Just the Two of Us...and the Cows

I've fallen in love again. I feel that "spark" that Jeff and I had while we dated. I feel as young as I look in that picture. How does one get to that point after three kids and 8 1/2 years of marriage? Well, I must admit being in Alabama this time of year has something to do with it.

Back in college I was a co-op student. I went to school for a quarter and then worked for a quarter. I always worked during the Fall and Spring quarters, so I was always in Alabama during my favorite times of the year. Jeff and I met on the first day of my first co-op quarter. He was the engineer I was assigned to. Yep, he was (kinda) my boss. We met on Monday and he carried me to the movies on Friday. (Yes, carried. It's a word he uses and it's cute.) Basically, that's all there is to tell about the beginning because we've been together ever since, but here's a little more insight:

Jeff has a very close family and they all live within 5 miles of each other. Everyone gathers at Grandmother's house for special meals. During hunting season, the women sit around chatting and waiting for their men to return with stories of the hunt and hopefully something to store in the freezer. It was always a fun time for me because my extended family is halfway across the US; I'd never had big family meals and get-togethers. I loved being a part of his big family and there's just something romantic about being in the country.

When it was just the two of us, one of our favorite things to do was to hop on the four-wheeler and cut across the cow pasture. I always had a blast riding the four-wheeler with Jeff... holding on tight! We'd watch the cows, see rabbits occasionally, and just stop to take in the beautiful scenery having wonderful conversations about nothing and everything while out in the middle of nowhere. Just the two of us... and the cows. (I guess the cows didn't want to have their picture taken, though.)


And then of course, there was that four-wheeler ride that brought us to where we are today. He took me out on the four-wheeler early one morning, stopped by the stream, got down on one knee and proposed. Just the two of us...and the cows. When we had talked about getting married (before the proposal) Jeff had asked if I had any dreams about when/where/how I wanted the proposal to be (very thoughtful of him I must say). I told him that there was a special place that I thought would be perfect and I left it at that for him to make some choices... no pressure, right? Looking back, I can see why he chose the place that he did, but that wasn't quite where I had in mind.

Jeff's dad owns some land and Jeff had a perfect place picked out to build a future home. At the time, I thought that was where I wanted him to propose because that would be where we would spend the rest of our lives together. The story recently took a turn because we have decided to build on the land where he proposed (not because of the proposal, but because of the location). So, in the end, I'll get my wish about having our home built on the land where it all got started. Funny how dreams come true when and how you least expect them to.

So yesterday, it was feeling like old times: Thanksgiving meal at Grandmother's, listening to some hunting talk, and a trip to the cow pasture (this time in a 4-wheel drive truck, though) and conversation about where we'll build our future home. It's great to be young and in love all over again! ;)