How I Met My Honey

It’s here! It’s here! “How I Met My Honey” is finally here! Getting ready to host a blog carnival is a lot of work (at least it has been for me — it’s the first time I’ve done it), but I’m really excited you’re here. I think this is going to be a LOT of fun.

If you’ve stumbled upon this blog for the first time today, and have no idea what “How I Met My Honey” is, click here to learn all about it. Then come back and join the fun! Also, if you’ve written about this topic on your blog or Web site in the past, feel free to link to that “old” post.

Don’t forget to sign the Mister Linky and link to your ACTUAL “How I Met My Honey” post, not to the main page of your blog. (You’d be amazed how often people find a cool carnival weeks later. By linking to your actual post you’re much more likely to have people read the post.)

And now, the story of how I met MY honey.

As I’ve said previously, it involves a park, two dogs and a pile of poop.

In the early summer of 2004, the first dog park in my county opened. My friend Sarah suggested that we go check it out. I became a dog park junkie, although Toby didn’t like it so much. 🙂

While there, I kept hearing about this guy named Ed. No one could believe I’d not met Ed, because he came almost every day — and because he had this crazy dog named Fox. I just looked at people like THEY were crazy. I hadn’t met no stinkin’ guy named Ed. I’d met Ed’s business partner and one of his business partner’s daughters, but not Ed.

Until August 17, 2004. That day I met my mom for dinner. After dinner, I wanted her to come with me to the dog park for a few minutes, but she wanted to head for home. It was getting DARK, but I was determined to go. I drove as fast as my little car could take me, picked up the dog, and headed for the park. By the time I got there, there may have been 30 minutes of daylight left. I went flying out of the car and down the path to the dog park. And I didn’t take any bags with which to pick up Toby’s… um… waste.

Naturally, on the way to the park, Toby relieved himself. And I didn’t have a bag. Oh, the guilt. I mentally marked the spot, so I could get a dog park waste bag and clean it up. Unfortunately, there weren’t any bags. Ugh.

When I got into the park, I mentioned, kind of to the air, that my dog had pooped on the way down and I didn’t have any bags.

“I have a bag,” said this guy in shorts, t-shirt, hiking socks, and hiking shoes. He agreed to keep an eye out for Toby while I went to clean up after him. When I got back, I thanked him and we introduced ourselves, humans and dogs alike. So THIS was the famous Ed and his crazy dog Fox. 🙂

For the next several months, we saw each other often, always at the dog park. I knew he owned a photography business, had a dog, and a general idea of where he lived. That was about all.

After seeing us interact a few times, my friend Sarah told me I should date him. And that, to get the ball rolling, I should invite Ed to eat ice cream one night after we went to the park. I declined to ask him for a number of reasons, chief among them the fact that just a few months earlier I’d decided I didn’t want to be married. For me, this meant not dating either. (I’ve never been the “date for the sake of dating” type.)

So I KEPT seeing Ed (hoping he’d be there when I got there or get there SOON) and kept LIKING Ed, but kept not doing anything about it.

On January 8, 2005, my nephew Francis was born. He wasn’t due until March 10. He was healthy, but EARLY. I was a proud first-time aunt and took photos to the dog park, which I showed Ed, of course. (I was SO glad he was there that day.) Ed later told me that his feelings started changing for me then. (Sarah would say he liked me way before then, but that’s beside the point.)

In mid-February, Ed took this picture of Toby and me with his camera phone.

That was my first REALLY big clue that he might like me. (Um… why else would he take my picture?) I didn’t see him for 3 months, which I have dubbed the “absence makes the heart grow fonder” period. 🙂

The day that ended the “absence makes the heart grow fonder” period was the day of my family reunion. I had Toby with me at the picnic and decided to stop by the dog park on my way home. Once again, it was getting late, not much daylight left. Ed says he’d just asked Bobby, another dog park “regular,” if he’d seen me. Bobby told him he had and that I was doing well, getting ready to buy a house. Then I walked through the door of the dog park.

Ed got up and approached me. Frankly, I thought he was going to kiss me. What he did was hug me. Hard. And with the hugest grin on his face. Fox, who is very protective of Ed, barked at me. I consider myself lucky not to have been killed. 🙂 We chatted awhile and went on our way. By then, he was basically knocking me over with his “I like Rebecca” vibes.

About a month later, I ran into him again. Once again he hugged me hello. Ed, a girl named Lauren, and I chatted about life, love and other mysteries. We all left together. For the first time, he walked me to my car. We talked for quite awhile, about all sorts of things, personal things, some difficult things.

A couple of days later, I e-mailed Sarah about all this. She told me that guys didn’t talk to girls the way Ed talked to me unless they liked them. (I’d dated practically not at all prior to this.)

To make a VERY long story just a little bit shorter, I e-mailed Ed that day, and asked him if he “liked me, liked me.” Four days later, Ed wrote me back and said yes, he was, indeed, interested in getting to know me outside of the dog park. The next day (July 1), we talked on the phone for quite a long time. The day after THAT, we went on our first date (to the dog park — of course — and to Mellow Mushroom for dinner).

On July 4, we went on our second date, to Sweetwater Creek, to hike. That evening, we ate Chinese food at my house, hung out, and cuddled. For two hours. He also kissed me, twice, two little pecks on the lips. Just perfect. When he left, he told me he’d call me the next day. And he did. We’ve been joined at the hip ever since.

This picture was taken in late July, just shy of four weeks after we started dating. Aren’t we cute?

In September, Ed met my parents. The next weekend, we picked out my engagement ring and our wedding bands. At the end of October, we set a wedding date, before we were officially engaged. The first weekend of November, he officially asked me to marry him. Where did he ask me? At the dog park, of course. We got married on April 29, 2006, two years ago today.

From left to right — and then from left to right again: 1) Me getting my hair highlighted about six weeks after we started dating. Yes, I sent him this picture. 2) Us at Blimpie before going to see “The Nutcracker,” November 2005. 3) Ed at the bottom of a spiral slide. 4) Me wearing my veil, months before the wedding. 5) The chocolate bouquet Ed got me for our first Valentine’s Day. 6) The engagement picture that was on the front of our wedding order of worship (photo by PKE Photo Group).

Want to hear more? (And God bless you if you made it this far.)

On May 19, we’re doing it all again, this time about wedding stories.

Can you stand the excitement?

Now, tell me YOUR stories. I can’t wait to read them.