8 YEARS AGO.........

On this very day, in 2002, Scott and I had one of the most beautiful, albeit awkward, conversations of our lives. The conversation took place in the basement of my parents house--my mom had a friend over (thus the reason for us talking in the basement), I was living in Cincy, and Scott was living in Oxford. I received a nervous call from Scott saying he wanted to talk to me before I went back to Cincy and could he come over.

For those of you who don't know, up to that point, Scott and I were friends. Just friends. We had been "just friends" for a couple of years, but recent events had taken place that needed to be discussed. A couple of outings (one in Indianapolis, the other in Oxford) had led us to some pretty cool (and surprising) lip-locking sessions.........scary for me, as I didn't want to lose my best friend over what could be a passing physical attraction.

I don't think I've ever had such a bad case of butterflies as I did while I waited for Scott to come over. I knew what we were going to talk about, and I thought perhaps my dear friend was on his way over to tell me that our kisses had been a mistake. My mom kept trying to reassure me, as she had that crazy mother's intuition that Scott liked me. She and my dad had been wanting the two of us to get together for awhile, so it is entirely possible that they were as nervous as their first-born.

After a lot of awkward pauses, foot-shuffling, and declarations from both of us about how we didn't want to ruin our relationship, we made a decision. We were going to date. Aye carumba!!! I was giddy and scared and totally freaking out.........but I will never forget Scott telling me that he thought I was fantastic (that used to be one of his favorite words, fantastic). I had no idea what would happen, but two weeks later, I was telling him that I loved him......wow.

And here we are now, still together, and to borrow the words of one of our favorite artists, "what a long strange trip it's been." We've had our ups and downs, as any couple does, and nobody knows how to get under my skin the way that Scott can. As bad as that sounds, it's pretty cool to be with someone who knows you almost better than you know yourself.

Who knew that an innocent kiss after a Pacer's game would be the stepping stone for the most significant and important journeys in my life?

Who knew that I would trade my plain last name for the 10-letter Polish last name that has more consonants than should be allowed?

Who knew that I would end up with somebody who not only cooks and cleans, but who also truly enjoys doing daddy duty and doesn't make me feel guilty for wanting time to myself?

Who knew we'd end up in Jersey of all places?

Who knew that we'd be blessed with two gorgeous little girls who fill our hearts with so much joy that we almost can't contain it?

We are so insanely lucky. I am so insanely lucky. I have everything I've ever wanted.

Thank you, Scott. Happy Anniversary, Hon.