I was strangely ready when things took an incredible turn in my life, but before I dive into all of that…

We met at the worst place I’ve ever worked in my life. It was office hours, a lot of sweaty people, a company that didn’t care much about anything other then “numbers,” “appearances,” and throwing the pressure on the shoulders of those who truly had little to no real support. I won’t name it. Most of you who know me will know. For the rest of you, this might even be your happy place at the beginning or  the end of a long day.

Tim and I worked together for over a year and for several months we talked without a formal introduction. We talked when we had to and I had to contact him about his training clients on a daily basis. Accidentally, we started sharing small pieces of our lives with each other, in between slow work hours or in the comings and goings of lunch breaks. It was platonic and there wasn’t much thought behind it. I didn’t have much of an impression of him, but I can still remember walking in on him the first time he was sitting on my chair at my desk . He was reading a book titled, “Trust Your Vibes: Secret Tools for Six Sensory Living.” I grabbed the book from his hands and quickly skimmed some of the pages.I was confused? I was slightly impressed and wondered how someone who could barely manage a hello, had dated very questionable and “friendly” looking women, and refused to help me take down the volleyball net once when I asked, could read something like that. I didn’t know what to think, but I know somewhere deep inside it had planted a small seed.

I ended up taking a three week vacation to Europe with my mother. It was something that I really wanted us to share together and ultimately it didn’t end as well as I hoped, but when I got back to work, there he was. He immediately rushed up to see me and ask how it all went. He wanted stories and I was jet lagged, frustrated, and surprised to see such a big smile on his face. It took me longer then it would a normal person to realize he was flirting. Again, I was confused, but compelled. I like to joke with him now and say that he ambushed me. I was still drunk from all the wine. My mom had driven me mad and my worst enemy could have been my best friend when I got back, but the truth is that the timing was just right.

I was the type of person that always wanted to be in the know, to see things coming so that I could plan. I had been caught too off guard to have censored myself, to be anyone other then myself around him from the beginning. I didn’t know that he was really listening to me when I talked. I didn’t really think much of it when we made eye contact from across the room. I didn’t know why when he smiled at me when I first got back home, why that filled me with something that I hadn’t felt in a really long time… Hope.

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Tim and I took a giant leap in the first year of our relationship. We went through things that most couples take five years to progress through. That was not our style. We dated for about a month before he moved in with me. We went on four trips together and came back home with our relationship fully intact. He joined the military shortly after that, left for basic training, but not before discovering that our little man would be joining us in a few months. I went to visit him during his graduation and he proposed that weekend. I went back to see him in Texas, a little bit before he was coming back home, and we got married. We had a small and beautiful ceremony at Convent Park on the San Antonio River Walk. I was nervous and he was calm, steady, and sure about every step we were taking together in our lives. His mother and Aunt planned a wonderful baby shower for us when he was back home in Chicago and days later we were on our way here to Tampa.

When I met him, I thought that I knew everything there was to know about love and heartbreak. My plan was to make my life as predictable as possible to avoid pain and disappointment. Life’s plan was to wake me up and teach me to let go of so, so much control. Real love hit me when I was ready and the rest fell into place just as it was meant to.