eleven.

In celebration of the 11th day of the month,

I am going to share our story.

Though I'm sure the only people who read our blog 

already know the story...

I'm going to bore you anyway.

Because it's a good story :)

Stephen and I met in dance class on October 1st.

It was the first week of school, 

on a Thursday, 

and the second day of dance class.

Thanks to his friend and roommate, Ben.

(Thanks, Ben!)

Ben had attended the first day, solo.

He came home and told Stephen,

"You need to join this class! 

There's a couple cute girls in it and there's not enough guys!"

(Something like that)

Reluctant to pay out of state tuition 

for a one credit dance class,

Stephen agreed to go the second day and try it out.

I was sitting on the bleachers with the rest of the class waiting for the instructor's direction when I saw them walk in from the corner of my eye.

He was tall.

He was blonde.

And he was going to be mine. 

As soon as Mr. Green told us to get up 

and get a partner,

I jumped off the bleachers, 

(I was sitting in the front row. There wasn't actually any jumping involved. I really just got off the bleachers quickly.)

turned around,

pointed right at Stephen,

and said, 

"wanna dance?!"

We only got to dance for a few minutes 

before we had to switch partners, 

but I continued to flirt with him 

from across the room. 

(Secretly laughing at the guy I was dancing with, googly eyes, the whole nine yards.) 

I was determined to talk to him again 

before we all left,

so I made sure I was walking out of the gym 

the same time he and his friend (Ben) were.

Turns out they were both heading home 

and their home was across the street from mine.

Crazy (convenient) coincidence.  

We parted ways and I walked into the Kappa house.

Not a minute later my phone was to my ear 

and my mom was on the other line.

"Mom! Today I met the boy I'm going to marry!"

She laughed. 

And, admittedly, I did a little, too.

But I knew, 

without a shadow of a doubt, 

that he was going to be mine.

I knew little about him.

He was extremely tall and extremely good looking.

(He was my ideal man, truly! Tall, blonde, blue eyes.)

He was a Delta Chi.

He was from Fairbanks, Alaska.

(Which I thought was crazy! I had never met anyone from Alaska!)

He wanted to be a doctor. 

And I was convinced he was a Democrat,

due to his "Eskimo" shirt with a peace sign, his skinny jeans, and patterned TOMS. 

(I was very wrong, indeed.)

I knew he was going to be mine

because he already was.

It was like he was made for me.

I knew it.

I felt it.

(It was about a year later I learned that this wasn't just my first encounter with Stephen, it was also my first encounter with God.)

Stephen, the gentleman that he is, walked me home from class every day for the rest of the year.

It took him nine days to ask for my phone number

(Nervously and awkwardly on the front steps 

of Kappas as he dropped me off)

And it took him eleven days to kiss me. 

Which is my favorite part of the story :)

It was the first time we'd hung out 

outside of dance class.

It was October 11th, a Sunday. 

There was a big sorority/fraternity 

celebration that day

and we'd spent the whole day together. 

It was getting late and Stephen started 

mentioning how he should get home. 

About every ten minutes or so 

he'd say he needed to leave, 

but then we'd just keep talking.

(About everything! I was so twitterpated!)

We finally made it out of the Kappa living room 

and onto the front porch,

where he continued to say he needed to leave,

but wouldn't actually leave.

I was getting cold, 

and truthfully, a little impatient. 

I could tell he wanted to kiss me.

And, yes! I wanted him to kiss me!

So I gave him an ultimatum.

I said,

"You can either kiss me goodnight like I know you want to, or you can turn around and walk home like you've said you were going to do for the last hour."

Needless to say his face turned every shade of red.

But he kissed me goodnight :)

We've been inseparable ever since!

It's been three months since our wedding day,

and the best two years of my life. 

<3

God gave me Stephen, and Stephen gave me God.

The two best decisions in my life.

I am forever grateful.