Miss 18 has reached that age, where she is interested in hearing the story of how her dad and I got together.
She even asked me that age-old question: How do you know if he is the one?!
I remember asking the very same question of married women when I was a young ‘un, and getting really ticked off when they would smugly answer, “You will just know”. What sort of an answer is that?!
When the hubster and I first started going out back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I had only just come out of another relationship – in fact, I had broken off an engagement (just three months before the Big Day). So I was definitely NOT interested in anything serious. As the hubster is eighteen months younger than me, he wasn’t thinking about a future together either!
How sweet and innocent (and YOUNG!) do we look in this photo – our first ever photo together?
We had been dating for about a year, when I was having a chat with my one of my next door neighbours. They were a lovely young married couple with a baby, and kept a bit of an eye out for me as I lived alone.
A Bolt from the Blue!
Out of the blue, Janine teasingly asked: “You two get along so well, have you ever thought about getting married?”
I just looked at her, gobsmacked. Because for the first time I really did think about it, and I just *knew* he was THE ONE!
It took me a little while to talk the hubster into it 😉 , but we were engaged 6 months later, and married twelve months after that (the photo below was taken at a wedding we attended during our engagement). This year, we celebrated our silver wedding anniversary!
The funny thing is, we re-connected with Janine and her husband recently thanks to Facebook, and went out for dinner when they were back in Queensland on holidays. I was able to tell Janine about how instrumental she’d been to our relationship, and she was amazed to think she’d had such an effect on our lives with a conversation that she didn’t even remember!
So when my daughter asked me, How do you know if he is the one?, I could only give that really annoying answer that older women gave to me many, many, moons ago … you will just know.
Did you have a moment when you “just knew” if he was the one for you?!
Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.
Great photos! On the one hand I’m not sure if I believe in the concept of ‘the one’, despite being married forever. But having said that, I felt really comfortable with Mickey Blue Eyes from the first date, which doesn’t sound very romantic. but for some one like me who is super shy, introverted and all that, it was important. I think you have to feel comfortable to be yourself with the other person. You just kind of click. It’s our 20th wedding anniversary in a week or so. I’ll have to drag out some photos. You two were so cute!
Congrats on your upcoming anniversary – and YES, photos please!
What lovely photos of you and your husband over time! And what a lovely post!
It was like a bolt of lightning hit us. Nothing else existed and I realized at that point all past relationships were building up to this final one. Great photos, you both look happy and content.
It sounds kinda pathetic but I’ve never been in love. I’m pretty sure I would know if I had but I haven’t even really come close. I had a kinda boyfriend briefly at school and then was too screwed up by my anorexia etc to even think about men for a long time and by then I was overweight and felt similarly. And that’s kinda continued.
It makes me very sad to know that I may never know what it’s like to be in love (or more importantly and selfishly) know what it’s like for someone to love me. (Other than my parents!)
You never know what’s around the corner Deb. The woman my brother is now seeing had sworn off men forever and been (happily, I think) single for a long time, and now look at them. Besides, I had some real duds before I met my Bear, hence the broken engagement …
Beautiful story. And yes, you just know. If only we could tell them how!
Like so many things in life, we have to let them experience it for themselves 😉
I knew T was a keeper early on when he cleaned up my vomit one night when I was drunk lol {not the prettiest example}. I figured if he did that instead of leaving then he must really like me. We’ve been engaged for over 3 yrs now not sure when we’ll actually get around to the wedding part. We kind of did things backwards by getting engaged then having a baby. #teamIBOT
That is indeed impressive Toni! You sound like you have a beautiful relationship, not to mention one gorgeous little girl.
OMG yes. I have the world’s WORST memory for anything and yet I have always vividly remembered the first time we ever met, what he was wearing and what we were doing. It’s so weird. It wasn’t love at first sight or anything, but it was like something in my brain new it was an important moment.
Ditto … we also remember when we first met, there was a definite spark there right from the start for both of us even though we had no idea of what was to come!
Wow it’s interesting how life pans out doesn’t it. I dated my husband when I was 16, then we broke up about a year later. He was my first serious boyfriend so the heart break at that age was so unbearable we couldn’t maintain a friendship – too much hurt. Then several years later he turned up to my 21st birthday party, we rekindled, and after dumping our then current partners were dating again a few months later. I knew he was the one cause he was always in the back of my mind after we parted.
Cam, your story reminds me of one of my sisters. She and her eventual husband had some years apart, but my mum always reckoned she knew they’d end up together as he was the right one for her!
My husband was my high school sweetheart and even at that young age we fell in love. I suppose I never thought about if he was ‘the one’ we just grew together and very happily stayed together. It isn’t something you think about, it just happens and I think that is how you know.
Oh how lovely!
Aww Janet. You are too cute!!!! I love the perm and I love the relationship you and the hubster have 🙂 x
LOL not sure about the perm, but I hope our relationship can be an inspiration to other young couples starting out, that it IS possible to have a long and happy marriage 🙂