psst.... what does FTW mean?

For The Win!

Well I'll give you the "long" version.  In 2000 I decided that being an adjunct professor at a college wasn't all it was cracked up to be (mostly monetarily)... so I moved to Georgia, with no idea of what I would do. Within a week I'd been hired at a boarding school.  Before I moved into the live-in housing, one of the teachers offered to let me see his apartment, so I would know what to expect of my new apartment. I went down to the teacher housing at the end of the school day and checked out his apartment. I noted that nearly every wall had a bookshelf with movies on it, and wondered about all those movies (I was very INTO movies at the time, and still am). That was when this teacher re-introduced me to another teacher I'd met briefly in a whirwind of introductions. He was very sweet and allowed me to borrow his cell phone so I could tell my sister when I'd be home from work. (they were still cleaning out my apartment).  Fast forward a couple of months. I've had a few more conversations with the teacher who had all those movies and lent me his cell phone, but mostly only just quick conversations. Then my upstairs neighbor invited me to a faculty halloween party. I wasn't going to go, but the party sounded like so much fun I decided to throw together a costume (an angel) and go on up.  While shy I was welcomed nicely by the other teachers and soon relaxed and was enjoying myself. Then this other teacher came over from his apartment to join the fun. He was dracula. He went to "suck my blood" and when we touched it was like MAGIC! nothing like the stilted and polite conversations we'd had. We stuck together for the rest of the party, and he asked me out the next day, and we started dating from that point on! :) While his outside looks weren't all that impressive, the more I knew him the more I admired the great character of this man! He proposed on Valentines day and we were married by June. :)  I guess that means that we're on our 7th anniversary of being together as a couple this coming Halloween.

Man, I thought I had a pretty good story...but Jess just put all of our "real" stories to shame! ANYWAY...12 years ago, at the dawn of the internet...remember dial-up and back when AOL was the only viable way to be online?   Well, I was online doing research (there was like 2 resources at the time I swear) for college when an "instant message" popped up that read "were we just talking?" I (always the procrastinator and not wanting to do my homework) replied  to this stranger "nope" He wrote "I was talking to someone named "irish" something and got kicked off-line...did a search when I got back online and your name was the only irish that came up...want to chat?" The story gets long and interesting if you know me...but for you guys...probably would just bore you...so I'll shorten it to this: He lived in New Jersey I lived in Nebraska We talked on the phone that night and every night after for HOURS He flew to meet me 4 months after our 1st chat Then we took turns flying to see one another every couple weeks for another 6 months He proposed I moved to New Jersey 2 months later we got married We've been married 11 years!! (most of them have been happy!)  Would I suggest this method?  No...but, God had a plan for us...and this was it! I DO LOVE MY AWESOME HUBBY! Heather

Ok heres my story. I had just had my son and me and his "Father" werent together anymore. I decided to go back to school so I went to ITT Tech. One guy in my class lived about 20 mins from me, which is not bad and one night he tricked me (I didnt know it at the time of course).  He said his brother had to borrow his car and he needed a ride home. Well I had a boyfrind at the time I had just started dating and he drove me to school because he went too. So we drove him home, and then he asked again and I was driving alone and I drove him home and he asked me if I wanted to see his puppy since i told him i love animals. So we made plans to watch a movie a bunch of us the next day. And I left my boyfriend and me and DH got together and moved in together and married within a year       We will be celebrating our 5th anniversary the end of November

You know that saying that if you meet a man that'll make a good husband, chances are he already does? Well, I met my hubby in 1998.  I was training him to be my replacement in the records dept of a staff leasing corporation so that I could transfer to data entry.  He seemed nice enough, clean cut, a touch older than me, very very quiet.  I didn't take a ton of notice except to be polite and train him.  I never inquired into his personal life or anything.  I had a pretty active social and dating life at that time and wasn't "looking" for anything.  One day he passed around his wedding pictures.  I didn't look.  I wasn't interested.  I was a single mom with an almost 3 yr old son.  I didn't care to see wedding pictures unless the people in them were near and dear to me.  Anyhow, about a week later I was on my way out to lunch and he stopped me at the door.  He had his wife with him and introduced me.  I was shocked.  She was the ugliest woman I had ever seen in my life!  Not kidding.  I'm not usually judgemental, but daaaaammmmnn!  Fell out of the ugly tree, hit every branch on the way down, and got tangled in the roots!  I excused myself quickly stating it was nice to meet her and have a great lunch.  Not even a month passed and I came into work to find him crying at his desk.  Everyone was whispering but no one approached him.  I told our supervisor we were taking an extended break and we'd be back when we were back.  I took him by the arm and escorted out to the farthest edge of the parking lot.  For some reason, the company had placed a picnic table there under the trees.  We sat and talked.  I told him some of my personal tragedies right out and blunt.  Then I said "your turn". He poured out his heart.  He'd been a soldier for 8 years, Airborne Infantry in Dessert Storm, Dessert Shield, and Bosnia.  He'd met this woman. She got pregnant.  They got married.  He had a 1 yr old son. They'd only been married at this point for about 5 months and she'd left him.  He'd gotten out of the army to save his marriage and it was actually the end of the marriage.  She later told me she didn't need him anymore and he didn't fit into his life, but whatever. He was a wreck.  She had beaten him down emotionally.  We became friends.  Our sons played together.  I fell in love.  It took months, but one day he wasn't crying anymore.  He was looking, really looking at me.  I was like "what?"  He said "nothing, I'm just taking you in."  Not looking at me but "taking me in".  I knew then I'd never let him go. We moved in together for a year.  Then my grandpa married us in his living room.  Rob's back in the army now.  I support him 100%.  He may be a strange combination of geek and warrior, but he's all mine. We now have 5 children.  Alex (mine) is almost 13. Dakota (his) is almost 11.  Miriam is 3.  Eliza and Elaina are 19 months.  I couldn't be happier...well maybe a little, but not much!

I met my DH in 10th Grade Honors English... He was the dork from across the hall who always wrote weird quotes on the board before class.   I was walking home from school one day after ROTC, and he was going home from Drama.  He got off his bike and walked with me.  I talked to him, and thought he was nice enough but wasn't really interested.  Then I found out that he had walked an extra mile past his house, to walk me to mine.  That was sweet, but I was dating someone else at the time. He moved over the summer about 3 hours away.  He had given me his address but I had no plans to write to him... I started dating a new guy shortly before school started and well, let's just say date rape.  I didn't tell anyone what had happened though.  I really needed someone to talk to, and figured I would never see Jim again so I wrote to him.  We wrote back and forth for awhile, me thinking it was okay to pour my guts out because I wasn't ever going to see him again right???? Wrong, we started dating long distance.  He proposed when we were 16... I said yes, then broke it off.  We both dated other people but stayed in touch. I realized within a few months that I had screwed up and wanted him back, but kept my distance because he was involved with someone else.  Figured a friend was better than nothing.  He came to see me after graduation, and there were sparks but he was still otherwise engaged.  (must note, that I was dating others myself but no one seriously).  The following year, when they split... we got back together.  I proposed to him on a picnic in May, because I figured he wouldn't ask me again...  We have been married 12 years.  Ups and downs, and all around but still happy that I got my second chance.

Okay.. Nothing romantical here. I had joined a support group to get my head together..NA. LIke AA, only with narcotics. I wasn't really a druggie..but hey you find support where you can!!  Fast forward..apparently my dh had been watching me at meetings. I was clueless. They had a dance one SAturday night and I went. He was there with a mutual friend, Steve. Steve was a real whiner, addicted to prescription painkillers.  Anyhow before Steve could approach me and ask me to dance my husband asked. So I did.  The next day he had hunted me down at work through mutual friends and ask me to go bowling. Well, 17 years later here we are, still happily married with 2 wonderful boys at home!! 

I met my wife in high school. My best friend at the time was dating her twin sister (not identical). I went over to her house with him, and we started hanging out. I kept getting her to try and go out with me, but she had none of it. Come to find out, her sister that was 1 year older than she had asked me out earlier that year, and I had refused. Politely of course, as I was dating someone else. Well, this sister was bad talking me because she was jealous that I wanted to date her sister and not her. 2 weeks later we started dating and have been together ever since. 12 years, married for 6.

Mutal friends of ours set us up on a blind date.We meet in Spet of 1995 and got married in April of 1996.