Pat and I met originally August 2008. He was dating another girl and I was actually engaged to someone else. He apparently KNEW the moment we met, but I didn't feel a thing. He is my sister's boyfriend's best friend from High School. But I honestly never thought we would meet again.

November 2008- I broke things off with my fiance. I knew things wouldn't work and didn't want to waste another moment of either of our time.

February 2009- Pat turns 30. I was sick and didn't go with my g-rents to their time share so my sister invited me to a party. They tried to jog my memory about who it was, but I couldn't remember. No big deal. I was sure there would be some babes there so I went. Single and ready to mingle! Nope. Everyone had a girlfriend. Including Pat. But there were sparks flying between us all night. He sang Sublime songs "at" me and that was it. I was hooked. We had so much in common. When we left I tried to shake it. I wasn't going to be a home wrecker. Pat left to Mexico for a week, and I read books. He called my sister's boyfriend the moment he got back to the states and said he couldn't stop thinking of me. He broke things off with his girlfriend and we have been connected at the hip ever since. I couldn't imagine a better person in my life. He is the sweetest, most talented, funniest man I have ever come across and he is the first person I have ever considered having for the REST of my life.

Now we will see when he proposes!

Bobby and I have one of those unreal stories.  I had always been the type of girl to meet a guy at a bar, date for a couple of months, and move on.  My friends all had steady boyfriends and frowned on the constant swinging door so they convinced me to try an online dating site.  I joined Match in May 2009 and went on a couple of dates with a bunch of "winners".  One guy was 30 and living in his mom's basement working as a telemarketer.  Another was a math teacher at my old high school but talked down to me and was very arrogant (I'm also a math teacher so I couldn't tell if he was trying to impress me or piss me off).  Another wanted to hop right in the sack and I was not about to have that.  The whole time I had been in contact with Bobby.  He was down in Florida for work and we'd talk on gchat all day and I'd tell him about my terrible dates.  Finally he was back in the area and asked me out to dinner.  He offered to come pick me up (which I normally would NEVER do) and I agreed.  We had a lot of fun but I pictured him as more of a friend.  As soon as I got home, I texted him to let him know that I felt like a loser for beating my parents home on a Friday night....turns out his 14 year old sister was out later than us too.  

The next morning he called me to set up another date.  We drove two and a half hours to Philly because he'd never had a philly cheesesteak.  I knew, after sitting in a car for that long and not wanting to kill myself, that there was something there.  We talked about a million different things and it turns out that both of his parents grew up in my town and went to the same high school as my mother.  His last name didn't ring a bell and his mother's maiden name wasn't something I had heard either.  Later that day I told my mom and she had no clue who it was.  About an hour later I get a text from him saying that our grandmothers know each other.  Now, my grandma is a big shmooze in town.  She knows everyone at church and is a member of the town's senior citizens club so I figured it was just some other old biddy in the town.  Turns out...his grandmother is my grandmother's best friend.  When his grandfather moved to town, he rented a room from my grandparents.  I had grown up hearing about his family and vice versa but we'd never met.  In college I would get yelled at by my grandmother because "Grace's grandson calls her all of the time"...Bobby is Grace's grandson (I hit him a bunch of times when I realized that).

We moved in together in August and both of our families know we're going to get married.  No one can believe our back story and I'm convinced that if our grandmothers were the ones who set us up....it never would have happened.

I first met Joe in 2005 when we both worked at Kroger together.  He didn't talk much and always kept to himself, but I always said a "hey" or "hello".  I was dating another guy in high school at the time, so Joe quickly left my thoughts.
I get into my senior year.  It's all amazing and great throughout the first part of the year, but come time for band banquet (I'm a proud band nerd-I played flute!  And no, I did not go to band camp!), prom, and graduation it all fell apart.  That guy I was dating cheated on me with one of my classmates.  To say I was heartbroken and devistated is an understatement.  I missed the last week of school, almost suicidal and at graduation I didn't take pictures, smile, nothing.  I just wanted to get my diploma and get out of there. 

Joe and I got reintroduced that summer (2006).  I had walked into Kroger, where my now-ex was working, hoping to make him see me, and maybe get him back.  I was with my friend Ryan (who's a girl) and as we were leaving the self checkout I hear a, "bye Dani!"  I turn around and there's Joe: smiling his big grin and waving.

Of course, I couldn't remember his name!  I had to look at his name tag!  We started talking, and I asked him if he wanted my digits (so cool, right?).  The three of us (being me, Joe and Ryan) hung out a lot that summer!  Joe obviously had feelings for me.  Unfortunately, I was still so hung up on my ex and how he had broken my heart and that I never wanted ANYTHING to do with men ever again!  For those of you out there who are Twilight fans: Joe is my Jacob.  He promised he would never hurt me the way my ex did, and would always be there no matter what.  Joe was very persistent, and three tries later here we are!  Third time's the charm, right?  Joe is two years younger than me.  I have people tell me all the time, "You're a cradle robber!" in which I reply, "No!  The cradle pursued ME!"  Bless his heart for putting up with all my crap there at the beginning!  It says a lot about his character ;]

We don't live together, but not because we don't want to!  We're poor, broke college kids.  Joe has a job lined up after he's done with school this semester.  I'm jealous!  He only needs a two-year degree.  So once we're both working full time, we'll get an apartment together! :]

awe! great stories everyone!!!

Sean and I met in high school :) i was dating this loser freshman year, and he knew i had a crush on Sean (he was older, and in a rock band, etc) so my boyfriend at the time gave me his aol screenname so we could chat (poor guy, he was trying to impress me that he knew Sean) and later we broke up, so i started chatting with Sean telling him how much of a loser my ex boyfriend was (apparently Sean barely knew him and thought i was such a weirdo) so, a few weeks of aol chatting i asked him out :)

i had him pick me up at a friends house where i was "studying" so my mom wouldn't see that he was older than me and had lip-rings (bad girl- i was 14 and he was 17) so our "date" was so much fun, just driving around all awkward and talking. when he dropped me off he immediately asked if i wanted to do back out after he got off of work (YES!) so...we had two dates that first day :)

we went out almost every day for a week or so, then i kissed his cheek and he turned the brightest shade of red i've ever seen (he's pretty shy and i thought it was so cute) so i finally told my mom about him...and after having a heart-attack about an older guy with a car, she met him and loved him too!

we pretty much just thought, let's date until we get bored or someone cheats on someone (high school relationships aren't too serious) but we never got bored and just loved being with each other...he really is my best friend and "other half" we did the long-distant thing while we were both in college (he was in Daytona FL and me in Chicago, IL) and moved in together once he got his dream job here :)

we are basically married, his family loves me and mine him...we are true high school sweethearts that make other people want to throw up with how much we love each other. i just feel like we got so lucky, meeting our soul-mate at such an early age-so we can spend our whole lives together :) 8 years later and i still get butterflies when he kisses me :)

Sean talks about marriage all the time, but he is still training with his job, so once he's "settled" at work (about another year) im sure that ring will come quickly!

haha Dani I'm a formal proud band geek too...but I did go to band camp...every year for 6 years and drum major camp...talk about uber nerdy.

Gina isn't it great knowing that his family loves you and vice versa?  His family always jokes around that if something were to happen between us that they'd kick him to the curb and take me instead.  Sometimes his mom will call just to talk to me and he gets so mad but I think it's funny and amazing knowing that there won't be that "ughhhh I have to go to the in-laws" feeling and he's the same way with my family.

I'm still kicking myself for not trying out for drum major!  What did you play?!


My friend Melissa (theprincessbride here on PW) got married in Australia this past summer and she's in the states visiting!  We went to the mall and we were looking at some engagement rings and I've just become even more antsy/anxious.  I told Joe if he got me a promise ring, I would shut up about the engagement ring.  Yesterday, I realized that $1500 won't get me squat for an engagement ring.  So I told Joe to spend no more than $3500.  I think that's fair!  I found a few at Helzberg I loved :]  

Oh!  And Joe told me to expect something within the next month or two.  I'm assuming it's about the promise ring >.>