Playing "Catch-Up"...

So, Chop and I have been engaged for almost 2 weeks now.

We got engaged on December 25, 2008 and on the 27th, I headed to the Books-A-Million in Dothan to pick up some wedding planning books. While I was there, I picked up a big new journal so that I could write about everything that was happening. Then I was possibly going to give it to Chop after everything was over with. I started to write in it, but then decided this was a little bit more convenient, in that I was able to type instead of write...AND...all of the people that are interested in everything and helping me plan, can read about everything I've planned or thought about up to that point (and possibly share some ideas, as well). On the 28th, we left for TN for our annual winter vacation, so today is the first day that I've really had time to set something like this up.

So, I guess first, I will tell how we met and I'll go from there:

My friend Barbra worked at the hospital in Chipley, Florida as a registration clerk. Chop is one of the EMT's with Washington County, so he was at the hospital dropping patients off every shift. They became good acquaintances and Barbra was interested in meeting one of his friends, at the time. So, one day, Barbra told me that she had invited this "Chop guy" and some of his friends to the bar to hang out with us that night. I didn't really think anything of it. So, we get ready and head to the bar (The Honky Tonk, to be exact...lmao!). We are there for about an hour and a half and Barbra comes inside from stepping outside for a minute, grabs my phone and puts a phone number in it, and tells me to call the number and ask why "they" aren't coming like they said they would.

Well, I had had a few drinks that night, so I was feeling JUST RIGHT. I walk outside and I press the "send" button and a guy answers the phone. At this point, I have no clue as to whom I am speaking with, but I then commence to blurt quite a few explicatives, directed to this person that answered the phone...along with accusing statements of standing my friend up. The voice on the other end, shocked and unable to say anything until I'm done, says, "EXCUSE ME?! WHO THE HELL IS THIS?!" Then, I go into saying that I'm Barbra's friend Bri and that I don't appreciate them standing her up. He then goes on to explain to me that they had started drinking at his house and that they did not want to risk driving. I basically tell him "whatever!" and hang up on him. I don't remember ALL of the EXACT things that I said, because, like I said...I was feeling just right.

Well, the next morning after I wake up, I receive a text that says, "You need an attitude adjustment." It took me a minute to realize who the text was from, but then I realized it was the same number that I cussed out some guy through, the night before. I replied to him and told him that I didn't need one, and that I'm normally a sweet girl, but that I don't like it when people mess with my friends. Then, he proceeded to inform me that he was not the guy that my friend had wanted to hang out with, but that his name was Chop and that he was the one who had tried setting everything up. We started messaging each other over the computer, and we would talk about the most random things. I was usually a smart ass to him...but, he would always give it right back to me. About 4 days after the initial cussing out, we were in the middle of texting while we were both at work, and he had a call. He said he had a call and that he would CALL me when he was done. I was in SHOCK. We hadn't talked on the phone since the night I was such a brat...and at that time, I wasn't even aware of the fact that it was him. I was thinking he had accidentally typed the work call and that he really meant to say "text".

Sure enough, though...he didn't make a typo, because he called me about 20 minutes later. I had seen pictures of him, but as soon as I heard his voice, it was exactly what I would have imagined he would have sounded like. I don't know HOW to explain it, but he just SOUNDS like a big/tall guy with a really "hearty" laugh. It's a friendly laugh. He was also really funny and I didn't feel weird talking to him, at all. We talked on the phone that night for at least an hour, maybe more...which is a long time for me, because God knows I hate the phone. He would constantly pick at the way I talked. He always said my accent was really thick and he would always repeat what I was saying and would do it in a very twangy/southern mocking-accent. The next day, he said that he was going to try to make the weekend before up to Barbra and I and that we could all try to meet up and hang out again. I agreed to it and told him that they better not "stand us up" this time. We decided on the same place...same time.

So, on Saturday, September 1, 2007, he and his friend drove to DeFuniak to meet up with us at the good 'ole Honky Tonk (Geez, I can't say that without getting embarrassed by the name). He called me when he was about a minute away from the bar and told me that I needed to come outside so they wouldn't have to "walk into this stick-n-stab" alone. I told him to "grow a set" and to come in without me...lol! He then pulled into the parking lot and saw the place and said they were DEFINITELY not coming in unless I walked outside. I said "FINE!" and hung up on him and stomped out. As soon as I opened the door, I saw him leaning against a truck. He was exactly like I had thought he'd look in person...very big and tall and football player-ish, if that makes sense. He was wearing a yellow and navy blue striped polo shirt and khaki colored shorts. The reason I remember this so well, is because as soon as I saw him, I looked him up and down from head to toe...lol. He smiled really big at me and said, "That's what I thought!" (in reference to him telling me that he wasn't coming in unless I went out first). I remember thinking how good looking I thought he was and how great his teeth were (I have a thing about teeth...). He and his friend followed me inside and they sat with us at our table.

The rest of the night, he kept messing with my phone and picking at me. I tried to give it right back to him, but it was harder to do in person than it was on the phone. In person, I just giggled too much, but on the phone, I was able to act more "tough". Rachel and Amanda showed up at the bar and they both asked me who he was and I told them and they just thought they whole thing was weird. Rachel says that he and I kept holding hands underneath the table, but I don't remember that happening. I hadn't had so much to drink that I wouldn't have remembered that kind of thing...

The bar was closing at 2 and it was time for everybody to go home. Amanda was going home with me, so she got in my car and I told her I was just going to go say bye to Chop really quick and that we'd head to the house after that. I walked to his truck and his friend was going to drive since he had been drinking a little bit (how responsible)...so, I walked to the passenger side. We talked for a little while and he asked me if he could see me again sometime. I was so OUT OF PRACTICE when it came to dating, that I just sort of shyed around his question and just kept saying "maybe". No matter how many times I said maybe, he kept asking me if certain days of the following week would be okay. He figured up when our next day off together was and said that we WERE going on a date. I just agreed so he'd stop talking about it because it was making me nervous. I said bye and started to walk off and he said, "You're not even going to give me a hug?" I acted like I didn't want to and walked back to him slowly. I hugged him and when I started to walk off, he held onto my hand and pulled me back and said, "kiss me on the cheek." He was VERY persistent. I said no, but after he begged me, I said "fine." When I leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, he put his hand on my cheek and pulled my face in and kissed me smack-dab on the lips. I was in shock because this was NOT like me (later, Amanda said she was thinking the same thing to herself while she saw it all happen from my vehicle) and this was the first time I'd ever met this guy. Afterwards, he saw the look on my face and said, "mmmMMM! I'm gonna marry you!" and then busted out laughing. He was clearly joking (and he even joked about it to his friends, telling THEM that he was going to marry me too), but a year and a half later, we are engaged to be married.





So, that's the story of how we met. I'm at work right now and we are up next for an out-of-county, so I need to get to bed before dispatch wakes us up again with a call. Tomorrow, if I have time amongst registering for a couple of prerequisites for nursing and sending in engagement announcements to the papers, I will write about how he proposed and all of the planning I've done up until now (Please excuse any spelling/grammar errors, as I was in a hurry).