Meeting My Match (Part I)

If you are anything like me, when you start reading a new blog you need to know the author's whole story, start to finish. Sometimes this requires days and days of clicking "Earlier Posts" but it's worth it because once you get to the beginning you feel like the complete stranger you've been reading about for two weeks is now your best friend. Maybe that's just me... Does that mean I'm nosey? Probably... Creepy? A little... dang. Anyway, I don't just do it with blogs, also television shows which is why I can't start watching Parenthood that everyone is talking about non-stop because HULU decided to start charging to watch old episodes. Not. Cool. Soooo, the point of this rambling paragraph is that I thought I should fill you in on the history of B and me. (If you are a dude and you are reading this blog... you might just want to come back tomorrow, you are about to be bored and possibly grossed out by the cheesiness. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

We met in the super riveting class - Introduction to Biomedical Sciences. I was running late (If you've ever met me you probably know that I'm not especially prompt...cough (understatement) cough) so I slid into a seat in the back row and Brandon happened to be sitting a row infront of me. It appeared that everyone had handouts so I leaned up and asked Brandon where he got all the papers and he told me they were in the front. I had to make the two mile hike, uphill both ways, all the way to the front of the large lecture hall while the professor was lecturing. So embarrassing. The next class period, I was late AGAIN (But this time I looked wayyyy cuter because I was hoping that really handsome boy would be sitting in the back again) and this time when I slid into the back row seat Brandon just handed an extra copy of that day's handouts over his shoulder to me. How stinking adorable right?! This kind gesture was just the first of so, so many. I instantly knew he was a wonderful guy and we became great friends over the course of the semester. [*Note: To this day, Brandon blames me for his "B" in the class... it's probably a legit accusation]

We went on our "FIRST" first date to Sake (or Jake's if you are my friend Britanny), a hibachi grill in Norman. To say I'm a picky eater would be to say that Lindsay Lohan has some issues... major understatment. Nevertheless, Brandon was really cute so I sucked it up and went to the hibachi grill (praying the whole way I wouldn't have to try something green or raw) and to my complete surprise I loved hibachi! You have no clue how relieved I was to see that it was just chicken, rice and a few veggies (Which I happily passed his way). The date went great but the timing just wasn't quite right so we remained friends.

Over the next six years, serendipity kicked in and our paths would cross like clock work at least once a year. Each time we would go on another "first date" and have a great time but the timing still wouldn't be right... back to being friends. All along, I knew I was being an idiot (and if I happened to forget my parents sweetly reminded me). B was smart and funny. He loved Jesus and lived his life accordingly. He adored his family. He did so many of the things I loved to do - watch ballgames, sky dive, scuba, travel, snow ski, etc. He was also so easy to be around... at the time I lived in the Pi Phi house and he'd come by to help me with my insert whatever dreadful science class I happened to be taking that semester  homework and we would just end up talking for hours on end. He was also always incredibly attentive, truly a gentleman. One of my favorite things about him to this day is the fact that he fits in with any crowd... he is the ultimate people person. He can go to the fanciest party in Oklahoma City and every little lady in the place will be trying to take him home or he can be in my little tiny hometown wearing boots and helping my dad split wood... He is completely comfortable in either place! Plus, let's face it, he's pretty easy on the eyes. But there was one problem that I just couldn't get over. He was so freaking nice. See, 90% of the time I'm "nice," but I have my moments when I need a swift kick in the you-know-what. I'm sarcastic and occasionally get a little mouthy. Once a complete stranger told my dad that I must be "hard to handle." Lovely. So B and I would be at dinner and I'd pop off and his response would be something completely sweet. I just knew that I would run right over that poor boy in about two seconds flat... so, much to my mother's dismay, we left it at "just friends."

Finally, in the last week of February 2010, Brandon called about doing a rotation with my uncle's family medicine clinic in Gore. Since I'd ditched the med school dream for law school and he had stuck with it, I had told him he was more than welcome to complete his rural family medicine month with my family.  Basically, I sugar coated it... I told him he needed to rotate with my Uncle Bill and since Bill is really cool, he'd let Brandon go play at the lake and just come into the office when he got so sunburnt that he couldn't stand it. I had been suggesting this for years and then one day out of the blue, he decided to take me up on it. We met up so that he could give me some paperwork to take to my uncle and we grabbed some ice cream and caught up. (Even that was him being thoughtful, because after all those years he remembered how much I love ice cream!) Afterwards, Brandon suggested we go try the new hibachi grill in town. So we went a few days later and the restaurant was a disaster but we didn't even mind... the timing was finally right, at least in my head.

Sorry to leave you with a monster cliff-hanger (Obvious sarcasm here people!) but I'll fill you in on the rest shortly!

Be Blessed!
Raegan