Back in 1967, four lads from over the pond told us that all we needed was love. The premise behind it was pretty simple.
John Lennon said that “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done, Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung, Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game, Its easy…All you need is love.”
While it is a great song, and one of my favorites by The Beatles, I am here to tell you that you do need love, but in a relationship you need so much more. You need a best friend.
Ten years ago today Heather and I were married in a chapel in Las Vegas where the temperatures were in the 100’s and we literally felt like we were going to melt. We were surrounded by our best friends, Nick and Kim, as well as other family members. But our relationship started long before that day ten years ago.
It actually started over 20 years ago in 7th grade in Mrs. Morrow’s English class. (Apparently she liked the fact that I smelled like Downy soap.) We became great friends.
But Heather was popular and always dated the older boys. And I was doing good to look ANY girl in the eyes and not freak out. Pretty sure looking back on it that I was a lot like Raj on Big Bang Theory…didn’t talk to girls too much! So I thought I was doing pretty good that one actually talked to me AND wanted to be my friend! Jackpot!!
All through Junior High we were the best of friends. Always laughed and had a great time together.
High School rolled around and at the start of the 10th grade year we were attached at the hip. It was after a trip to the State Fair and before a Friday Night football game that we decided to date. (As a side note, I should have taken this as a sign of things to come, but she fell asleep on the bus coming back. Ironically she still falls asleep in cars, buses, tanning beds, airplanes and any where else she can get a nap. Haha…)
Life was good. We got to see each other at school and then after the Friday Night football games we would go get pizza with the band. She celebrated my 16th birthday with my family and me and in turn I celebrated her 16th birthday with her and her family. To this day it is some of the best pics we have together.
Like most high school relationships, it didn’t last. We had a lot of great moments together and a lot of firsts that we both still remember to this day. We stayed “friends” through most of High School. To say things were great would be stretching it. We tried to date again our Senior Year, but things just never were the same.
Life after High School wasn't perfect for either of us and we made some mistakes. We both had our struggles and life was hard. We didn’t see each other much, if at all after High School. I think we only crossed paths once or twice. Nothing to really write home about.
Then one night in March 2001, as I was sitting on my couch, she called…and I was excited and surprised. She wanted to know if I wanted to get together for drinks. I said “sure, when?” and she said “how about now?” It was late, but I lived on my own, so why not?
We met at the Embassy Suites in Grapevine and had drinks and caught up. It was great to see her. She looked great. Like nothing had changed. We laughed like we in the 7th grade all over again and got caught up on the past 7 years.
I like to tell the story that she “stalked me” mainly because I think it sounds better. But truth is she just happened to run across a mutual friend that I had just seen a couple weeks before and we had exchanged numbers. Remember, this was before Facebook and cell phones, so she did some great detective work! Lol…
We hung out a lot over the next few weeks and things were great. But truth of the matter was even though she wasn’t the only person I had ever loved, she was the only person that I loved and loved being with.
So one night in April, I suggested that we get married. Now the details on all this are a tad “R-Rated”, but even though alcohol was involved, I did know what I was doing. However, I think Heather thought I was just kidding and probably hoped I had forgotten when we sobered up.
This is the other part of the story I like to embellish on and tell people that she was homeless and I took her in. Granted she didn’t have electricity and she was a few days away from being evicted, she did have a place to stay. Just sounds better when I tell people she was homeless. :)
I had planned to go to California and see my brother in June so we decided we would drive to Vegas and get married. We were really excited! Heather moved in (and cleaned up after me) and we were on our way.
Now to stay our parents were surprised and supportive would be a stretch. They all got a call along these lines:
Us: Hi! Do you remember Mike/Heather from High School?
Parents: Yes
Us: Well we reconnected the other night.
Parents:
Us: And guess what? We are living together and getting married next month!
Now, we were excited about this, but the parents not so much. They might lie 10 years later, but we are pretty sure they ALL thought Heather was pregnant! Lol.
So we got married on June 25, 2001. To say the first 12-18 months were “easy” or “fun” would be an understatement and flat out lie. We were married and really hadn’t been around each other for 7 years and that was just in High School.
It was hard. But see, this is where The Beatles don’t have it 100% accurate, because at the heart of our relationship was our friendship. One night we made a pact that divorce just wasn’t an option. Since then our relationship has flourished. It hasn’t all been roses and we have had our issues, but we have always worked through them and remain committed to each other.
In the last decade I have laughed more and shared some of the best things in life with you. You have given me the most amazing daughter in the world and for that I can never thank you enough.
We have shared some of the neatest things that would have never happened without you in my life. I am proud to say I shared all those things with you and proud to know at the end of the day you are standing by my side.
You make me a better person everyday because the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you or make you sad in any way. So every day I wake up, I want to be better for you.
You are my best friend in the world and I don’t want to do life without you. I am excited to know that when we are old and gray that it will be you that is on the swing next to me.
I am extremely proud of you and all that you have accomplished. I know that our current place in life isn’t where either of us thought we would be 10 years later, but we are doing it together and that is all that matters. We are Team Peery and I am so happy you are on my team.
So happy 10 year anniversary to my wife…my best friend.
Love,
Me
Mike, this is very sweet! Congrats to both of you!
ReplyDeleteLove it!
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