Kevin and I met in the fifth grade. I'd say it was love at first fight - we were brutal back then. We spent our entire fifth grade year in an on again, off again type of relationship. We were both too young to actually date, or really even to talk on the phone, but during recess, we were pretty much married every other day. Kevin was quite the lady's man at age 11. After elementary school, we parted ways and went our own directions. I went east and he went north - meaning to different middle schools. We kind of lost touch for about four years. There was the occasional sighting of each other, which isn't too surprising considering we lived two blocks away from one another. But, it wasn't until the second semester of our sophomore year when my dad and I went to the high school play where we spotted Kevin in the chorus that we really noticed each other's existence. My reaction was "Oh look, there's Kevin, he's gotten ugly!" And Kevin's reaction was "Oh look, there's Malisa, what's she doing here?" Nice, huh?! The end of sophomore year, I asked a mutual Carissa (I would say friend, but we neither one thought of her that way, she was just a girl we both knew) to have Kevin sign my yearbook. Odd, I know, after never having spoken to him the entire half year. But, whatever, I needed signatures in my yearbook to make me feel special. Kevin wrote: Have a good summer. Nothing about let's keep in touch, which seemed to be the main thing kids wrote in each other's yearbooks.
Fast forward to February 1997, our junior year, and Kevin is sitting in our newspaper class expressing frustrations over the lack of knowledge about how to ask this horrid girl he works with to a movie. Moves were really a big deal to him back then, and he wasn't sure what to do, when to do and if he even should do it. I volunteered to be the guinea pig. Little did I know that one smooth move of putting his arm around me would send me into such a whirlwind. I had a boyfriend at the time, but that really didn't seem to phase me. A mutual friend of ours invited us to join her and her boyfriend to a boy's basketball game in Evergreen. I, trying to be a good girlfriend, invited my boyfriend and he declined because he didn't believe in supporting a team that didn't support his half-nelsons, so I went with Kevin. I won't deny it, there was some major flirting that took place, ending in a ride home on the bus where I fell asleep laying my head on Kevin's shoulder while he kissed my forehead. That night changed my life forever. It wasn't long after that the boyfriend was gone and Kevin and I started the relationship we were both destined to be a part of.
We graduated high school and college together; went on a memorable trip to Puerto Vallarta as our high school graduation trip; took many a trips back and forth from Gunnison and even spun out and ended in a snow bank on Monarch Pass; worked until wee hours each week working on the college newspaper; enjoyed a nice, long walk in the middle of a Gunnison blizzard to see the movie Stepmom; were competitive in college courses we took together, all the while becoming closer and closer and interwining our lives even more.
On August 3, 2000, we went to the Dixie Chicks concert. We spent the whole day downtown eating lunch, walking the 16th Street Mall, taking the whole experience in. The concert was amazing. The Dixie Chicks are by far my favorite group and I would see them in concert any day. After the concert, we headed to Kevin's parent's house to hang out for a bit before I went home. Kevin had the brillant idea to head out on the front porch, sit in the swing and watch the stars. He went inside and then a few minutes later, he came out and flipped the bright porch light on. I immediately was getting a bit annoyed and wondered why the light was on, after all it was pretty late and I thought the plan was to watch the stars. Instead of coming to sit beside me on the swing and take in the late night, Kevin kneeled in front of me with a green velvet box in his hand. He told me that he loved me, that he'd always loved me and always would, and wanted to know if I would be his wife and marry him. My eyes starting welling up with tears, as I said "Yes!!"
On our honeymoon, we went to Estes Park. We found this amazing cabin by the river to stay at and we spent our week in the hot tub, walking around town, walking around Estes Lake, visiting the Stanley Hotel, eating, drinking, playing pool and just spending one-on-one time as husband and wife. It was such a treasured time. Estes Park will always hold a special place in our hearts and anytime we get the chance to return, we do.
And, then in December 2005 and October 2008, our love really blossomed even more when our two precious baby girls were born completing us and completing our desires for a family.
It's been quite a journey. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us, but I will say, I definitely want to grow old with my prince charming. He's the most amazing man I've ever met and I consider myself such a lucky girl every single day. Not everyone gets the chance at love, and I promise that it's nothing I will ever take for granted. Part of me can't believe we've been married six years and another part of me can't believe it's only been six years.
Happy Anniversary, My Love! I will love you always.
And, Tierney being a baby slept through it all
