Way back in the summer of 2000, when wearing glitter all over your face and platform sandals were all the rage, I went to my summer orientation at Elizabethtown College with my dad.
Of course, the second I got there, I started scoping out the boys while trying to control my embarrassment from my Dad. Seriously, Dad. You're getting in the way of me flirting with cute boys wearing Quicksilver and Billabong shirts with their seashell and hemp chokers (also cool back then).
Then, I see these two cute boys with blonde hair. But the one stands out to me (sorry, Steve). Lo and behold, when we have to break off into our groups by residence hall, he is in my group. I tried to keep my eye on him but was way too embarrassed by my dad asking our tour guide how many electrical outlets were in each room, and if there are the same amount of outlets in all the dorm rooms...does it vary from room to room? How close are the outlets to each other? Seriously Dad? I was so irritated that at one point we both were telling each other what an embarrassment the other was. Typical father/daughter, right?
So because of the whole outlet/embarrassment fiasco, I lost the cute blonde boy. Boooo.
Little did I know, though that on the way to orientation that day, his Dad said to him, "hey you might see the girl you are going to marry today." At some point in the day, his Dad pointed me out to him. I was wearing capri pants that day (with platform sandals. Sans glitter though...serious business that day. No time for glitter). Since they didn't know my name, all summer he referred to me as Miss Capri and told his friends that he'd win me over! Right, right, right....
Fast forward to the first day of my freshman year. We do a little thing called the Freshman Walk. You are paired boy/girl and are paraded through town doing random things like humping a tree or proposing to a stranger. Wouldn't you know I got paired with the cute blonde boy from orientation.
From then, we would randomly see each other on the way to class, which then evolved to him meeting me at my door and walking to class with me, which was good. I was hard to get out of bed in the am sometimes. Especially on Friday mornings...Thirsty Thursday's were a big deal and hard to resist!!
Then one night (the night before his biggest soccer game of the season...sorry, Ry. Poor timing I guess!), I got a little too wasted, and drunk dialed him to come hold my hair back while I puked my brains out. He did. It seemed totally logical at the time, I swear.
Stupid me didn't see how awesome he was until right then...plus my friends and I thought it was cool to see what he would do to try and impress me. Sorry Ry. Sorry I drug it out so long, but it was just too much fun. We really didn't think you would
actually come to our dorm room with no shirt on just to borrow some bread :)
From that puke filled night on it was pretty much these shenanigan's for the next several years...
like this....
"Dressing up" for a soccer formal. Which just consisted of wearing a dress (as opposed to jeans) to drink Natty Light out of a keg. I swear I am wearing clothes in this picture. And sorry Ryan, but the whole "growing your hair out like Brad Pitt's" just didn't work out.
and like this....
It was cool to have a "Pimp and Hoe" themed party. Wow my outfit was just awesome.
and like this....
I swear not all of our college memories consist of us and alcohol!
But then we matured, of course, and decided to get hitched.
Over 12 years after him holding my hair back, I wouldn't have it any other way! We still laugh as much as we used to, and carry on conversations strictly consisting of movie quotes (people probably think we are nuts). It wouldn't be a complete day without him saying something like "I got something that will quench your thirst" when I say I am thirsty (you see...I told you we matured!), or playing rock paper scissors to make a decision.
The best part of it all are these beauties that we brought into the world...
For the record, we are totally sober in this picture. And I can honestly say the only thing different (besides the sober part) from this picture to our previous ones is Ryan's hair color. He's stayed the same freakin' weight all these years...jerk.
