Marrying Prince Charming

I went to see Mirror, Mirror with my mom and sister-in-law last week.  While I had a great time at girls' night, I couldn't help but think about Snow White marrying her prince.  Isn't that what almost every little girl dreams about?  One day marrying a prince, having babies, and living happily ever after.

My prince and I grew up together.  Our parents were/are great friends.  Hubby and I joked about how our parents betrothed us at birth.  Growing up whenever I would talk about liking a boy, my mom would say, "There's always Hubby".  Whenever Hubby talked about liking someone, his mom would say, "You could do a lot worse than Lisa."  

I distinctly remember the first time I realized I liked Hubby.  I was in tenth grade and went on a youth retreat with my church.  Hubby and I both got there early to help set up.  I remember it was his birthday, we were joking around, I probably gave him a birthday hug, and I went away from that weekend with the seed of love planted in my heart.  In twelfth grade I got a job working at a fast food restaurant.  Hubby started working there, too.  I flirted like mad with him.  He ignored me.  We were washing dishes in the back room one day and I must have said something to him about us because I remember him telling me that kissing me would be like kissing his sister.  (I'm guessing he wasn't as into me as I was into him)

My sophomore year of college, Hubby came over at my apartment with some other friends for dinner.  He mentioned that he liked to cook.  I told him that I was going to marry him because I wanted to marry someone who could cook.  He laughed.

Fall of my junior year of college, we took a bowling class together.  Every day after class we would hang out before our next classes.  We went to coffee shops, went for walks, I flirted a TON with him and he never got the message.  One day we were sitting on a bench on campus and I said to Hubby, "I'm going to marry you."  He looked at me and said, "I don't think so."  Amazingly, we remained friends after that:)

Spring of my junior year, Hubby and I were at a party together.  We were sitting on the front porch of the house talking.  He said, "Lisa, I've changed my mind about you.  I do like you."  One week before we both were starting a year of mission work--me in Michigan, Hubby in Belfast, Ireland.  

We sent a lot of emails back and forth, chatted on IM, wrote letters, and even a few phone calls.  I went over to Europe with a group of fellow mission workers in February and spent as much time as I could with Hubby.  Saying good-bye was one of the hardest things ever knowing I wouldn't see him again until May.

Hubby came home in May, asked my dad for permission to court me the next day, and then officially asked me out that evening.  He proposed to me on December 13 in the exact spot on campus where I had told him that I was going to marry him.  We were married in June.

After we were engaged, Hubby told me that he was going to be so romantic that he was going to make all my girlfriends jealous.  He has kept that promise even after 10 years.  He surprises me with flowers, he surprises me with dates, he cooks dinner once or twice a week, he goes to work every day so I can stay home with the kids, he builds me garden beds because it makes me happy, he gave me three beautiful children who he plays with and is a great father to, but best of all--he loves me and tells me so every single day.