2001, year 2

So, for those of you that didn't read my first post, you can catch up here. 

2001 was a crazy year.  I turned 21, K turned 23.  We got engaged!  We started planning our wedding, I paid off loans from the prior boyfriend.  I graduated with my Associates degree, and prepared to move on for my Bachelors. 

I was going to tell you the story of when K got laid off the first time.  I had it all typed up, but then I decided instead to tell you the story of our first Valentine's day, which is SO much better a story. 

As I mentioned before, we had some crazy schedules that did not match at all.  Every now and again they would finish things up early?  On time? at work, I'm not sure which, but they would finish up and he would manage to make it home before I left for work.  Mind you, I left for work at about 6:30 in the morning.  He worked Monday through Friday nights.  I honestly don't remember if our first Valentines day was during the week, or on a Saturday, but either way, I do remember how the day began.

I woke up to him home, standing in our bedroom, having brought me breakfast in bed.  It was so sweet, orange juice and some cranberry orange muffins.  I didn't really like muffins at the time (nor do I now), but these muffins were delicious.  I still love cranberry orange muffins becuase of this morning.

So, we ate breakfast in bed, and then he presented me with a card, a necklace and a teddy bear.  I still have the necklace, although sometime through the years the chain broke.  The teddy bear?  Still spends its days on my bed.  He still spends his nights cuddled up with me.  He's such a soft bear, and in my moment of pure genious inspiration, I named him Teddy.

Bug even loves this bear.  I'm afraid one day I'll lose it to her if I'm not careful.

We were so young at that time.  He was so excited to have been able to do that for me.  To be honest, I couldn't even tell you if I got him anything.  Or if we went out to dinner that night.  I have no idea, because the very best part of the day was the moment I opened my eyes to find him standing there, my mechanic knight in oil covered jeans and tee shirt shining armor.

It wouldn't have mattered if he brought me a McDonalds hamburger that morning (I was a vegetarian at the time), the fact that he did what he did for me was so touching, in a way that I had never been touched before, partly because I was young, and partly because the last long term boyfriend was just no good.

It's a memory seared into my brain, and I love him more for those little things.  We have never really celebrated holidays like Valentines day, or the others that we call 'hallmark holiday's'  (no, Valentines day is not a hallmark holiday, there really was a St Valentine).  It's just not us, not who we are.  Maybe that's what made it so special that year - that he really just wanted to do something nice for me, something to let me know that he was thinking of me.

It was barely over a month later, in the freezing cold, outside at our drainage ditch (yes, I said drainage ditch) where we shared our first kiss the year before (yep, at our drainage ditch) that he asked me to be his wife.  Where he told me that he couldn't imagine life without me.  This was done after a seafood dinner (neither of us liked seafood - but we love it now) at Joe's crabshack (which neither of us liked - but it's OK now.)  All because it was close to our drainage ditch, where he wanted to propose.

There you go - you got a twofer.

Emms