18 years

Hi everyone!

I felt completed to hop on here and dust off the cobwebs! It's crazy how long ago I started this blog- 2011 is when I first began writing. It is fun to look back and see how much our lives have changed; how our priorities have shifted. I've debating suspending this blog but there is such joy stored here! There is also a lot of grieve. That is life though right? Intermittent spurts of joy and pain. We're just here for the ride.

Alright! Today is what Cade lovingly refers to as ABCD day. On this day, in 2001, Cade very maturely asked me to be his girlfriend. At which point, I told him no. It makes me giggle to think about it, so I wanted to tell you all the story. Much like the other posts on this blog, I know one day I'll scroll back through all them with smiles and tears.

SO! 18 years ago. Let's start from the beginning. Cade and I grew up in the same town, we went to the same schools. We unknowingly stood next to each other at preschool graduation. We grew up in a smaller town, but not that small. Flash forward to the hell that we all lovingly know as middle school. We were in 8th grade. I had just turned 14 years old. Here is a picture for you, just to add some imagery to the memory: There I was. Still trying to figure out how to manage my newly acquired boobs. Tommy Hilfiger overalls and doc martens were all I wore. I had braces and owned my glitter lip gloss. I was a proud member of the band, where I played a mediocre flute. I also knew all the words to just about every Usher song.

Our 8th grade year, we were required to take a typing class in combination with a technology class. In the technology class, good ole' Mr. Collins required us to partner up and these partners had to switch every two weeks. Since Cade and I shared this class, we were eventually paired up. We chatted some, but I mostly kept to myself outside of my friends group. I'll be super honest and let y'all know that Cade was a big, BIG ladies man when we were kids. He had ALL the girlfriends. My 14-year old self knowing that, I played it close to the ever-growing chest. After our two week lesson had finished, we switched groups. I was put into a group with a friend of Cade's who had been assigned detawing-man. After being pelted with questions I finally was asked THE question that changed everything: "So uh, would you go out with Cade?" without missing a beat I spouted "WHAT?! NO!!". Door not-so-gracefully shut.

By the end of that day I had received what would be the first of thousands of notes from Cade. (We still have boxes full of them stored in our attic). After reading through that first note, the next day, I gave him my answer: 'I'll think about it'. Cade's response to that was to move on. It wasn't a yes and he wouldn't be without a pretty girl on his arm. I'm making him out to be some nasty teenager, but he wasn't. He was a kind person and still is today.

Eventually, after some encouraging, Cade and I became boyfriend and girlfriend. I remember my dad picking me up after basketball practice one evening and me pointing to Cade who was standing with his friends. I proudly proclaimed "LOOK dad!! That's him! LOOK!". I was smitten. My dad, ever the skeptical... "Hmm" he responded. Being boyfriend and girlfriend for a few weeks in middle school is equivalent to an eternity. Weeks turned into months. Then months turned into years. My family became Cade's family and Cade's family became mine. The two of us, like most teenagers were inseparable. He became my best friend, and had since been my person. Needless to say, my skeptical dad became a second father to Cade.

We graduated high school together in 2005, and against our parents encouragement to part ways, I followed Cade to Texas A&M University. Now that I am a mother of daughters, I cringe at how flighty that was. What a risk. I followed a boy across the state! It wasn't just any boy, but still! Really, it was a blessing disguised. I was the first person in my family to go to college. I had no clue what to expect or how to manage. Cade helped me with learning how to set goals and achieve. He also helped me survive living on my own. I will forever be grateful for the role he played in my success as a college student. Don't get me wrong, I worked my ass off. I worked full time and graduated with honors. I know without a doubt in my mind, I would not have been successful without him. During our senior year of college, he proposed to me on my 21st birthday. A year later we were married and graduated college. The rest is history!

I commonly get comments like "You're so lucky", "relationships like yalls don't exist", "you guys never broke up?!", and my favorite is just the wordless 'you've lost your mind' stare.

On March 28th, 2001, I met my husband, the father to my children. I was 14 years old. Yes, it is absolutely crazy. No, we never broke up. Sometimes I do think I've lost my mind. Haha- but I wouldn't want to be insane with anyone else. Knowing and loving a person for as long as we have is not easy, there is zero luck involved.
Cade and I are hopelessly in love with each other. It's gross. I adore him, regardless of the amount of time we've been together. It's important to understand that having what we have together isn't without struggle. I don't argue with anyone like I do Cade- with veracious attitude and meanness. I am extremely stubborn and Cade wears his heart on his sleeve. Together we can really have some heated fights. Is that on instagram? Nope. No one posts a picture of red-crying face after you've just argued about something for an hour. We are real. We have ups and downs. We disagree on major life
stuff sometimes. But that doesn't minimize the reasons I fell in love with Cade in the first place.

I may have met you before I even knew who I was but I'm so in love with you, babe. Happy ABCD day.

-Amanda