Love Week - Our Story

Welcome to Love Week! 

You might be wondering what Love Week is about exactly and well, Saturday is my one year anniversary (YIPPEE!!) and to celebrate that I am having a week of posts that are focused on love. <3 To start out I thought that our love story would be the best way to begin. Warning: The love I have for my Hubs is in great abundance and usually shines through my writing and therefore this post will contain a lot of mushy gushy, so proceed at your own caution.

The whirlwind of our story all begins in 10th grade... I was a student at Champlin Park High School and through the soccer grapevine had started to become friends with some soccer players at one of our rival high schools, Blaine (eek!). I had been friends with one of the guys for a while but me and some friends had started hanging out with a bunch of his friends. Shortly thereafter one of my close friends at the time started dating Dana (my current hubs for those of you who don't know) and because of that I started seeing him around a lot and we began to know more about each other. Their relationship didn't last long but we all still continued to hang out. Then one day, to my surprise, my bff asked me if I would ever be interested in Dana. "Ugh no!" I replied, not even giving it a second thought (I was a little harsh back then :/). I guess he had a little crush for me that had formed, but I was not at all interested. This made things a little awkward for a while (you know how that goes) but we got over it and I continued to hang out with who became my "blaine boys" more and more. There were many girls that actually hung out in our "group" as well but the boys were always most consistent and that is where the nickname comes in.

Over the next year our group got closer and closer, almost all of the boys played on the same soccer team and the ones that didn't trained with them often and because of this they were together a lot. I also had soccer but would be a frequent fan at their games and then where ever the night took us after that (those summer nights as a teen were the best!). I loved my group of tight knit friends but there are always some that you become closer with then others. Dana, me, Brendan, and Dave were always together whether with the whole group or not and they were quickly becoming some of my best friends. I know, I know, me and three boys sound a little weird, but I always got along better with guys in high school so that is just how everything played out. It took my Mom a while to get used to too so don't feel bad :) Dave was my first friend out of all the Blaine guys, Dana always looked out for me and made sure I was included, and Brendan, well, you just can't not love Brendan, if you knew him you would understand.. :)

If you are a regular reader here you already know that Dana has played for the Bahamas in years past in addition to this year, and well that all started the summer of his junior year. I specifically remember having a going away celebration at Applebees (our groups' "spot") the night before he was to leave for the summer. I was sad because he was beginning to be one of my best friends and I knew I would miss him. However that time spent apart proved to really solidify our bond. Him not being able to call internationally, we would talk on AIM often (remember those days?!) and emailed back and forth. He was slowly becoming my BEST friend. He was always there for me, that is the kind of person he is, and was constantly a great support to me.

The next year (Dana's senior year, my junior year) our group was together all the time, especially towards the end of the school year when soccer season started. My friends at Champlin Park started saying things like "oh you can't hang out you will probably be with your Blaine friends" haha but I didn't care, they were who I meshed with and loved being around. There are many adventures that I could tell you about but that would be totally off topic, all you need to know is it was a great year and we all became closer and closer with Dana at the forefront. We were always first with each other even when we were dating other people and he was the first one I would call when I really needed someone to talk to. This was also the year my friends/mom started to ask if I was ever going to date him. My response was always a quick no and "we are just friends."

That spring was Dana's senior prom and I remember getting a text from him saying that he had no one he wanted to go with and was wondering if there was anyway I would go with him. Ha a text?? But anyways, I thought it would be a ton of fun to go with my best friend so I of course said I would. To this day that would probably the funnest of all the school dances that I went to. We went bowling afterwards in our dresses and tuxes ha! Just one of the many crazy things we did together.

That summer he left again for the Bahamas and again I was said to see him go. However I had started playing for a Premier soccer team so my commitment level with that team was very high so I was quite busy ALL THE TIME so time went by fast. Also on the team with me was a girl, Brianna, I had been friends with for quite a while but never really got close with and we had started car pooling to all the soccer events and quickly became forever friends. It was nice to have another best friend while mine was away and to have someone to confide in. When Dana came back, he was only home for a week or so before he had to go off to college so he didn't get to hang out with Brianna that much but the quickly became friends and seemed to get along and I was very happy to see this.

Next Dana was off to college at Bowling Green which was roughly 12 hours away, which equaled him not coming home till Thanksgiving/Christmas, but this did not weaken our friendship. I even went on a 10-hour road trip with his family to see him play at one of his games. Eventually he decided that school wasn't for him and transferred to University of Wisconsin - Green Bay where I visited him also and eventually ended up going to school there. However that spring he decided Green Bay wasn't for him and transferred to yet another college, University of Minnesota - Morris, where some of the "blaine boys" were playing soccer.

So here we are my freshman year of college, going to school 8 hours apart and still best friends. He was my confidant and support. I talked to him about everything. It is kinda crazy when I look back at it because at this point I had really only seen him for a total of like a month and a half/year if that but our friendship didn't budge. Also because I never got to see him I also was always very excited about time that we got to hang out. So needless to say that when I learned he would only be home for 10 days of my christmas break because of a commitment to the Bahamas, I was so disappointed but determined to make the best of it. During that 10 days Dana, Brianna, and I were inseperable. This had been true of Brianna and I over the past year and a half so Dana just joined in on the fun :) However I started to get jealous because I was noticing all the attention Dana seemed to be giving Brianna, at one point he even called her before me, he NEVER did that. Was my best friend falling for my other best friend? Well the night before I had to go back to school, I learned that I was very wrong. Brianna had some friends over to the house including Dana AND the boy I was currently "seeing" sort-of (haha oh high school relationships). I was upstairs and Dana was downstairs clearly upset about something. I didn't know what it was until Brianna came and found me and said, "Dana likes you and can't stand not telling you anymore, he is coming to tell you". I did NOT want this to happen. When I had told people I didn't feel that way about him I was telling them the truth. I thought, "if he tells me this it is going to ruin our friendship." But I had to let him, so we sat down together and he spilled his heart out. He told me that from the first time he had my friend ask me if I was interested he had always liked me and wanted to take our relationship to the next level. I was shocked. There were times at which I wondered but I had never thought he had a thing for me for the last FOUR YEARS of our friendship. Concerning his heart, this probably wasn't the nicest thing to do but I told him I had to think about it. But it was the truth, this was huge and was going to need some serious consideration before I gave him an answer. He was my best friend, I wasn't going to take the matter lightly. So over the next week I was seriously tormented and couldn't figure out what to do. There had been moments where I had felt a slight ping in my heart for him but there was also times that I thought we would never date. I felt that there was a chance that I could begin to love him in that way but he had always been "just a friend" so I had always squashed those feelings right away if they came up. Also, I thought that if we dated and it didn't work out I would lose my best friend forever and that was the last thing I wanted to happen. I had many long conversations with some close friends and it finally dawned on me. Our relationship was changed no matter what my answer was. And, even though my relationship with God at the time was beyond dry, I felt that he was telling me he would give me a love for this man. So there my answer was, yes.

That weekend Brianna and I planned to travel to Morris for a visist and mainly so I could tell Dana my answer. Dana however didnt really want us to come because he was worried I was going to say no and then he would be stuck there with me, the girl who broke his heart. He was rooming with some of the Blaine boys there though so after talking to one of my close friends and his roommate and letting him know that it would be "ok ;)", our trip was a go. The first night we were there I convinced Dana to go run to the grocery store with me. We were acting like friends like we always had but that lingering unanswered question made things a little weird. Plus I am terrible at confrontation with these sorts of things so I didnt blurt the news until we were back in the driveway at his house. When I told him it was yes, he was SHOCKED saying, "Really??," with a big smile on his face. I don't remember how the rest of the situation went I just remember it being so cute and a little weird. And so it began...

That night was really fun but really strange at the same time. We had been just friends for so long that I was SO used to being that way with him, but now things were different. I was wary, but excited about the future to come. That night we also decided that we weren't going to officially date right away because we went to school 8 hours away from each other and decided that would be a really lame start to our relationship. So instead we just said we weren't going to date other people and we were going to get to know each other better in this light. It is ok if you are confused about this part... Everyone else was confused too Ha. It was kinda silly looking back at it but it is the thing our minds needed at the time.

Over the next semester we only saw each other a few times but talked everyday. I was really starting to have feelings for him. It was hard at the same time because we were on totally different levels. Either way I was very excited once the semester ended and we were both at home, 20 minutes away from each other :). We started dating right away. Our first "official" date was spent trying to find Minnehaha falls for a picnic (which we never did, just went to a random lake) and then to a drive in movie. It was a little weird still but perfect all the same. We became official when after a dinner date he asked me to be his girl. I very enthusiastically said yes and couldn't be more excited about it.

At a friends' wedding our first summer together :)

Our relationship had a bit of a rocky start. We already knew each other so well that our relationship started further down the road than that of a normal one. So we went straight into the second stage when you start seeing the disagreements and such. A lot of arguments ensued, but we felt it was worth it to work our way through. And that we did and just grew stronger together.

That summer an opportunity arose for me to transfer to U of M - Morris, where Dana was currently going. The coach there was wanting me to play for him, which I was wanted to do. But I was wary about it because Dana and I's relationship had just started and I was worried that going to the same school would be too much too fast. After much discussion, I decided I was going to transfer to Morris, and eventually realized that was the right choice. Our relationship was getting better and better and my feelings for Dana were getting stronger and stronger. Also it was so fun to live just a few blocks away and be able to see him everyday! We had so many great times together. Celebrating holidays, birthdays, watching each others' soccer games, and just having fun together!

He decorated for my birthday

Halloween.. we were poop and a plumber!! HAHAHA loved it :)

Our first Thanksgiving dinner together

Christmas with friends!

He came with my family on a cruise.

So fun!!

Enjoying one of our favorite things (ok mostly mine).. Dairy Queen!

It wasn't too long before those three words were said. You know the ones, I. Love.You. Dana said them to me  and I said them right back. It was the first time I had ever said those words to a boy and couldn't be happier about who was receiving them. Our relationship continued to get better and better from there and it wasn't too long before marriage became a topic. I was so excited about finally finding a guy that I could see myself spending the rest of my life with. And for the remaining parts of the story you will have to wait till Friday to hear where our story goes from here!

Whew! What a story right? I had no idea it was going to be that instensive! Now that you probably are in a dazed state from that extremely lengthy story, I hope you enjoyed what I call my Love Story and that you will be back this week to hear more about our story and other types of Love that I will be talking about. :)


With love,
Breanna Mae