Our Love Story

 I'm linking up at From Mrs. to Mama for her Love Story Link-Up

Taken Ladies: 

1. How long have you and your significant other been together? We started dating on July 5th of 2001, so this July we'll have been together for 11 years!!

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?} We met at the church we attend. We met when his family started attending our church. He was around 9 or 10 years old and I guess I was around 13 or 14. He's about 4 1/2 years younger than me.☺ At that time, I never would have dreamed we would ever end up together. But several years later, a new family (with 4 boys) came to our church. My sister and my best friend started dating a couple of the boys and Jake happened to make friends with them. So we all hung out together ALL THE TIME. And Jake and I were the odd 2 out without a boyfriend/girlfriend. Jake had a little crush on me and I always thought he was cute, but just felt like he was too young. My sister and best friend talked me into spending more time with him and seeing where things would go and we started dating a couple months later. It was great for about a year, but then the "puppy love" wore off and the reality of our age difference really made things hard. I was ready for a more serious relationship and he just wasn't. We broke up and got back together several times, but never dated anyone else in the meantime. We had all the same friends and went to the same church, so we were always together. In the fall of 2005 Jake made a stronger commitment to our relationship and in November of 2006 he proposed. 

3. If married, how long have you been married? We will be married for 5 years this July 14th.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?  We got married at the church we attend with around 150 of our closest friends and family.

We had our reception at the Gateway Convention Center.

 

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share! Jake's a big nick-names kinda person. He has nicknames for almost everyone. He calls me "Sweet Thing" or "Babe" and I don't really have any nicknames for him.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey. I love his sense of humor. He always knows how to make me laugh. ♥  I love his outgoing personality. Everyone always loves Jake. ☺ And I love that he's such a great dad to Jackson. He was not too sure about having kids and never has been much a "kid" person, but he just adores Jackson and loves to hold him and play with him.

7. Tell us how he proposed? It was his 21st birthday and also happened to be Thanksgiving day. He proposed down by the Arch that morning and then we told our family that afternoon!

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals? 

Probably more of a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy. Last year I got these at work.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch? I would probably be more of a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, if we lived near a beach. However since we live in the mid-west, I will take a movie on the couch any chance I can.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere? I would love to take a gondola ride in Venice. I just think that would be so romantic.♥

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day. We will probably just do dinner and a movie. I'm hoping we can go see The Vow.

 12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day? No, not this year. We are planning a big trip for our 5 year anniversary in July, so we're saving up for that.

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love. I believe prayer and making God the center of your relationship is most important. I also think communication is key. If you can't tell your significant other how you are feeling about a certain situation or issue, it will never be resolved.

14.  Show us a picture of what love means to you.