Perfect answer."  
We hopped around to a few other places and ended up back at my house at TWO AM!! I had to be up for work in 4 hours...which is why it made complete sense for us to stay up for another 2 hours talking about everything under the sun. HA!  When he finally left, I could NOT stop thinking about him! 

Our first date ended being our last first date each other ever went on :)  We spent every available minute we had outside of work hanging out and getting to know each other.  Without sounding like a complete cliche', our connection was electric.  Aaron was so forthcoming and honest about how he felt about me, which made me feel so open and allowed me to be myself.  There were no games being played- which was SO refreshing.  Something incredibly special was happening between us and it was happening FAST.  After 5 days of knowing each other, we were on a walk at Town Lake in downtown Austin.  We sat down on a bench and started talking about how amazing the past week had been.  Then Aaron told me he loved me.  WHOA. My heart stopped.  Everything in my brain said, "You can't say it back! You have only known him 5 days! This is crazy!" But my heart knew the truth and I told him I loved him too.  SO nuts and just an absolutely awesome moment for us!

This is a picture of us just a couple days after the big "I LOVE YOU" :)

And that was it.  We pretty much started talking about marriage and babies right after that :)  We had SO much FUN dating each other!  We were not only boyfriend and girlfriend, but simultaneously became each other's best friend.  
Eight months later, on May 28, 2007, Aaron asked me to marry him in Utopia, Texas under a huge oak tree.  It was one of the most surreal and special moments of my entire life.  

This is right after we got engaged and we were calling family to tell them!  You can tell we had both been crying:) And please note my little cell phone- HA!

 Under our "engagement tree."

Ten months later, on March 29, 2008 we were married and 9 months later we welcomed our first child.  Our love story has been a complete whirlwind.  

I know God orchestrated the whole thing and I am thankful every day for the man he put in my life.  It definitely wasn't how I planned to meet my husband, but I couldn't have written a better love story if I tried!!