It has been several weeks since I've had anything new. June was beyond busy, and I have been quite distracted with my own love story! To be horribly and embarrassingly honest, LoveStruck was very low on my priority list until just last week. What better way to end my hiatus than to get things started back up with my brother's love story....with his now FIANCE'!
Most every love story
begins with them emphasizing that “this isn’t your usual fairy tale”. Well
that’s the case for me as well; our story was definitely not Disney worthy at
first.
Jonathan and I met when we both
worked at the Murfreesboro Athletic Club. I should tell you that when I say met
I mean I would walk by him with googly eyes and drool coming out of the side of
my mouth. I worked in the childcare while he worked the smoothie bar. I didn’t
know much about him other than he was older, was the quiet type and was
freaking gorgeous. All the childcare girls and I would refer to him as the hot
smoothie guy. I would suggest we all get smoothies all the time just so I could
go out there and see him (not talk, just stare). My shy side was definitely
apparent at that age in front of good looking men. I never considered making
any kind of move because in my mind there was no chance. He was older and would
never go for a 17-year-old with braces and an awkward personality.
He eventually left, the childcare
had to find new boys to talk about and his Facebook status changed to in a
relationship. As was mine; I continued a relationship with another boy. This
went on for a few years until one day I received a Facebook message Christmas
Eve from Mr. Jonathan telling me it’s been awhile and he wanted to know how I
was doing. I wish you could have seen the look on my face when I opened that.
HOT SMOOTHIE GUY RETURNS. We started having small talk and began talking
regularly. When the time came for him to ask me out on a date I reply with….” I
have a boyfriend.” Yes, I was still in a relationship. We had been on and off
for about three years. Honestly, the relationship should have ended a lot sooner
but I was stuck. I kept telling myself that he would change and be what I
needed if I just stayed around (but that’s a whole other story). So you
understand my eagerness to talk to a boy who was kind and heck, actually talked
to me! My current boyfriend at the time came and went as he pleased. He would
talk to me when his phone wasn’t “lost” or he was bored at his house. So when
Jonathan heard this he was rather shocked, of course! We decided to grab some
food together, but ditch the term “date”. We met at Nachos here in
Murfreesboro. I ordered food but barely touched it because I was so nervous. I
just kept thinking…holy crap he’s gorgeous. Please stop smiling, it’s too much
to handle. Haha. We talked about our families, his career, me being in school
and anything else we could think of. We had to get kicked out of the place
because we stayed until after they closed. I was thankful my mom motivated me
to go meet him, because I was too indecisive and nervous to go without a push.
After that things
just kind of started rolling; I left my boyfriend and got more serious with
Jonathan. I was experiencing things I didn’t know were possible; a boy actually
intimately talking to me daily, about my thoughts, plans, goals, etc. I hadn’t
experienced that in … awhile. He cared, he listened, he came to visit me at
work, he engaged with my family and so much more. I was blown away by this boy
and so in shock that men like him actually existed.
And then…
Walls came up; many
walls. I didn’t want to be touched. When he would try and cuddle, I’d cringe
and try to move away. I was rude, cruel and hurtful. I started telling him we
weren’t compatible, that we had nothing in common and this wasn’t going to
work. But I stayed; I continued to talk to him every day. I continued to miss
him and eagerly await his text messages. So why was I being such a (pardon my
French) bitch? I was hurt so badly from my past relationship, that I didn’t
even give Jonathan a chance. I was used to having to be on my own in a
relationship and being manipulated. I was pushing away. This is the part in
movies and books the audience is always exclaiming “NO you idiot! He loves you,
let him in!” His friends and family were asking him why he was putting himself
through this. He was getting hurt on a daily basis. I would tell him he
deserves better and to just leave me be. But he didn’t. He kept telling me he
saw something in us and he would do whatever it takes, and that’s exactly what
he did. He tried and tried and eventually those walls started to disappear. He
began to teach me what he looked for in a girlfriend. Because for the past 3
years I wasn’t one; I was basically single with a boy that would randomly enter
my life. Jonathan showed me what love was coming from a boyfriend and just…
changed everything. I told him I’d be his girlfriend and told him I loved him
within a matter of months. We started building a life together and learning
about each other.
A year and some
months later, we moved in together. A week ago, we got engaged.
We still have our
struggles; not being on the same page, not communicating like we need to and
other little things of the sort. But we are so closely connected it is unreal.
I’ve never felt a connection like it. He sees me, like really sees me. He knows
what makes me tick, what to do to make me happy and even what I want to eat. (I
make him order for me quite often). I have been in love before, but this is a
whole other experience. The engagement wasn’t all butterflies and rainbows,
because I’ve known I was going to marry him. Now I just have a ring and a
Facebook status to show it. Don’t get me wrong, I am freaking excited. But I
have been, every day since I received that text message Christmas Eve.
So my message to everyone would be: don’t let one relationship change your outlook on every relationship you have. Don’t let your past effect your present. Be open-minded and willing to change, because from that comes happiness and new experiences—like marrying the hot smoothie bar guy. ;]
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Shannon, we love you and can't wait to have you as an official member of the family. I also am beyond excited to attempt to micromanage your wedding planning!