out last dating date...

Last night, you took me out on our last date as a dating couple.  The next date we go on will be as a married couple!  The wedding is now only 3 days away and it is amazing to look back at everything.  Last night was a much needed time to reflect on the past four and a half years and remember everything we have been through!  We remembered the awkward first 6 months of our relationship before I left for college in California.  You were not looking for anything serious, and I was super serious about only wanting to date my husband.  Lucky for me, I intrigued you enough to continue pursuing me even into a distance relationship.  A year and a half of distance was so hard!  I remember how awkward it would feel when we would first see each other after a couple months of only talking on the phone.  I remember when you were waiting for my grandma and I at Shadow park and I saw you and thought "wow" because I had only seen your face via skype for so long i had forgotten how handsome you were.  i remember when we finally lived close again and starting to spend time together every single day.  we decided that we either wanted our relationship to start moving toward marriage and work through some of the issues we were having or to call it quits before investing any more of ourselves.  that was the lowest period of our relationship as of yet, but we learned so much about each other!  We really got to know each other on a new level and got to understand what the other person is looking for, needs to feel loved, etc.  and it was such a huge step forward!  I remember my senior year at Pacific.  I went through some time of seriously doubting that I wanted to marry you if I had never dated anyone else.  How did I know that you were perfect for me if I had never tried anyone else... I struggled with that a lot that year.  but we also had a LOT of fun that year!  we went to all my school dances and functions, we went to a lot of parties with my sorority, my crazy roommate threw a couple of hilarious parties at our apartment, we got serious in the small group we had joined and made some amazing new friends, we started thinking about life post college.  I remember when you got in your car accident and feeling terrified!  I remember being so upset that you called me last.  I wanted to be the first one that you came to for anything and everything.  Your incision got infected and you could not come on the cruise with my family.  I was so mad at you even though it wasn't your fault.  I remember our huge fight right before I took off on international waters for a week and wouldn't be able to talk to you.  I remember getting back onto American soil and listening to my 30 voicemails from you.  In one of them you talked about some of our dear friends and their story was so encouraging for you.  I remember letting my guard down after that message and realizing that you were right and that I was so caught up in wanting everything to be perfect I wasn't enjoying what I had right in front of me.  I remember coming home to a room filled with little presents and a closet filled with balloons :) You told me you would come lay in my bed while I was gone because you missed me.  That week was so eye opening for us... we really loved each other and we really wanted to be together.  I remember that next week when you drove me out to Shane Co. and asked me to pick out a ring!  That was the happiest day of my life! You spent all summer working to pay off a ring for me and we were so excited.  Then you finally proposed one day after your birthday... and the last 10 months have been a blur of planning and craziness.  but now the big day is almost here and I cannot wait!  Last night, I cried tears of joy, but also tears of sadness as we talked about ending this chapter in our lives.  I have learned so much about myself, about you, about life over these past four and a half years.  I am sad to see this time of our lives become "history", but I am excited to move into this next chapter with you.  I know the best is yet to come and I cannot wait to experience life with you!  I feel so lucky that I met you at only 17 and that we got/get to go through so much learning, growing, experiencing together!  I would not want to experience life with anyone else!  So  *cheers* to our story and to our future! I love you, my fiancee!