Our Beginning.

Michael and I met in the summer of 2009.  I had just moved back to Albuquerque from Phoenix not even a year before we met.  We actually met at a bar... yes a bar.  This bar is not any old bar but a bar in which people play outdoor sand volleyball.  He was injured and I was there spectating with one of my best friends, Katy Brown.  Michael was actually injured so he was not playing and we just randomly began talking!  I am very outgoing and he is a little more quiet so I could tell he was kind of nervous during our conversation ;)  I liked his nervousness.


It started off with a few friday nights of hanging out at volleyball.  Then quickly turned into every friday night and then every Sunday to watch football!  Side note: we both love football but unfortunately he is a cowboy fan (BOO!) and luckily I am a Cardinal fan (haha!)  These outings extended into daily texting and facebooking (gotta love technology!) 


In October of 2009, I went to Switzerland and Italy with my college friend, Lara, for a few weeks.  Right before my trip he asked me out on a date but I was so overwhelmed with getting ready for my first solo international vacation that I told him 'no' and that the timing was not right.  But while I was away, we would sign on to Facebook for a quick hello.

December of 2009 is when I finally realized (and admitted) that I had real feelings for Michael. He went to Hawaii with his father and brother and I recognized I truly missed him.  I wanted to be there with him.  I wanted him to be here with me.  Since I had already told him 'no' to our first date, I told my sister, Danica, I wanted him to re-ask me out!  She then suggested inviting him to my dad's birthday party.  So I did.  And he met my entire family right off the bat :)  He fit in so well with my family and I know they loved him immediately after meeting him... I had to figure out some way to get him to ask me out again.  So I leaned on my sister once again.  Since I was so chicken to do it myself, I flat out told her to text him and tell him to ask me out again. And he didn't hesitate :)


Our first official date was around Christmas 2009.  He took me to my favorite restaurant St. Clair's Winery & Bistro and then we strolled the River of Lights at the Botanical Gardens (a huge Christmas lights display throughout the entire gardens).  


Pretty much from here on out we spent almost every single day together.  We rung in the New Year 2010 with each other where we shared our first kiss shortly after it turned midnight.  Eleven days later he asked me to be is girlfriend.