5 Years Ago: Hello Mr. Right

On July 20, 2005, I was totally giddy. As in giggling, can't stop smiling, doing a little happy dance, excited.

In the months leading up to that fabulous day, I had:

- broken off an engagement to Mr. All-Wrong after dating on and off for 5 years.

- been on several dates with a guy who, as it turns out, was gay. (I am pretty sure his alternative lifestyle wasn't the result of a few dates with me...at least I like to tell myself that.)

- gone on a blind date with a really nice guy. Who never called. (I'm pretty sure he must have lost my number. Yeah, that must be what happened.)

-accidentally rattled off my real number to a slightly sketchy guy when I intended to give him a "fake" number. He did call. A lot.

- received a lot of "courting" phone calls from a nice, non-sketchy fella. Who had absolutely zero social skills and couldn't figure out I was trying to let him know I wasn't interested in a nice, non-direct, but still quite obvious, way.

- (I'm sure there are some other highlights that I have since blocked from my memory.)

- debated converting to Catholicism and becoming a nun. (Okay, not really. But sort of.)

But on July 20, 2005, I had a seven-hour drive to Athens, Georgia after spending five days in Tampa, Florida. Which was plenty of time to reflect on the absolutely fabulous guy I had just met. Sure, he was a Yankee. But I figured I could get past that with a little time. He was, after all, perfect in pretty much every single way (except that he lived in Iowa). And hot. Oh my gosh was he ever a hottie!

And he called. While I was still en route on my drive back from Tampa, in fact. (No "three-day-rule" games with this guy!) By the time we hung up the phone that night (sometime after I hit a deer while driving my parents' Expedition and only 5 miles from home), I had the wedding all planned out in my mind. I could barely sleep that night; I was so excited. I had met the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with!



Of course, he didn't know that yet. And I certainly couldn't let him in on the fact for many months to come. Actually, I later found out that he had a conversation that went something like this on the tarmac of the Tampa Airport:

Friend Sitting Next to Him on the Plane: "So do you think you'll ever see Emily again?"

The Future Father of My Unborn Children: "Oh, I don't know. It'd be pretty cool I guess if I did. But she lives in Georgia, ya know?"

I sure do like it when I'm right.




I am thankful that I went to the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International Convention that year. And I'm glad that I accepted the invitation by my friend, Chops, to come hang out with him and all the Iowa State guys. And I thank God that out of the hundreds of guys in attendance (with only, oh, about a dozen females), Eric was able to catch my attention. And I'm happy that Eric called, even though I lived all the way in Georgia. And I'm forever indebted to whoever invented free long distance and free nights and weekends on cell phone plans. And that happily ever after that I had all planned out by midnight on July 20, 2005? A million times better than I ever imagined.