My Love and our Back Story

Valentine's Day is here! So in honor of this lovely day, I will take you back to the day of which my love, Dana and I met. 
There is a small back story here- and it goes like this.  My sorority sister, Jennifer Pieper and I were roommates for 5 years once we were out of college- yes, it is true, there is someone who could put up with me for that long.  And as far as I could tell, she loved rooming with me and I loved rooming with her.  So, she had an older brother named Jason who occasionally would pop up here and there and we'd all meet for drinks, rodeo's etc. One of Jason's best buddies is Dana.  So off and on, every once in a while, Dana would come along and so we actually met earlier than most people think.  However, every time we'd meet up as a large group, we were always dating other people....well, ok, I was always dating other people or just gotten out of a relationship.
So Jason ended up dating someone and getting married.  I was invited to the wedding because at that point I had infiltrated the Pieper's family and Paul and Connie (the 'rents) thought of me as their long lost, loud-mouth, funny second blond kid in their family.  Low and behold, Dana was also there as he was an usher in the wedding.  One important fact is this wedding was taking place in Dodge NE.  A very VERY small town, and they do weddings a bit differently there.  They rent out the town hall for the rehearsal dinner, have homemade EVERYTHING for dinner and then just hang out play cards, hit the bar and tear it up the night before the wedding. 
I was the third Pieper sister (there is a younger Peeps) and I met Grandma, Grandpa, etc at the Dodge Community building.  Eventually all the guys and gals were slowly coming in for the start of the rehearsal soiree. And in comes this hunk of a cowboy in a grey hat, tight Levi jeans and a smirk- and he looks like Patrick Swayze.  And I'm not kidding when I say this-keep in mind it had been years since I last saw him- as he walked in, I turned to the youngest Pieper sister and said "That is the man I am going to marry." 
So as I gauge him to see if he has a date coming etc, (he did not) I kept an eye on my prize all night.  I would growl is a chick got too close to my man.  I shot dirty looks to those who even tried to impress my love. I would pull my finger across my throat to a broad who even attempted to talk to him. So dinner was over, toasts were made, drinks were being poured and the card games were beginning.
I sat directly across from Dana so I could tease him, seduce him and win him over by just my gaze.  However, the man would NOT look at me!  EVER!!  Oh, so that is how he wants to play it?? I knew I had to up my game.  The dude to his left got up and went outside to smoke and I snagged that opportunity to sit right next to him.  This guy was going to notice me whether I had to gouge his eyes out with forks and sit them in front of me!!  So, as I sit down next to him- he GETS UP TO LEAVE!!!  The nerve! The audacity! DOES HE NOT KNOW WHO I AM?? I waited him out but he would not come back.  Yet, as soon as I got back to my original seat, he returned.  GGRRR.  Oh, it is on.
As the night progresses, I wasn't sure how to read him- but I was having a good time.  The Pieper family and their friends really know how to party and the small town atmosphere was really great.  As the card game started to wind down, the wedding party and me decided to hit the local bar.  We walked two blocks over, dodged a cow and pulled up cornstalks along the way.  We were ordering drinks and I was standing next to a table when I feel a tug on my jeans.  I look back and it is Dana, "You can come sit by me if you want."  CHA-CHING. REEL HIM IN BABY!!  So flirting my best flirt I finally got the kid to open up and talk to me.  When I asked him why he wouldn't look at me or let me sit by him earlier, he replied "I was sneaking peeks at you all night. Plus if you sat next to me, I couldn't see your beautiful eyes." Before the bar closed and we parted ways he asked if I would save him a dance at the wedding.  I replied, "Well I'm not guaranteeing anything, I do have plenty of other fellas that want to dance with me too, but we'll see."  And I sauntered out leaving him with a great view of me walking away.
The next day at the wedding, I couldn't get over how handsome he was in a tux.  He smiled at me and my heart just knew he was going to be my husband some day.  We had a great time dancing, drinking and enjoying everyone around us; but it also felt like we were the only ones there.  I will never forget the butterflies and fireworks that I felt when I was around him.  He truly made me feel like a teenager again and I was 27 years old.  As the dance wound down, we were getting ready to leave and he offered to walk me to my car. As he walked down the steps, he turned and just planted the most sweetest, gentle, genuine kiss on me that I will never forget. Even 8 years later I still get that bubbly warm feeling of that kiss.
I'm not going to blog on here that we've been happily married every moment - but there is not another person in this world that I would rather be with than him.  There is no one that I would rather have as the father of my child.  I knew that the minute I "re-saw" him.  I still know it today.
Love ya TIGER.