~Like Peas & Carrots~

Austin & I are like peas & carrots, we were meant to go together, peanut butter & jelly, macaroni & cheese...seven years ago today I married my middle school sweet heart. Odds = highly unlikely. Probably better odds that you would win the Texas lottery. Only we far exceeded any winnings from a lottery ticket. Who would have thought the first boy you ‘fell in love with’ and saw across the cafeteria on the first day of 6th grade would end up your HUSBAND?!!

We have an unlikely story, one I cherish and will forever treasure. Austin and I know each other so well we think the same thoughts and can sometimes even finish each others sentences. Not to say that marriage is a 24/7 fairy tail, those who are married know better, but I will say with confidence, I have married my soul mate & best friend and can not explain the joy I feel to have the opportunity to journey through this life with him.


Here it is:

VERY EARLY BEGINNINGS: Our relationship actually begins circa 1983 in Grand Prairie, Texas at the United Methodist Church Mother’s Day out program! It wasn’t until I was in high school & was going through some of my mom’s old photo’s that I realized Austin & I were in the same THURSDAY school class! What I wouldn’t give to have video of those days ;) I do however have a single photograph, of which I can not locate at the present time, but promise to find it at my Mom’s house soon so that I may share it with you.

EARLY BEGINNINGS: Kennedy Middle School, August 1991. As I mentioned above, I can vividly remember seeing one of the cutest boys on the planet across the cafeteria on the fist day of school, one of my friends mom’s affectionately referred to him as ‘Howdy Doody’ since he had cute freckles and looked like an All American boy. I remember asking my friends, Melissa & Beth, whom went to elementary school with him, what his name was. “Austin Buck” And so in October, I decided to invite him to my first boy/girl birthday party. Austin will tell you he had NO idea who I was and was only interested in coming to the party for social butterfly reasons. I was always a ‘good girl’ growing up, cried when I received my first ‘B,’ Austin on the other hand…uhhh, humm. Let’s just say he was not as tame as I. A few middle school memories I cherish were hay rides on my birthday in 7th grade at Samuel’s Farm, stealing an innocent kiss at my party playing spin the bottle and watching Austin play basketball and cheering on the Longhorns. Middle school was rough, I do also remember that, and we had a group of girls that spent about every other week in the school counselors office, sometimes discussing incidents around who was girlfriend or boyfriend with Austin Buck. He had quite the following. lol

We started our freshman year of high school as cross town rivals & also went on to occupy our time other things. Austin was into playing golf and I was into theatre and making new friends, of which consisted of new boyfriends … we drifted apart, but not for long. I joined the golf team and began practicing at the same facility. [that was not a plan, wink wink] Our junior and senior years we were ‘an item’ and attended each others proms, school dances and Austin was a loyal follower of our football team so that he could watch me cheer. I can’t count on my fingers and toes the good times we had during those two years taking trips to the lake, life guarding, four wheeling, and who knows what else – there were a lot of laughs and some tears as well.

LIFE CHANGE: One of my best friends from high school and I were accepted to TCU and shared a dorm room our freshman year. Austin and I were on again, off again…as I thought I was too cool for school, a school that Austin didn’t currently attend. We dated a few other people, but I somehow found myself comparing guys to Austin…no one ever measured up. In my heart I knew he was my prince. I had it all planned out, college graduation, engagement, marriage, house, kids – Just need to get him on board! The middle of our sophomore year Austin transferred to TCU and we shared an apartment with another roommate. [I know, I know – living in sin, and looking back on it I see the pros and cons, I will never let my kids do as I did, but I guess that’s the fun part, I get to tell them do as I say, not as I do. Ever hear that one before?] I actually pulled a ‘Monica from friends’ move by booking the chapel long before I ever had a ring… ha ha, something we laugh about now, but if he knew that back then, I may have scared him off!

FAST FORWARD: I graduated in May of 02, Austin one semester later in Dec 02. We both landed our first job with the Tandy Corporation in downtown Fort Worth, and the Thanksgiving weekend 2003, I had a business trip planned to San Francisco, CA. The trip was rescheduled to January, however Austin and I decided to go anyhow since we purchased a ticket for him to join me. I was also starting to wonder about my plan…was he ever going to ask me to marry him? I seriously had no idea, I suspected that over a family Christmas trip to New Mexico he would do it with everyone present. So that weekend, unexpectedly Austin dropped to knee in Sausalito, CA on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge and asked me to spend the rest of our lives together. It’s a trip I’ll never forget, one we had SO much fun on touring Napa and finding our way about in San Fran, complete with a night tour of Alcatraz. It was pretty late in Dallas, so we decided to wait until the morning to call our friends and family. I remember waking up in the middle of the night with my ring finger inches from my face and smiling like a giddy school girl.

MARRIAGE: We had a quaint wedding on January 24th 2004 in our home town, where my dad walked me down the isle and we shared vowels in front of our friends, family and most importantly God. A life long covenant we made and will promise to keep through good times and bad. Marriage is hard work and when you say ‘& the bad’ during your vowels you have no idea what bad means – we all spend, as we should, time with our heads in the clouds in honeymoon bliss. I pray that we find time each year, heck, each month or week to remember the bliss. Hard times will come and go, but through the thick of it, we’ll continue to grow our relationship until there is nothing we can’t work through. I believe in my heart of hearts in the sancity of marriage. Having seen first hand the ripple affect of divorce, I think that my determination is even more intent on making marriage stron. Our recipe consist of: a relationship that focus' first on God, second on marriage and lastly on our children.

So, that is our story, I’m so fortunate to have married my best friend and look forward to what the next 70+ years hold.

And here we are - what fun to go back and line these up. (And yes, I used to be a scrapbooker...that is used to be;))


October 1991 - 6th grade birthday party (check out those sofe shorts!)




May 1994 - KMS 8th grade graduation

 

1997 – High School Seniors

 

2000 – TCU



2003 – New Mexico Trip post San Fran engagement!



2003 – Engagement Photo



Jan 24th 2004 – Wedding



2006 – and Banks Ryan makes 3



2007 – and Cooper Reese makes 4

To many more memories.