It seems like forever ago when Eve and I started to date. Early in 2002 I was working at a local banks grocery store branch and a friend of mine who was working in the Barnes & Noble coffee shop asked me if I would be interested in going out with someone who had recently been divorced and had a child. At first I was hesitant due to the whole kid thing. My friend had told me that Eve’s son was seven months old so I figured that if things worked out Connor would be raised as my son to. It took me about a month to call Eve, from what I remember I still wasn’t sold on the “been married with kid situation”. But here I was 27 years old and sick and tired of being alone, so I finally decided to call her. I called Eve on Sunday February 17, 2002. Eve and I talk for what seemed like several hours (I’m sure it was only a half hour) we really seemed to hit things off. After we had set up a date for that Wednesday Eve mentioned that they had just got done with her son’s birthday party. At this point in time I was a little confused. I was under the impression that Connor was seven months old so I asked Eve about it and she told me that he had just turned seven years old. At this point in time I was a little taken back due to his age but I figured that we had gotten along so well on the phone that one date wouldn’t hurt.
Dating!
Our first date was fabulous! We went to a little Italian restaurant and then to a comedy show. Matthew was way more nervous than I was I think. He could barely eat his dinner. What I remember most about that night was that we laughed and teased each other a lot. It had been a long time since had I laughed so much. From that time forward we never stopped seeing each other. I loved being with Matthew because he was so genuine. What you see is what you get. It was so refreshing! I knew that I wanted to marry him early on in the relationship; it took him a little longer to figure it out. His personality is just much more cautious than mine.We dated for almost two years before he asked me to marry him. He actually picked out my ring then held on to it for like 4 months before he got up the courage to ask the big question.
Engagement!
Matthew is the sweetest guy ever! Even though he waited a long time to ask me to marry him, he made up for it by asking me in the most special way.... My Nana had been really sick and was going to pass away soon, so Matthew, Connor and I took the 4 hour drive to visit her to say our good-byes. While there, Matthew found some time alone with my Nana and told her not to worry about me because he was going to marry me and take care of Connor and me. My brother and his wife were there and decided to head up to the family cabin while they were in town, so Nana told us that we should go too. So, the three of us headed up to the cabin. The cabin is my most favoite place on earth! My fondest memories as a child are of being at the cabin with my whole family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents and brothers). When we arrived at the cabin, Matthew asked me to take him for a walk and show him around. Connor stayed behind with my brother and his family and Matthew and I headed off hand in hand for our walk. When we got to the river, we decided to head across the bridge to the other side where there was a massively huge boulder that sat in the river but was still accessible. We climbed to the top and just sat there enjoying each others company and the view upstream. It was a gorgeous day! As I sat there in my favorite spot with my favorite person, I thought life couldn't get any better. I said to Matthew "It's so wonderful just sitting here enjoying the view with my best friend." And he said " What about sitting here with your husband?" Then he pulled out the ring and asked me to marry him! Of course I said YES! The place and the timing and the moment couldn't have been more perfect. Kudos to Matthew! Matthew Connor and I get our picture on "Engagement Rock" every time we go to the cabin now. We haven't had a chance to get a picture with Eden yet. We'll have to do that soon!