As I mentioned in my very first post, I've been in love with Eugene my entire life. Our story is an interesting one and I thought today was an appropriate time to share.
For our wedding I created a webpage, for info and RSVP's. There was a spot to share our story. So Eugene and I both sat down and wrote our own versions...
My Version
Eugene was my first crush. I was 7 years old, he was my best friends big
brother, and he was my hero. I eventually moved on to the "ew, boys are
gross" stage...but like all stages it passed and at 13 I was crushing
again. At this point I was a very practical 13 year old and told myself I might
as well get over my school girl crush, because it was never going to happen. He
left for college, and was out of my life for 9 years. Well, for the most part.
We saw each other on occasion; when I attended his graduation from State with
his sister, when he moved back home and I saw him briefly when we bumped into
each other at the grocery store, a family function here and there that I
attended with his sister, his sister's wedding where he was my escort down the
aisle. These occasions were few and far between, brief encounters, but always
long enough to show me some things never change. I still had a crush on him and
to him I was still nothing but his little sisters friend. I got the same pat on
the head and patronizing flirting i had always gotten. He didn't even notice
that I wasn't the same freckled face 7 year old with stars in my eyes, or the
awkward 13 year old with a crush. Ok....I may have still had stars in my eyes
and definitely still had the crush, but I was now a 21 year old woman and he
didn't even notice the difference. Some part of me had always loved him, but
once again I was resigning myself to the fact that it would never happen. Then
things begin to change, I began to question if his flirting was patronizing or
something more serious....eventually he told me. Then the most wonderful thing
occurred....the impossible happened....he fell in love with me.
Eugene’s Version
I have known Case
almost her entire life. Growing up she was my little sisters, little friend.
They would have play dates and sleep overs and I would do the natural big
brother thing, always crash the party. But it was difficult for me to ever see
her as anything more than a little girl. I knew she had a crush growing up, but
so did a lot of Sissy's little friends. I was the big brother, which
automatically made me appear cooler than I really was. This relationship
continued. As she got a little older I would flirt, only because I knew she was
crushing and I thought it was cute. When I left for college, she was still just
a cute little girl. I was in Raleigh for a solid six years, very seldom
visiting home, and not really visiting anyone but immediate family when return
visits did occur. Case was pretty much "out of site, out of mind".
Until I came home for Sissy's wedding, and guess who I was to escort? You got
it, little Case. Only this time she wasn't so little. In my absence cute little
Case had grown up into a beautiful woman. Really, for the first time, I had seen
Case in an entirely different light. At the wedding I flirted, but this time it
wasn't cute and funny as so many times before, it was for real.
In no way do I deserve someone as wonderful
as Casey Erin.
I have no idea why she chose to spend the rest of her life with me, but Im glad
she did. From cute little girl, to beautiful young women, to, soon to be, Mrs.
Casey {...}. That's
our love story
My wedding day was the happiest day of my life. I've fallen in love with my husband every single day since and I'm positive I'll continue to fall in love with him every day from here on out.