Never in a million years did I ever think I would meet my future husband in a nightclub but that's exactly what happened ten years ago today. My friend and I were on a festive night out before Christmas and dancing the night away when in he walked. His hair was the first thing I noticed and I admit to at the time having a think for Russell Brand types so the fact that he was also wearing skinny black jeans was the icing on the cake.
I definitely wouldn't say that I was looking for love when my future husband came into my life. In fact I was feeling a little bitter with the whole dating scene and men in general. Having had my heart broken several times before I had reached a point in my life where the focus was having fun with my girl friends and living as carefree a life as possible.
One thing I will say though is that all of the previous heartbreak and turmoil I had been through in previous relationships really taught me what I wanted to find in a man. I was more sure than ever of what I wanted, and especially what I didn't want, in a new relationship. I'd grown seriously tired of being messed around and realised that it was time to make better decisions when it came to love.
Andy and I hit things off so well from the very beginning and, whilst struggling to have a conversation with each other over the music on the dance floor, I was immediately attracted to him.
At the end of the night I vividly remember having had a drink or two and giving him the third degree in the car park. At the time I had a mental list of what I wanted in a future boyfriend and I didn't want to waste any more time on losers so the questions came thick and fast. What do you do for a living? Do you have your own place? Do you drive? Are you a player? Do you want a relationship? I certainly didn't hold back but I also distinctly remember being in a place where I really didn't care anymore what anyone thought of me. Oh how I wish I still had some of that confidence now!
Thankfully for Andy he answered all of the questions correctly and gave me the answers I was looking for with little hesitation. The best thing was that he still wanted to know me after all of the insane questioning which in itself said a lot! I remember feeling dubious though and I wanted him to prove he was the real deal and so a date was set for the very next day.
It's a funny old feeling when you finally meet someone who doesn't want to mess you around and who is on the same page as you. For a long time I was almost expecting something to go wrong because history had taught me that's usually what happens. It felt bizarrely amazing to finally be with someone who was genuine and honest and who didn't give me any gut wrenching anxiety. I think for a long time I had associated feelings of anxiety with love so to be in a loving relationship with zero anxiety was very different and definitely took some getting used to.
I guess you could say we were fast movers and within a few months we had moved in with each other. It just felt so right and we were both ready so thought why the hell not! I was once in a five year relationship with zero mention of ever moving in together so, again, this was all new to me.
I remember thinking that living together was going to be the true test as to whether the relationship would have real longevity as I think that's when you really get to know someone and all of their quirky habits. Fortunately for us the experience of living together just solidified even more so how much we enjoyed each others company and pretty soon two become four with the addition of two kittens.
Four houses, three dogs, one wedding and multiple career changes later, here we are. Today we are celebrating ten years together which feels a little unreal. It's mind blowing how quickly those ten years have passed and how much we have accomplished in our lives together. It amazes me every day that we still get on now just as well as we did in those early days and he is without doubt the bestest friend I've ever had. We are by no means perfect and, like any other couple, we've had our issues and faced some challenges in life. But the fact that we are still here, hand in hand, going through life together is the best feeling in the world.
Thank you Andy for all that you do for me. Your love, support and friendship is everything I ever wanted and more. I'm so happy we made it this far and I'm excited for what the future has in store for us.
Thank you for being you.
Happy Anniversary to you both. xxx
ReplyDelete