How I met my soldier

Such a terrible blogger I am! Oops! Sorry guys I sorta fell off the bandwagon for a bit.I'm working on it!

Anyways, Today I've decided to post an "Our Love Story". How I met my handsome, pain-in-the-butt man(child). This is going to be long, I'm just warning you.

I got home from basic training the end of May 2011. My friend Monica and I were hanging out a lot when I first got home and in basic I had this revelation that I no longer wanted to chase this guy I was like head over heals for that just played mind games with me constantly. We hardly talked in basic so I took that as my sign. I had finally decided I had enough and I wanted a real relationship.  Monica was also at this point. So when Monica's friend Jess hooked up Monica with this guy Joel, Monica decided to ask Joel if he had any cute friends. Now, when people ask me stuff like that I'm always like yea I have friends. I mean who am I to say if my friends are cute for said person asking. So I'm sure Joel had a couple friends rolling around in his head and he was all yeah I do! Some how Joel picked just the right person and he didn't even know me at the time. Weird. His name was Chad. The bad part? He was in the Military and stationed in Germany. My first thought was "I don't think so" but then Joel told me he thought he only had 6 months left. (HEY LIAR!) So i was like what the hell 6 months isn't that bad and who knows if we'll hit it off. Anyways, Monica sent me a couple pictures of chad and instantly, I was attracted. HE WAS HOT. But then, the insecure part of me crept up and was like "ummm I really don't think he'd go for me. He's gorgeous and I'm well...not." Of course Monica being a friend, was like "OH NO GIRL YOU GOT THIS! YOUS A 10!" (Okay so maybe not those exact words...) so I had a lot of confidence in myself at the time and I was all "What the hell. can't hurt to try!" So that's exactly what I did.

Chad and I started messaging on Facebook June 8th, 2011. We messaged back and forth for a couple days until he asked for my number so we could text and he could call. Which he did.

He had just gotten back from Afghanistan and was coming home for leave June 20th. So I knew that we had some time to talk and then hopefully meet in person and we'll just see where it goes. I was hesitant with this whole situation at first for a couple reasons:

• He was going back to Germany no matter what in a couple weeks.
• I had this fear in my head that this was gonna be one of those "hang out, get close and then BAM he leaves and never talks to me again" situations.
• And I wasn't sure that this long distance thing was for me.

Another thing I remember scaring me at first was Joel had said that Chad wasn't looking to play around but instead he was more interested in settling down. (cue the little commitment panic attack) Being I had just gotten out of basic I knew how single guys in the army were. They were scared to do it alone. Therefore, (in some cases, NOT ALL) they were ready to marry the first girl that came along and everything was rushed. I was not ready to be that girl. I was not ready for marriage. I was only 20! So, I immediately pulled back a little. I wanted it to be known that this was not being rushed AT ALL if that's the way this was starting to roll. So as you can see I was really worried and not totally convinced at first. But still, something in my head told me that he would be worth it and just give it a try.

June 20th, 2011 Chad came home. He and I were texting on and off but apparently his family had thrown him a surprise "welcome home" party and chad was pretty drunk basically when he landed. So he had kept texting me to come over to his grandparents and stuff but I wasn't totally convinced. I didn't want to meet him for the first time while he was wasted. OR in front of his family members. I had NO idea how that was going to fly. Of course, knowing his family now I know that it would have been perfectly fine but still, I'm glad I stuck to my gut. Anyways, he continued to drunk text me all night. We had made a little previous arrangement that if he was going to get wasted at the bar I would pick him up if he wanted. (I don't really know why I agreed to that now that I think about it) He kept asking me if I was gonna pick him up but according to Joel he hadn't even left for the bar yet so I was just like "Yea if you're still going. Just lemme know". I eventually winded up just falling asleep. I wasn't sure what was going on and I felt realllllllly awkward in all honesty and really didn't wanna meet him while he was wasted. So I decided to put my phone on silent so I wouldn't feel guilty if he did text me and fell asleep. Not gonna lie the drunk texting all day was a bit of a turn off for me. I wasn't that type of person at all. I mean, I'm still not that type of person. I don't go out drinking all the time and I don't get wasted either. So I was a tad turned off but I knew him coming home was a huge deal so you know... gotta drink to that. I just didn't want to meet him like... that.

The next morning he texted me basically saying how crazy his night was etc etc. He asked if I wanted to do dinner that night and I agreed. But then we just like stopped texting. So i was really confused and a little let down. I decided to go meet Monica and Joel at a nearby "swimming hole" we frequented. Joel decided to call Chad and see where he was. Turns out he was fishing (haha oops) and he had just got done and thought we had dinner plans. Somehow Chad winded up meeting us at the swimming hole. So, that's where we met for the first time. I actually got instantly shy when he got there. My anxiety went through the roof! I remember telling Monica and Joel "nevermind! Tell him to go home! I don't wanna do this!" Cuz THAT'S how nervous I was. I wouldn't even get out of my car. I had the door open and I was sitting sideways with my feet out of the car and Monica was sitting next to me and he came over and I believe Joel introduced us "officially" and I just kinda looked up and said "Hi" and looked back down. I was SOOOOOO painfully shy. And I didn't know why because at the time I wasn't like that. Like I said I was high on confidence. But with him something just made me SO jittery. Anyways, after standing around talking for a bit we all decided we'd go out to Texas Roadhouse as a double date. Monica knew that I needed a little back-up at first because I was literally melting out of shyness at this point. So double date it was! Good idea.

After the boys going back to Joel's to shower and Monica and I going back to my house we eventually left and met at Texas Roadhouse. I remember getting out of the Car and noticing Chad was cleaned up and dressed nice in Jeans and a Black t-shirt and I remember saying to Monica "Oh my goddddd" and being all giggly. We went inside and sat down. I sat next to Chad and Monica next to Joel. I didn't eat anything because when it comes to new people I'm not crazy about eating around them at first PLUS i remember not having much in my bank account and didn't want to spend it on food. So I sipped some water and we sat and chatted. I remember Chad and I playfully flirting and his hand on my leg at some point. I also remember that there was a birthday in texas roadhouse that night and you know how they tell everyone in the store to yell "YEEEEEEHAWWW" well of course the whole restaurant yelled Yeehaw at the same time i'd say about 5-10 seconds afterwards CHAD decides to yell "Yeehaw" louder than the entire restaurant. I'm thinking I turned beat read....Everyone looked our way and everyone was laughing and so was Monica and I, but holy crap was I embarrassed. But, he was hot AND funny? So far my heart was won and I was already forgiving all those weird drunk texts that once turned me off.

So eventually we finished eating and all went outside. We stood by my car for a little talking. I don't remember why but I remember Chad picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder and running with me. I'm sure I was beat red from that too. But still he was flirting, he was cute, he was funny, he was fun to be around... I was liking so far. All of us decided we didn't want the night to be over so we went up to walk along this river. I remember seeing Monica and Joel holding hands and in my mind I was like "awww wonder if chad will hold mine" but i stopped myself and remembered that we weren't together and this was the first time we had even met in person. Stop rushing yourself Danielle! But just as I finished thinking this, Chad grabbed my hand. It felt right and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. We walked and talked. Eventually Joel and Monica split ways from us. So we walked down further to an area where we were "alone" and we stopped and he had his hands on my hips and we hugged. As we pulled away from the hug his face was down towards mine and I was looking at his lips wondering if he was gonna kiss me....And then I didn't have to wonder anymore, He kissed me.  I could go on saying it was magical blah blah blah but this isn't a disney story. To me though, It was perfect and it was magical. As cheesy at that sounds. After laying in the grass kissing and playing around we decided to get up and walk back. I remember having like a million bug bites on my legs from laying in that grass. But I didn't even care because it was such a perfect night.

We went back to the cars, kissed and hugged goodbye and I went home for the night. I remember Chad texting me saying he wished I was next to him when he went to bed that night. We made plans to go on a hike and have lunch the next day and I fell asleep. The next day he texted me to meet him at best buy so I did. We went back to his house to drop my car off so we could just take his to go for the hike. I met his stepdad for the first time and all his mom's dogs. And then we went up and walked for an hour or so. Talking and walking and occasionally stopping to hug/kiss/enjoy eachother. We eventually went back to his house and watched a movie. I remember he had to go have dinner with his dad so he left and I left. But that night we stayed at Joel's other friend's house because we were going to the beach the next day. That night was the first night I slept next to him and woke up next to him. Unfortunately it was a rude awakening at like 6am so that we could drive down to the shore.

 We went to the beach that day and had a great time. When we got back we said our goodbyes and I'm pretty sure all of us went home to shower. After my shower Chad had texted me asking what I was doing. I remember him saying he had sunburn and I replied something along the lines of  "I'll rub some lotion on your back!" Kind of half joking and he told me to come over. So I did. After that night we hung out for the rest of that week. Monday night I left for South Carolina to go see my friend graduate basic training. I would be gone for 4 days with my friend's family and I was nervous that chad would move on while I was gone. But I had already made a commitment to my best friend at the time and went down. While I was down there I actually missed chad. And I think that was the first time I realized that I was liking him and that I wanted this to go some where... Not just a fling. I came back and that night he was going out to the bar but he asked me to stay up and wait for him so we could see each other. I stayed up late and got to his house and hugged him tight. We laid in bed together and I remember he told me he missed me too. That weekend I went to a couple of family BBQ's with him because it was 4th of July weekend. Everything was fine and I was enjoying myself but I remember I took his phone to delete a picture he had just taken of me and I saw a pic of another girl on there. (Which turned out to be just a friend that i had met! But being all emotional I just saw girl and got sad) I got instantly jealous and that was when I knew I had feelings for him and didn't want this to just be a fling AT ALL. So I did the only thing I knew how to do... I pulled away. It was stupid and looking back it could have ruined any chance of a relationship I had. He dropped me off at my house that
 night and I said "have fun" and got out of the car without kissing or hugging him good bye. Which pissed him off. Because we didn't speak that night and then when I texted him in the morning apologizing for being stand-offish he didn't answer me. He ignored me all day. Joel texted him asking what was going on and He told Joel he wasn't playing games. I instantly got mad and texted him saying that I was scared and I liked him and didn't want to like him if he was just going to leave and this would all be behind us like it never happened. We eventually agreed to meet up and talk. We met in the Giant parking lot where after I apologized for being a turd and pulling away he said something along the lines of  how he knows this isn't easy because we aren't in an actual relationship but that if I wanted to, Would I be his girlfriend. To which I had a giant smile on my face and said yes. SOOOO, as of July 4th, 2011 We've been together.
Let me be honest. It hasn't be easy. It's been a bumpy road for sure. Long distance, a whole other country and time zone AND military? It really wears on you and It's been rough to say the least. I could go on and on about how much I love him and how much he's worth it but I won't because this is extra long already. But I will say that I am absolutely head over heals in love. He's caring, he's funny, he's fun to be around, he's a bit like a child (haha), he encourages me, he has goals, he's family oriented.... There's no one in the world I would want to go through this bumpy road with. I know that if we can make it through this then we can make it through anything. We've come so far. And in just 30 something days Chad will be home for good and we can finally start the next chapter of this relationship. Finally getting to spend time together. Finally not having to take the frustrations of distance and not being able to be there physically for each other out on one another. Eventually getting a place together with our little furchild Jax. There's so much to look forward to! I am so thankful to have given him a chance and I am so truly happy to have him in my life. I'm so excited to see where this next chapter will bring us !