I've seen some pretty great "how they met" stories on TV and in the movies. But,
I've got the best how they met story
ever. Better than any movie. It's
legen- to the (wait for it....)
-dary.
Remember way back in 1999 when everyone was anxious about Y2K? and people were ushering in the new millennium...only to figure out that the new millennium actually started when the clock turned from 2000 to 2001.
Jerry Seinfeld said,
"Since there was no year zero,
the millennium doesn't begin until the year two-thousand and one."
and that is the precise moment when my
life began, too. December 31, 2000-January 1st 2001.
As a 17 year-old high school senior, I worked at a nursing home as a Nurses Aide. I had worked there bathing and feeding the elderly for nearly a year. I was scheduled to work New Year's Eve that year which wasn't a problem because I was supposed to get off work at 11...plenty of time to make it to a party for the big midnight celebration. That night, for some reason or another, I ended up leaving work a bit late, it was about 11:30 when I headed out to my friend's party. It was about 11:45 when
my car broke down. Way back in those days, nobody my age had a cell phone.
So, I said to myself
'if i can turn the key and it starts, i will just drive myself straight home.
if i turn the key and it doesn't start- i will go to the nearest house and call home for help.'
I turned the key.
It started.
I began driving home.
I was about 3 blocks from home when the car stalled out again. This time it wouldn't start again. I was stuck in the dark on a hillside over-looking the town. It was 11:55.
I popped the hood and got out of my car, I don't know what I was thinking I would do. I don't know anything about cars. I still don't know exactly what happened to my car that night (something about the engine seizing up...yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not good) So, I stood there, looking down at the steaming engine block when a car pulled up beside me. The stranger inside asked me if I needed some help. He pulled over to help me.
Right as we met, the clock struck midnight. It was the new millennium. Fireworks began going off throughout the city. We could hear as people in their homes came out to bang their pots and pans. It was like Cinderella in reverse, just as the clock struck 12 our lives together began.
And from HIS point of view:
This was Jeremy's first New Year's celebration since returning from his 2 year
mission in Albania. He decided to go to a party of a friend of a friends. When the party turned into watching Disney's Mulan, he and his friend decided they were way too bored to stay a minute longer.
Jeremy took his friend home and then headed toward his house. That is when he saw me stranded on the side of the road, hood up, looking pretty helpless. He, being the kind, helpful person he is, thought to himself
'if that's a cute girl, i'll stop and help her'
haha- he really did tell me that later. But, he added that he would've stopped regardless if I were cute or not...but he was glad that I was cute.
He drove me home that night.
Jeremy's parents tell me that he never would talk about girls. ever. but, that night, he came home and went right upstairs to tell them all about this girl he had met...
We were inseparable after that.
We were married nearly one year later on December 29, 2001.
Yep, I was 18 when I got married...but, hey, when you know, you know!
I couldn't ask for a better guy to be married to!
I often think back about how we met and think
"what kind of guy leaves a New Year's Eve party at 11:30?"
"what if my car hadn't started back up after the first time it stopped" (side note: I guess it was pretty miraculous that it did start again...from what I've heard engines that have seized up like that will not usually start up again)
and I think "what if I had gotten off of work at 11 like I was supposed to?"
and their are a
million other things that run through my mind...there are other things from
months before that that lead up to
that moment.
I know I was being watched over.
My favorite scripture has always been Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." I know that our paths were directed toward each other. And I thank God every day for that blessing!
Here's us. all fresh and young.
Jeremy. He is so loving and kind.
He helps me with the kids all. the. time.
He packs lunches for our daughter to take to school.
He makes up bed time stories for the girls.
He has done more than his fair share of diaper changes, and he gets up to take our 3 year old daughter potty every night so she doesn't have an accident in her bed.
We still have never seen Mulan...if you're part of this family you run away from anything Mulan related, haha.. we even give Mulan a thumbs down when we're listening to our Lion King Pandora station, in memory of the night we met.
Jeremy never leaves the toilet seat up, and he always puts the toilet paper on the right way.
He made it a goal to put toothpaste on my toothbrush every night until death do us part.
He provides for us a beautiful home.
He thinks I'm pretty without any makeup on.
He treats me with respect.
He loves me unconditionally and
shows my children what to look for in their future husbands.
 |
| and we lived happily ever after |
I love you, Borgie!
xo-Danielle
