In case you missed this over at Look at the Birds yesterday! (she’s one of my favorites on my reader, so she should be on yours too!)
I give you a courtship with morning breath 
______________________________
I met Nate in January 2002 in a Feminist Rhetoric Class.
Yeah. You read that correctly.
But it was either that or poetry, & since I failed THIRD GRADE POETRY, I was pretty sure Feminist Rhetoric was the better bet. Nate, one of the two males in the class, knew he could get an A with our professor. Those rugged good looks make even bra-burning professors weak in the knees! Fast forward a few months into the class after I royally pissed off every female in the class with radical ideas of no white after Labor Day & keeping the word “obey” in the marriage vows. In the middle of the semester, we were given the task of group work. Since my classmates hated me, I figured I would do the project on my own (like, whatever. I could totally do it better anyways. huff.)
Until a boy with reddish curls & really strange sandals grabbed my arm after class. “Hey,” Nate said. “You’re really smart. Do you want to be in my group?”
What he should have said, to quote Relient K, is “Nice to meet you. I’m your other half.”
But we were both seriously dating other people at that time. So we did what came natural…we became the best of friends. & one day when I was particularly heartbroken, Nate wrote out a full list of all the reasons a man should love me.
But because I’m as thick as molasses, I did not see it. Even though everyone else, including Stevie Wonder, saw it. Skip ahead 2 years, 2 boyfriends (mine), 3 girlfriends (his), and you have us both miraculously single at the same time. One day, we broke our careful platonic boundaries & hugged on the sidewalk, outside of the business school. To quote Pioneer Woman, MY HINEY TINGLED. All the way down to my toes until I was sure I single-handedly powered the city with all the electricity running through my veins. FROM A SIMPLE HUG.
& then the flirting started. I batted my lashes. We had a water-gun fight on The Quad. We met for lunch, had an impromptu date at O’Charley’s, & one night after a wild celebration on his impending graduation, I insisted that he crash in my dorm room rather than make the drive home. (I really liked him, you know, & preferred not to see him on the evening news).
Remember college? The twin bunk beds? No room for a couch in the 10×10 cell they call a room? ahh, memories. So we piled into my bed. Both of us covered up like nuns, facing each other but terrified of touching. COOTIES, y’all. I laid there, still as a churchmouse. Waiting for him to kiss me. I eventually gave up & fell asleep, leaving Nate wide awkae mentally kicking himself. HE’S IN BED. WITH A WOMAN. PRACTICALLY WEARING A PARKA TO ENSURE CHASTITY. When we woke up the next morning, I emotionally gave up. Until he leaned in & kissed me.
Dressed like nuns, squeezed in a twin bed, with morning breath. The last first kiss of my entire life!
& what followed was over a year of complete, absolute bliss:
What keeps our love strong?
No, seriously. We do. But we’re that perfect combination of opposite enough to attract, similar enough to stay together. I know, so sweet that I just gave you ten cavities! After spending the summer of 2005 apart due to my work as a camp counselor, Nate slipped a diamond ring on my finger. (I’ll have to have him guest blog to tell you how he asked my father for their blessing — HI-larious.)
& eleven months later, I put on a huge white dress & met him at the end of an aisle…
Starting with a morning breath kiss that ended with a kiss on an altar, claiming him as MINE.
So sweet! Your story is so similar to my story with the Hubs. Including friends first, long courtship, and the first kiss being a stinky morning breath kiss in my dorm.
That literally made me cry!
Loved reading this! You two are seriously so sweet.
loved it! your nate is as amazing as you! such a good way to start off my morning blair! thanks! im a sucker for a good romance and you have it. you not only make me laugh cry and giggle you can seriously bring your point across to your reader, awsome. to many more stories of you the hubs and baby h, i look forward too!
Oh Blair, I just love you.
Wonderful story, it makes my heart smile.
Adorable. I love the pics too.
SO. SWEET. I just had to keep from crying and simutaneously barfing a little. You're adorable.
Great story, Blair! I love sweet & sappy stories like that, and I'm proud to say my DH and I could tell our share of them. Thanks for the early morning smile.
FYI…I know you like to know about spelling errors so you can fix them…at the bottom of the entry "alter" should be "altar."
Thanks!! I am a NOTORIOUSLY HORRIFIC speller, & of course, that's the kind of word that "spellcheck" won't catch.
What a lovely story
Cavities. Thanks.
Precious! College loves are the best…I would know
Love it!! Especially the opposite enough to attract, similar enough to stay together.
Loved it! Sucha cute story.
Now time for Nate to guest blog
Sweet story!!! Can't wait to read Nate's blog… (and maybe see a bigger pic of your bling.)
Fabulous couple! Fabulous story!
You are amazing & have an amazing story to go right along with "you".
Seriously, your writing either gives me chill bumps, makes me cry, or sends me into hysterical crying EVERY time I read one of your posts.
Once again a fab story. You make me want to start a blog just so we can be friends. But I think I am just too boring. Anyhow the bond you and Nate have jumps off the page and gives warm and fuzzies! xxoo
I think friends make the best lifetime companions. Beautiful story and pictures.
Seriously? That is the sweetest blog post ever. It is like sun ripened strawberries dipped in sugar sweet.
Blair, glad to see Mr Realist and I are not the only ones to make everyone else round us want to barf with our 'cuteness.'
That's awesome!
I loved that post. So cute.
You two are adorable. Love the story!
Random side-note… where/how do you make the photos that look like polaroids? I want, scratch that, need to steal that idea for a photo project I'm working on. Thanks!!
Why do you always have to make me cry???
That was so freakin' sweet, I can't stand it!
Oh, and I would DEFINITELY love to see Nate guest blog about asking for your father's permission!
Loved.
You're such a talented writer! The Reliant K quote was perfect.
You two are so adorable-that's the way hubby and I are, just similar enough to keep it going, just different enough to make it interesting
)
"What keeps our love strong? We like beer." Exactly why Mr. Joe and I get along so well
This is a great post!
Holy eff, Blair. Your story is frighteningly like mine and my husband's. We met when I was in a serious relationship. We became best of friends. I was blind as an effing bat to the fact that the dude I was with sucked and the man of my dreams was standing in front of me wearing a Superman shirt. Even your awkward "sharing the bed but terrified to touch" is something we went through.
You two are A-FREAKING-DORABLE.
Holy Moly, that's one hella side boob in the MUAH picture!!! lol
Sweet story!
I know, RIGHT?!?! Thank God for the reduction.
Love the story. Totally understand it all…the being friends first, and the seemingly innocent touch that made your hiney tingle. Totally get it.
aww
you two are hot.