God Bless The Broken Road!

I started off falling in love pretty early in life.  It all started in 2nd grade.  I had a crush on a boy in my class.  He was the tough tree-climbing type and I was smitten!  My mother went on a field trip with us.  He was in our group.  During lunch he walked up to my mom and asked her permission for him to be my boyfriend.  Up until 7th grade we were 'dating' on and off.  We were just kids but I honestly believed that we were going to be together for the rest of our lives.  He ended our puppy love relationship by calling me and telling me that he had found another girl who was better than me.  Teasing from friends as well as himself ensued until he went to a different High School.  The boy's name was Max.

When I was a teenager I fell for a leather-dressed, long-haired rocker.  We were together for around 7 months and I thought I loved him. It scared me to death.  We were the 'it' couple which also put on a lot of pressure for me to have a perfect relationship.  I started to retreat and push him away by criticizing every aspect of his personality.  Yes, he was a year or so younger than I was so he was immature, but I treated him poorly just because I was petrified.  I was getting too close to a man and I wasn't ready to give my heart completely away.  I did not want him to stomp on it.  The teen's name was Nate.

   
I dated a man who was emotionally abusive for six months before I started College.  All we seemed to do is fight and it got to the point where he would start to get physical.  Not terribly though.  He would shove me or grab my wrists and squeeze pretty tight.  I met him through Myspace.  He was moving into his sister's townhouse a town away from me and lived in Orange County, California at the time.  Me being such a 'I love love girl, I started falling for him before I even met him.  Our short-lived relationship turned tumultuous quickly and it was all down hill from there.  It got to the point where I would want to get violent towards him.  I found myself throwing stuff at him.  I think me compromising my own morals and values is what scared me the most.  I have never been violent before.  This man's name was Cory.



When I was dating Cory, his older sister was the Human Resource Manager for Home Depot.  She got me a job there as a cashier.  I was only there for around 4 months but it was well worth it.  I met another cashier there.  Her name was Kim and we became fast, close friends.  We were both with jerks too so we had that in common as well!  After I quit Home Depot it was pretty much time for me to start College.  I moved down there to the dorms and a month or so later I received a message on Myspace from a man I have never seen before.  His name was Jacob and he went to High School with Cashier Kim!  For a couple months we messaged each other back and forth.  I was extremely cautious due to my last Internet experience but I was really into this mystery man.  It also helped a little bit that Kim already knew him and basically grew up with him for a while.  We were talking daily when, out of the blue, he stopped sending messages.  I found out later that during that time he was dating some girl. 

We finally decided to meet the beginning of December of 2007.  We were going to meet at a bar and restaurant but I was riding along with Kim and Jared and for some reason, I can't remember why, we were late.  Jake thought that he had been ditched and so he called his brother and decided to meet him and his girlfriend and his girlfriend's sister up at a bar that is attached to the bowling alley.  Eventually Kim, Jared and I figured out where he had gone and we drove up to meet him there.  I will never forget how nervous I was.  He was intimidating to me due to how handsome he was just in his pictures online!  How was I going to be when I finally met him in person?  Well, in just a couple minutes I was going to find out!  We parked and started walking in.  I could feel the sweat slowly building up in my palms.  The bar was to the immediate left of the front door.  Kim walked in first and I trailed behind.  On the right, they were all sitting in a booth.  They got up from their area and started walking towards the door to leave pretty much right way.  They all wanted to go to a pizza restaurant and bar that was having karaoke that night.  The last person to leave was Jake.  I was ahead of him and he walked over to me and said, "Hi, I'm Jake.  Nice to finally meet you."  Instantly my knees became weak.  He was the most gorgeous man I had ever met in my whole entire life!  Once we got to the pizza bar I was so nervous to the point that I barely even spoke to him the whole time we were there!  Because of that, I didn't think that there was even a remote chance that we would ever be together.  Boy was I wrong!  Here is our first picture taken the first night we met at the pizza bar:  



During my first winter break, I found myself hanging out a lot with Kim and Jake.  The more I was with him, the more I wanted him to be mine.  The night of December 21st, 2007 we became an official couple.  We were together for a happy 6 months when, out of the blue, he told me that he wanted to go on a break.  At first he said that it would only be for a month but, after nine months of waiting, I started giving up on us.  It was one of the hardest times in my life.  He really made me fall hard.  Harder than any other relationship I had ever been in.  Just when I was about to give up, he asked me back out on April 25, 2009.  I was ecstatic yet very cautious at first!  I was very scared that he was going to break my heart again.  He hasn't and I am so glad that I gave him a second chance!

Jacob is the best guy that I have ever been with.  I love him with all of my heart and I honestly don't know who I would be now without him by my side.  I never knew what love really was until I met him.  He compliments me all the time without me having to remind him to.  He buys me gifts randomly to surprise me.  When we get into little arguments he feels bad and comes back with flowers to apologize.  He gives me kisses and cuddles and big bear hugs.  He holds me tight when I am upset, letting me cry sometimes hysterically into his shoulder.  He is, with no doubt in my mind, my better half.  The man I could see myself marrying in the near future.  The man who I could see being the father of my child or children.  The man I could visualize growing old with.  My man forever and always...hopefully!  

On April 25th, 2010, Jake and I celebrated our first anniversary.  We went to the zoo and then went out to eat!  See, that's something that I really love about our relationship too!  We don't have to spend lots of money and go lots of places.  We are perfectly content going to a free zoo or renting movies at home and snuggling on the couch.  Just as long as we spend our time with each other then we are perfectly content!  Here is a picture from our one year anniversary!  I'm wearing the earring and necklace set that he bought me!  We were in the parking lot of the zoo:

Just before Christmas, the love of my life surprised me with a beautiful diamond heart promise ring!  It's worth almost $600!!!  Needless to say, he spoiled me rotten with that purchase!  My mom says that it's a promise for a better ring in the future!  Haha!  She's funny!  But it's never been about the money for me.  It's about the commitment.  The next step towards engagement.  I need to feel comfortable and safe and he always makes me feel like that.  Here's my promise ring:

 

The coolest thing about all of this, is that if I wouldn't have been with the jerk of a boyfriend Cory, then I never would have worked at Home Depot.  If I never worked at Home Depot, then I would have never met Kim.  And if I never have met Kim, then Jake would have never found me in her friends on Myspace and we wouldn't be the madly in love,  cheesy couple we are to date!  It's funny how things work out!  God bless the broken road that led me straight to you baby!  I love you forever and always! 

Love,

                            Your Baby Girl!