While Zach and I were truly high school sweethearts, our story is anything but typical.
Let's start with a little back story...
Zach was kid of a Navy family, his dad served for 20 years in various posts all over the country. Zach has lived in three states, one of them twice. Washington, California and Mississippi. He moved to Biloxi, MS in 1998 while he was junior high school.
I was a kid of an Air Force family, my dad served for 20 years in various posts all over the country. I have lived in five states, two of them more than once. Mississippi, Texas, Maine, Florida and Arkansas. I moved to Biloxi, MS in 2001 while I was in high school.
In summary we were both military brats :)
Back to the story at hand...
Zach and I attended the same high school for two years before we actually met. Well as Zach tells the story, he had seen me in the halls and on the school bus, but I was "too cool" to notice him. Either way we were not formally introduced until the fall of our senior year of high school, 2004.
I had asked my parents to try a new church over in the next town of D'Iberville because I thought there were some kids I knew that went to church there. (Just FYI, ,I was mistaken, the kids I knew went to another church).
On our first visit to the church Zach came up to my parents and me and invited me to the youth function later that Sunday evening. That was his responsibility as elected youth group president, but he confessed to me that he was only doing as he was asked by an adult member of the church.
As painfully shy as I was, I agreed.
That youth group became my family. They were amazing and even though we've all grown up and most of us are married and have kids, I still consider them my first true church family. They were the best.
Things developed rather quickly at this point. I would say it was a month or less after that we had our first date. I remember that awkward monstrosity like it was yesterday. I was so nervous that my parents were letting me go out with a boy, I took the cordless house phone with me! Trust me, we still talk about that one. It was unconditional and irrevocable from that day onward. There was no turning back and no one else. I realize that is just a touch melodramatic, but I always did have a flair for drama.
I don't remember how many dates we went on or even where we went on those dates, but I do remember very vividly the day Zach asked me to be his "girlfriend". We were so painfully shy and awkward. I remember standing in my parents driveway at like 9pm September 19th 2003. When he asked me I practically screamed yes at him and ran inside. It was so silly looking back now.
Time flew by and before we knew it we had graduated high school. We went to community college, then I moved to Hattiesburg to finish my degree and Zach stayed in Biloxi. Zach would drive up to Hattiesburg almost every single weekend that I wasn't able to come home, and if we weren't together we were on the phone. I can't tell you how many loads of laundry I washed, dried, folded and put away talking on the phone. Most of the time we would sit in silence on the phone, just to be connected.
Zach moved to Hattiesburg to finish his degree the very next year, those were probably some of our best times together. College was truly some of the most fun I have ever had, and some of the hardest work!
Zach proposed to me right before my final semester of nursing school. This was fall 2008, we had been dating steady for 5 years at this point, needless to say it was pretty much expected. But I really had no idea when and he was very good at not giving himself away. Everyone wants to know the story of how the guy proposed, so I will share, though keep in mind I'm sure Zach will tell you it happened differently.
We were in the Edgewater Mall in Biloxi, MS (super romantic, right?). I don't remember why we originally went there but I was trying to head to the jewelery counter of JCPenneys to have my promise ring cleaned. Zach's dad was working there and he would clean my ring really nice for free. On this particular day Zach was really irritating me (I found out later, he was super nervous and that's why he was being short with me! ;) ). He was walking really slowly, and I was in a hurry I finally got frustrated and told him I would go get my ring cleaned and meet him later. To which his response was " Do you want to get that ring cleaned, or this one?" and he pulled the ring box out of his pocket and unceremoniously flung it at me. I was of course completely shocked, floored and overwhelmed all at once. I broke into hysterical sobs and said "Yes".
We planned our wedding for after my graduation from nursing school. I graduated December 2008 and we were married April 25, 2009.
To this day I believe that God brought the perfect man into my life to lead me through this life. I am the luckiest girl alive!
Marriage has truly been a blessing for us and it only gets better every day.
