Ten Years!.... I can't believe it has been ten years since I walked across the room at the Sandbar & Grill to introduce myself to the cute guy sitting by himself?
I was sitting with a group of friends enjoying the best blue cheese burgers in town and a diet coke when this guy walked in. I instantly noticed him. One of my friends shortly pointed out that this handsome stranger was noticing me too, while we listened to the announcer give trivia questions and answers to the teams who had gathered to play. After minutes of glances and a near tripping, I finally decided what did I have to lose?
I walked over and introduced myself, and was invited to sit down and chat. I was soon followed by one of my gay friends who was hoping that this hottie was also gay. I learned that the hottie's name was Justin, and he was not gay. :) We chatted for a bit and totally hit it off. I told him we would back to celebrate a friend's birthday with karaoke over the weekend and that he should join us.
The next morning, I received an email from my gay friend who said that Justin had instructed him to make sure I contacted him. So eagerly, I put together an email. We set up a date for Monday, and I think we began seeing each other nearly every day after that.
So, here we are ten years later to the day....
What has changed? We have travelled, purchased a house, gotten married, earned our MBAs, had a child, changed jobs, said goodbye to cherished family members, welcomed new family members, gotten a little older and little meatier....
But at the end of the day, I am thankful for things that haven't changed. Justin is still the kind-hearted and charming guy I met ten years ago. He loves his family, fishing and football. He enjoys life and fine dining as much as sitting on the patio. He is as much country as he is city. He is my partner, my friend, and my love. And I am glad to have him by my side and part of my every day.
