The Best Email Ever

Six years ago today, I was just beginning my career as a teacher. I was fresh out of college and single, which is not a good thing after graduating from Franciscan University. If you don't earn your MRS degree while you are there, you are deemed hopeless to ever earn it off campus in the real world. But for the first time in my entire young adult life, I was okay with being single. I had decided to focus on my career and put my heart and soul into teaching.

Then I came home from new teacher orientation on Wednesday, August 15, 2007. In my inbox was a message from Brian via AveMariaSingles.com. I inwardly cringed at first because I had already had some not so successful dates (one guy didn't drive well at all and refused to follow my directions to get back home. Talk about awkward!) and conversations with others via online dating. I was tired of trying so hard just to meet Mr. Wrong over and over again. Then, I read Brian's email and profile. I hesitated to respond at first because of the 10 year age difference between us (whoops, guess I just let that secret out of the bag!), but my mom encouraged me to write him back. And boy am I happy I did.

From that first email we were inseparable and moved at lightning speed through our relationship. Looking back at it now, it honestly exhausts me. Here's a Reader's Digest version of our courtship:

August 15, 2007: First email

August 19, 2007: First phone conversation

August 24, 2007: First Date to Mt. Washington (super romantic, btw!)

August 27, 2007: Officially began dating

September 1, 2007: First time we said, "I love you."

February 14, 2008: Got Engaged

October 18, 2008: Said, "I do."

So almost exactly fourteen months after that first email, we were married. In some ways it was the shortest time of my life, and in some ways those fourteen months dragged on forever. But we just knew from the first time we met in person that we had each found "the one." People ask me how I knew, and I can't answer. It was just a feeling and words can't describe it. But I can say for sure that when I looked into my future from our first date on, I couldn't picture doing anything without Brian right beside me. 

Looking back now, our courtship was such a fun time. Brian worked as the assistant men's basketball coach at Franciscan (Go Barons!) during their inaugural year in NCAA DIII. I went to every single game except for one that was an away game during a snow storm. I was their biggest fan, and I loved every minute of it. I had goofy tshirts that I wore to the games that I had made, and I was more than proud to be the coach's girlfriend. We joke that I spent more time on campus during my first year as an alum than I ever did as a undergrad! That team became my adopted children, and I still keep in touch with some of them today. (Maybe they all liked me so much because I baked cookies and cupcakes for them for every single game!) I was and always will be their biggest fan.

Off of the basketball court, we spent every free moment together, and since we lived in towns 45 minutes apart that sometimes meant not getting much sleep. I was probably more sleep deprived than I am now, but back then, I was younger and in love and it was easy to deal with. Most days I didn't feel that tired, even as a new teacher. I was head over heels in love with the greatest guy on the planet, and I was loving life. Who really needs sleep anyway? (Um, this sleep deprived Mommy...) Being able to spend that much time together on a daily basis allowed our relationship to grow and move quickly, and I think that's just how it was meant to be. We weren't meant to be engaged or date for a long period of time. That wasn't us.

Brian completes me in many ways, and as controversial as it is to say this in Catholic circles today, he is my soul mate. He is my other half (and definitely the better half.) He is my best friend. He knows me like no one else can. He is patient beyond words and lets me cry when I need to. He constantly thinks about how he can make my life easier and better and is the most selfless person I know. When we lost Abby he spent hours tracking down the last season of Gilmore Girls so I could have something fun to watch during the week I had to take off of work. Who does that? He does.

He is the most generous person I know and would give you the shirt off of his back literally. He has a way of calming me down when I get all worked up and stressed out and anxious that no one else can accomplish. He has held my hand when two of our babies were born. He was right beside me when Abby died, and I got super sick and needed medical intervention. He would never turn his back on me.

He is the most faithful and devout Catholic I have ever met. Maybe it was his time in the Carmelites, but wow! This guy knows his faith and practices it every day. He calls me on to be a better Catholic.

Over the past six years, we've had a lot of good times, too. We swam with dolphins together, cheered the Steelers onto victory at Heinz Field, enjoyed a tour of Wine Country for our six month wedding anniversary, gone to dozens of country concerts, and shared lots of laughs.

But my favorite thing about Brian is watching him as a father. Our children adore him and he them. Just getting to watch the three of them build a sand castle at Lake Erie last week was enough to make me fall in love with him all over again. I have one heck of a husband, and I am beyond blessed.

Over the years, we have had our share of ups and downs. And sometimes I wonder if we had moved slower if we would have saved ourselves some of our toughest times in our marriage. The answer is no. Marriage is work and hard no matter how long you date beforehand. You will have really good times and really hard times no matter what you do to prepare beforehand. That's marriage. 

Today is also the Feast Day of the Assumption and on that note, I always look back and thank the Blessed Mother for bringing me and Brian together. She worked something really cool out for us, and I ask for her intercession every day to make me a better wife and mother. Without her intercession, Brian and I wouldn't be together and we wouldn't have our three beautiful babies.

Letting Go and Letting God was one of the best things I ever did, and I will never in my life get an email quite as exciting as the first one Brian sent...not even the one I got on Monday telling me I won a contest to meet Rascal Flatts! ;) His email to me will forever be my favorite.

I couldn't resist adding a few of my favorite pics from our courtship. Enjoy!