well, yesterday was our 6 year anniversary!
so, i thought i'd share the story of how this girl met the boy...
i was 15 years old, and one of my good friends was smitten by some football player named russell griffith. by smitten, i mean she thought he was h.o.t. and she was making it known to all the world that he was off limits 'cause she was in love with the guy. cheerleaders were assigned football players to spoil, make signs for, etc. and he was her football player.
well, i had never met this russell griffith so i had no idea who he was and what he looked like. my friend who had already claimed him told me that he had an english class right after mine in the same classroom. long behold, one day, i stood outside that class with my other friends and saw the russell griffith walking towards the door. my friends told me that it was indeed the guy our friend was in love with. so there i was, standing there in my cheer uniform watching this tall, handsome guy walk towards us in his football jersey. i thought to myself..."whoa...he is hot!" i knew exactly why my friend liked him. well, i believe i introduced myself to him and from that moment on...every time we saw each other, which was just in between classes and at games, we would flirt. LOL! we untied each others shoelaces, which makes me laugh now, 'cause how dorky is that! i would be getting my books into my bag and he would come into the classroom and sit right where i was standing. so we'd have no choice but to talk. :) sillyness turned into quick hugs goodbye and him offering me to wear his football jacket on game day. while i was enjoying the attention from him, i knew that i was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
my friend who had liked him and some others saw what was going on and i could feel the tension everywhere i went. i know it is horrible for me to fall for a boy that one of my friends liked first, but there was something about him that i was willing to risk a couple "so called friends" to see if what we had was for real.
some of the girls threatened me, they would cuss me out, it was awful, but i had a couple friends that stuck by me. my bff, anna, was my saving grace. she and another cheerleader, and russ reassured me that he did not like the other girl, that he was only interested in me and that i wasn't doing anything wrong since they did not have a relationship in the first place.
so...there i was 15 going on 16 and going out with russell griffith.
he was a gentleman and would walk me to my classes. he was sweet and shy, and it was refreshing.
did i mention cute?!
he came to my house on my birthday, met my whole family because it was thanksgiving weekend and they were all in town.
needless to say, they all loved him.
while i was head over heels for the guy, it was hard to be at school with so many hating me. i would walk down the halls holding his hand and would feel the glares. i would go to cheer practice and half the girls wouldn't speak to me.
i look back now and see how mean teenage girls can be.
the pressure got to me and all i wanted was for everything to be normal and to have all my friends back...so my relationship with russ sadly suffered.
we started talk less and less, and eventually what we had dwindled away.
i was really sad about it, but God had a plan :)
years later, russ got a hold of me through a mutual friend. i was going to school in san diego and russ was going to school in mississippi. we talked on the phone, got to know each other again, and he asked me out on a date. he said he was gonna be home in cali for the summer, so i said yes. :)
he picked me up at my parents house in valencia. i saw him and was pleasantly surprised. the boy i fell for in high school was now a very handsome man. :) i had the biggest butterflies when i saw him for the first time after so many years and when he smiled i practically melted. we went to bj's for dinner and then a movie afterward. we walked around and talked. we both had grown up so much and were so much more mature than we were when we were together 5 years before that. i saw my future when i looked at him.
i know... pretty cheesy, but i'm not lying.
after our date, i remember calling my bff anna, and i believe i told her that
"yep, i think i'm gonna marry him."
so here we are, 15 years after we first met and we are happier than ever.
i thank God for his wonderful plan for our lives, for bringing me russell griffith.
we dated in high school for about 2 months...i think...haha!
we dated again for 3 years before we got married, half of that was long distance.
we've been married 6 years.
we have 2 beautiful children.
and we have many more years ahead of us and lots of memories to be made...
Happy Anniversary to the football player of my dreams! :)
what a trooper...riding around with my purse :)
my handsome and i on our anniversary date in santa monica
our day started off with breakfast at the griddle cafe...mmmm!
we strolled around the new santa monica mall and the promenade.
we rented beach cruisers and rode around town and along the beach.
we had lunch at baby blues bbq (we saw 'em on the food network),
it was good, but russ and his dad bbq way better :)
it was just nice to spend time together without kiddos.
and my kids had fun hanging out and getting spoiled by my parents.
russ standing in front of the bbq joint
we shared this plate
cornbread, mac n cheese, coleslaw, ribs, pulled pork, and brisket
it was okay...russ and his dad blow this place outta the water :)
my maid of honor and i
us acting like kids in the bounce house
amadeo and anna
