My Favorite Love Story

Boogie and I met in high school.  He was 16, and I was 14.  He was in show choir, and I was in the marching and jazz bands.  He was a football player and wrestler, and I played volleyball and basketball.  Basically, our paths were bound to cross at some time.  We knew of each other, but we were formally introduced by a friend about halfway through my freshman and his junior year.

After that, we flirted and hung out some at school and sporting events.  I developed a pretty major crush on him and secretly hoped that he would ask me to prom that year.  He didn't (long story, and I still say he was chicken), but I did get invited by another friend.  Boogie also went with a friend as well.  He did ask me to dance that night, and little did we know that Jewel's "You Were Meant for Me" would become our first dance of many and just how meaningful those words were!  At after-prom, we hung out the whole time and had a blast together! 

At one point in time, while I must have been talking a lot about Boogie, I remember my dad saying, "I wish you would just go out on a date with this boy and get it over with," and I responded, "This one is different."  I guess I knew even then that he was special!

On May 19, 1997, Boogie had a choir concert, and he asked if I would want to go with a group of friends to get pizza afterward.  We went to Pizza Hut and hung out and had a great time.  Then, he drove my friend and me home.  After we dropped my friend off at her house, before he backed out of her driveway, he turned to me and said, "I should have done this a long time ago, but will you go out with me?"  He says that I answered, "Yes!" before he could even finish the question.

We dated throughout his senior year (we broke up once but I will let him tell that story), and I began to wonder what would happen when he went off to college the next year.  He was going to Franklin College, so he was close but it seemed so far away to me.  We survived the 2-year long-distance relationship through lots of phone calls, internet chats, e-mails, and visits back and forth.  It wasn't easy, and I'm sure it was hard for him to have an insecure high school girl constantly needing reassurance that we were going to make it, but we survived.

The next year, I went to Franklin College. I won't say that Boogie being there was the deciding factor in where I went to school, but it was definitely a huge part of my decision.  College was a challenging time for us.  He was often busy with football and had his group of friends to hang out with, and I was much more introverted so I expected a lot of his time because I didn't have many friends of my own.  He broke up with me during my freshman year, and I was devastated.  He said that he needed to figure out if I was "the one" and make sure it was what he really wanted.  This crushed me because, in my mind, I couldn't understand his reasoning, but looking back now, I realize it probably was for the best. We were apart for a couple of months, and then we ended up getting back together.  

During the summer before my senior year of college, Boogie had moved back home and was renting a house from my parents.  We had decided to have a family cookout but little did I know, he had other plans during that evening as well. While we were running around getting the food ready, I went outside to tell him something. When I turned to go back inside, he grabbed my hand and turned me back toward him. When I turned around, he was getting down on one knee, and I didn't know what to think!  He proposed similar to the way he had asked me out 6 years before by saying, "I should have done this a long time ago, but will you marry me?" 

We were married the following summer on June 19, 2004.  It was a beautiful wedding, and one of the happiest days of my life!  

We have now been together for 22 years (give or take a few months) and married for 15 years, and I could not imagine my life without Boogie by my side.  We have built a wonderful life together.  We both have careers that we love, we have 2 healthy and beautiful girls, and we worked to make our dreams of building our own home a reality.  We have been so blessed, and I am so thankful that our paths crossed when we were just young kids who didn't know any better!  Our journey together has had its ups and downs, and while it hasn't always been easy....I will most definitely say it has been so worth it!  

My Summer Must-Haves

Summer break is officially in full swing here!!  I love all things summer...sunshine, warm weather, flowers, hummingbirds, lightning bugs, campfires, swimming, late nights, sleeping in...I could go on and on!  The girls have been staying up late, sleeping on the couch, swimming with friends, and making memories that I hope will last forever. I have been reading A LOT, taking naps, and getting a lot done around the house that I don't always have time for when we are in school.  

I want to share some of my must-haves that help us make the most of our summertime:

• Bug Spray: Mosquitoes and other pesky insects are definitely my least favorite part of summer, and they especially seem to love both of my girls and my husband.  I am not a fan of store-bought bug sprays because of the smell, but I found a recipe for a DIY spray that seems to work very well for all of us.  In a 4 oz. spray bottle, add 5 drops each of Thieves, Purification, Peppermint, Lemongrass, Citronella, Cedarwood, Lavender, and Eucalyptus essential oils. Then, add 2 oz. of witch hazel and fill the rest of the way with distilled water. Shake well, and you are good to go! Not only does it keep the bugs away, but it also smells great!

• Sunscreen:  I am very fair-skinned and burn very easily, so sunscreen is definitely a must-have anytime I am outside.  I have two favorites that work well for us and are less greasy than most of the store-bought brands I have tried.  The Mary Kay Sun Care Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 is one of our favorites for sun protection.  If you are interested in trying a more natural alternative, I love the Young Living Mineral Sunscreen Lotion.  It does a great job of preventing sunburn without all of the harmful ingredients found in a lot of other sunscreens.

• Itch Stick: For those times when we forget to apply our bug spray, we love to use our homemade itch relief roller.  There are several different recipes, but I will share the one that we like best.  In a 5 ml roller bottle, add 5 drops each of Lavender and Purification essential oils, 3 drops each of Lemongrass and Tea Tree essential oils, and fill the rest of the way with a carrier oil (grapeseed oil, extra virgin olive oil, etc.).  We apply to any bug bites or other skin irritations as needed.

• Sunburn Relief:  For the times when I forget to bring the sunscreen or don't reapply soon enough, we love the Mary Kay After-Sun Replenishing Gel.  It provides instant relief, and it also seems to help prevent a lot of peeling.  I have also found a DIY recipe that works well.  In a 4 oz. spray bottle, add 20 drops of Lavender and 10 drops of Peppermint (or Frankincense if you are going to be using on very small children).  Fill the bottle halfway with Aloe Vera Gel. Then, fill 1/4 with witch hazel and 1/4 with fractionated coconut oil (or other carrier oil of your choice). Shake well and use as needed.

• Spark:  I'm not much of a coffee drinker, especially during the summer, so I depend on Advocare Spark to give me my morning pick-me-up.  It helps give me the energy I need to keep up with the girls and get all the things on my never-ending to-do list done each day! 

 I would love to hear about some of the summer must-haves that help you make the most of your summer months!