Why I Love You.

September 2008

Two years. 730 days. 104 weeks. 24 months. However you want to put it, I've been dating Stephen Hamby for quite some time now. I was talking to my friend Ashton, who played a hefty role in putting us together, and I can't believe it's already been two years. I had just turned 18, and he was a few months from 19 when we first started dating.

How we met? To put a long story as short as I possibly can (I get the story embellishing gene from my dad)...we were at the first night of AO...I was with a group of girls and he was with another girl. (Background info: I had previously facebook stalked him before this first introduction- I had already developed a slight crush.) So this girl starts talking about Big Creek, and I just couldn't help myself- I had to interrupt. This was MY camp after all that I had worked at. So of course, I start talking to her, only to receive the evilest of glares from that cute boy. Oh well. So two weeks later, on a Wednesday night (Sept. 10 to be exact), I received a friend request from this same cute boy. I ever so slyly accepted and started the usual conversation over messages- "How do I know you?"

Smooth, I know. But those five words sparked hours of conversations- learning of our mutual friends, our love for the Lord, our desire to serve, and the occasional flirting. Facebook wasn't cutting it, and we exchanged phone numbers soon after starting to talk. We learned that we passed each other in one building every Thursday, and decided to officially "meet" (I had met him, he just didn't remember that little part) in that short break. That's all it took for me to lose focus on anything school related the rest of the day. We decided to go out for lunch the next day after classes. The rest is history. It took one date- then another date- and then church on Sunday and I was running back to my dorm telling Ashton and Kelly that I thought this was the boy God wanted me to marry.

And now, two years later, I still feel the same way.

So Stephen, thank you for being dorky and respectful and shaking my hand the first time we met. Thank you for understanding that even though I DID love you, I wasn't ready to say it as quickly as you were, and being okay with "I'm fond of you, too." Thank you for being there for me through my roughest times, and being my biggest supporter. Thank you for defending me, sticking by me, and loving me when I don't deserve it. Thank you for the Sonic drinks you surprise me with at 7:30 in the morning, and notes that you hide for me to find. Thank you for staying up late with me on the phone when I'm scared to stay home alone. Thank you for holding me when I cry and making me laugh all the time. Thank you for being silly and goofy. Thanks for working really hard.

I love you :)

September 2010