Love & Marriage Series - High School Sweethearts!

I am linking up with the Love & Marriage series today!! 

Today is all about how Shane and I met and our love story! I have written about this before, but I thought I would again :). 

I met Shane when I was just under 16 years old, he had just turned 17. My best friend was dating one of his good friends. She set up a "triple" date with her guy, Shane and his twin brother, Heath with me and another one of our friends.  I ending up having to work that night (I worked at the local restaurant/ gas station) and could not get off. So she had to replace me. I really was not supposed to be going on dates yet (I was still 15, just a month away from 16) anyway.

That night, I got off work, went home and called her to see how it went. She told me that she wanted to come pick me up as they were all at her house still and I NEEDED to meet them. I had already changed into pajamas (sweats) and was not up for meeting guys, but she insisted and told me not to worry about it. I made up something to tell my parents,"of course there were no boys, just me and the girls"...my parents did not believe, but let me go and I had to be back in just a couple hours. I did not have high expectations for some reason, I LEFT MY SWEATS ON AND PONYTAIL UP...you know crazy that is for a 15 year old! I am waiting on her to pick me up in her car, and a mysterious car pulls up, not hers. I walk outside, she is in it, but so is, who I soon found out, Shane driving. One look at him and I was MORTIFIED! Here is this insanely hot guy and I am in still in sweats!!! I, for a second, contemplated going back inside, but my instincts told me to go on. I get in the car and was so nervous for some reason. She does not introduce me, but he was super sweet and cute. We have to stop to get gas, he gets out and I ask her his name, why did he come? did he not like his date?? She obviously thought he was hot too (I was nervous as I thought I just missed my opportunity and she called him first), but told me that he offered to come pick me up and he was obviously uninterested in the other girls.

We go back to her house and all hang out, Shane and I flirting, I was trying to act as cool as possible, but I was also insanely nervous, and could not tell if he was digging me too. Heath was there too, the other really hot guy (I actually contemplated if I have picked the hotter twin, which cracks me up!), but he seemed somewhat interested in his girl. Shane was the nicest guy I had ever met and had the cutest smile...and the best, sexiest southern accent I had ever heard (originally from Southeast TX and they had just moved here). Since I had to go home so quick, I figured my friend would take me home, but when it was time to go, he jumped up and offered...but she went too :).

They take me home, no numbers exchanged, and I was sad. Sad, but I was 15...there were other guys.  In fact, I had a double date the very next night with the same friend and two different guys :)

The next night, I am home, getting ready for a date (one that my parents could not find out about), listening to Bush, trying to keep Tara and Nicole out of my room as they are making fun of me and threatening that they were going to tell Mom and Dad that I am going out with "a boy". Friend calls me..

Friend: "The boys are not coming, they just cancelled".

Me: "What???"

Friend: "Before you get too mad, you are not going to believe this, but Shane is here"

Me: "Who's Shane?"

Friend: "RACHEL, SHANE from last night and he brought another friend!!"

Me: "Why is he there?? Did he just show up??"

Friend: "He just showed up with his friend Seth and wanted to know if you were here!!"

Me: (first silence) "OH MY GOD!!, what do you want to do??"

Friend: "We are going to come get you and they are going to take us out!"

Me: "Come on, I will be waiting!!"

That night, they came and got me, Shane was sitting in the back seat when they pulled up. His other friend, Seth was driving, he let my friend have shotgun :). We went to Taco Bell and sat and talked for hours. Seth was my favorite of Shane's friends, he thought he was going to buy Christmas gifts with Shane, but Shane tricked him into a detour. Shane and I sat across from each other and flirted all night. I knew it then that he liked me. When we got up to leave, my friend pulled me aside and asked if she could sit in the backseat with Shane...."NOPE"!

From then on, Shane and I were inseparable   Now I know that Shane came back that night totally on a whim because he wanted to see me again.  That is so not like my Shane and cracks me up.  He was such a good boy and the Lord was working us, even at the young ages of 15 and 17!

We went out every weekend, talked on the phone every night, which was long distance since we lived in different towns and racked up big phone bills that got us both grounded :), and hung out whenever we could.  We went to all of our proms together and Shane would come watch me dance on the Pom Squad at halftime of our football games :). Shane also drove to my house every Sunday and picked me up for church.  I think we had only been dating a couple weeks when he started that.  I would go to church and eat with his family every Sunday :).  We were together all 3 years of high school.  

Shane went to school 4 hours away for college.  He would come home every other weekend and I would road trip with my friends when I could to go see him.  We broke up once because he felt like it was too much to travel back and forth and wanted to have the "full college experience" :).  It lasted 4 weeks and he was back and wanting to get married.  I loved his family and he loved mine. He was there for me when my parents got divorced and was like a big brother to Tara and Nicole. 

He moved back from school early and we started talking marriage pretty seriously.  On Valentine's Day in 2001, Shane surprised me at work and proposed over lunch in my office.  He totally surprised me!  He hid the ring box in a carton lettuce and told me it was a new dessert called "sweet carrots".  When I opened it to see the said carrots, my ring box was in there :).  I screamed and shoved the ring on and he asked "So do you wanna?".

We were married 6 months later on July 14th. I was only 20 and he was 21.  We were so young, but we knew.  Almost 12 years later, I am not sure that I would want my babies to get married so young, but I know that it was best for me and Shane.  We have always been older than our age and it worked for us.  We still feel like those young babies :).

Shane's graduation

Homecoming

Love him more now :)