One Year

One year ago I had been on and off Bumble, Tinder, Hinge & every other dating app imaginable.  I fell into a downward spiral of downloading an app for a couple days, swiping through guys like I was reading a boring magazine, deleting all of my dating apps, and then a couple days later downloading them again only to see the same prospects.  Several dates with a few "nice enough, not completely boring" guys left me uninspired that anything would ever work out.  But how else are people our age meeting other singles these days?  That's when I thought, "You might as well go for it" and I ended up having three dates in one week.

The saying goes "third time's a charm" and boy is it right.  After one "meh" date and one "what would your mother think of what you're saying right now" date I ended up stumbling across the love of my life.  I swiped right and instantly his picture popped up saying we were a match.  Knowing the ways of Tinder & Bumble I knew that there was still a high probability that this match would lead nowhere and that I would probably be ghosted.  But to my surprise a couple minutes later I received a message from Adam Mendoza that said, "Ay girl."  My future husband, ladies and gentlemen.

Our chat conversation was as natural as chatting with a complete stranger can possibly be.  Once we both determined that neither one of us was a serial killer we decided to meet five days later on a Thursday after work on South Congress Avenue.

The night before our date I couldn't sleep because I was so excited.  In all honesty this never happened with any of my previous dates which should have tipped me off that this one would be different.  

And then the day arrived.  I remember being so anxious the entire day at work.  It felt like time wasn't moving.  He was going to meet me outside of my office and we planned on walking over to South Congress Hotel for a drink.  I paced around the office waiting and waiting (stupid Austin traffic) trying to keep from sweating and then I received the text that he was outside!  As I walked out to meet Adam my friends stalked the front door trying to sneak a glimpse of my "mystery" date.  

It was a chilly evening and so we walked over to the hotel bar quickly.  Most of the date flew by in a blur as I tried to pay attention to what he was saying.  Really all I could think was"Ahhh, he's so handsome.  I wonder how he thinks this is going."  We talked about his job with the National Guard and his job at Camp Mabry, and I'm sure I talked, too, but honestly I couldn't begin to tell you what else we talked about.  

What I thought might only be one drink turned into two drinks which then turned into, "Are you hungry?"  So we meandered down to Guerros (even though I suggested Homeslice...), filled up on TexMex and then not wanting the night to end we both agreed that we should go have one more drink at Perla's.  We were the last people at the bar, to the staff's dismay I'm sure, and they began closing around us.  We walked back to our cars and said goodbye.  I left feeling warm and fuzzy inside, and no it wasn't just the alcohol.  Just kidding, Mom & Dad.

The next day Adam texted me to see if I wanted to get lunch with him at Whole Foods before he had to leave town for his monthly National Guard training.  This was when I knew that he liked me.  And I really knew that he liked me when on our third date he told me that he was being deployed later the next year.  I didn't know exactly what all that would entail or how that would affect me (how can you really prepare for something you haven't lived through?) but I did know that if our relationship had the potential to turn into love, I would not hesitate to stand by his side.  It would all be worth the wait.   

This past year has been filled with a number of up's and down's.  It is a year that has been filled with some of my happiest memories and some of my hardest.  Our young relationship has been put to the ultimate test.   The cards were stacked against us from the beginning, but there is no doubt in my mind that we were meant to come into each other's lives at the exact moment we met.  I didn't realize it but I needed Adam, and I think he needed me, too.  Our love is a precious one and as the old adage goes, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."  

We may not be together physically to celebrate today, but I am wherever you are.  

You are my home.

 I so look forward to the day that we are back together and I cannot wait to spend all of my future years with you, whether we are apart or together.  I love you the most.