the story of dale and i

there are a few stories that i never want to forget.
if you'll humor me on occasion i will write a blast from the past post.
(usually on things i have been thinking a lot about or have come up a lot.)
today's post will be the story of dale and i.
-he may guest post on his side of the story.... if i feel generous-

here it goes.
i would never look at how dale and i ended up together and consider it typical or anything i expected.
i saw him one of the first days of x-country practice at uvu.
he was cute.
i said hi.
he ignored me.

a few months go by.
he starts communicating with me, but he's rather annoying. (come to find out that was his idea of flirting....)
i wasn't interested.

a few more months go by.
i find myself playing rock band/watching a movie at his apartment into the wee hours. we had mutual friends.
little did i know my car was being towed.
next day he takes me to get my car.
he pays for it.
he re-catches my eye.
men don't come like that you see.

i move to hawaii for the summer.
he calls me.
i get tired at midnight during our phone conversations.
he's staying up til 3 or 4.

a few months go by.
i get home.
he never asks me out.
i date other boys.
none of them really go as planned.
then there's dale.

another few months go by.
we start to date.
he tells me he could marry me.
it's the first time someone's told me this that i didn't freak out.
i'm not ready.
we date awhile longer.

another few months go by.
we break up.
he gets a new girlfriend instantly.
he's the worst.
how could a boy do something like that?
you don't tell someone you love them and want to be with them and then go get a new girlfriend a week later.
he broke my heart.
he's seriously the worst.
i drive myself crazy wondering how he could do that.

a few months go by.
i ask him to go for a run.
i want answers.
he answers them.
gives me the right answer for everything without even knowing it.
it's the closure i needed for our relationship.
i can move on now.
thanks dale.

for some reason he comes around.
i don't really want to date him.
but i don't want anyone else dating him either....
hmmm could it be i love him?
he keeps coming around-
and honestly he's my favorite person to kiss so i let him come around....
but he keeps coming around.
he starts talking about marriage again.
it's not for us.

a few months go by.
he asks me to marry him.
he bought a custom ring. (crazy, brave, and stupid combo.)
i don't answer him.

a night goes by.
i call him.
i decide yes.
still not sure if it's a for sure thing though.

a couple months go by.
it's the day we are going to get married.
it's the day i finally know this is the place i want to be.
dale is the person i want to be with.

i think me getting married had to go something like this.
we dated a couple years.
i was never sure until the day we were wed.
i've never been a person that's dependent on others.
love wasn't what i had expected.
there was no obsession-
there was no crazy longing to constantly be with him-
there was no i will lose my mind without you-
because honestly i don't have it in me.
that kind of love was never in my future.
that kind of love is not compatible with who i am.
the kind of love i found was perfect for me in every way.
i found a best friend.
i found total and complete acceptance.
i found comfort.
i found dale- the only man that was ever persistent enough to help me see love.

so for all of you that haven't found your soul mate like you see in the movies- there's still hope.
soul mates come differently to all of us, because frankly we're all different.
love is a process and oft times it's very unexpected how it all pans out.
here is my love story.
hope it gives you hope in finding yours even if it isn't what you expected.
because let's be honest my love story was nothing like i had expected.