"We met through mutual friends"... and other lies we'll tell our kids.

Ang and I met 10 years ago "through mutual friends".  Well...that's the story she will tell you anyways and it is certainly the version our kids will hear but... that's not quite how it went down.  Truth be told... it was really quite romantic and glamorous.  It was the fairytale encounter that every girl dreams of...the type of stuff you only see in movies.  We met at a bar.

*I'll just let that sink in for a minute...

Me...
Ok well...both "versions" are actually true.  Mari, one of my best friends since elementary school, had just started dating a guy (Eric) from Houston, TX (pay attention...there's a test later).  Things were starting to get serious and he was coming up to visit for the weekend.  She wanted me to meet him when he was in town so I could scope him out and tell her what I thought of him.  I was supposed to go to UND that weekend to visit my little sister but... Mari was one of my best friends and I wasn't about to let her date a douche bag so it was set...we were heading out downtown because...you know...what better way to really judge someone than to get them drunk, in a city they've never been to, and then interrogate them.  Brilliant!  Anyway...I approved.  Now they're married...coincidence??

(Mari & Eric)

Ang...
So... Mari worked with Ang's aunt (Miriam) and they had never hung out outside of work before but somehow found out that each of them were heading downtown and they decided to meet up.  Miriam just so happened to be going out with Ang that night. 

(Ang & Miriam)

The moment we met...
Then it happened.  We (Mari, Eric & yours truly) meet up with them (Miriam &Ang).  Honestly... I can't remember which restaurant bar we met at because the moment I saw her, she was all I could think about.  I new right then that I was either going to marry her or stalk her...either way it was a win.  We proceeded to walk over to this really quiet, romantic place called Spin Nightclub.  I mean...this place just wreaks of class booze and desperation.  But...we proceed and throw caution to the wind.  Once we entered said classy place Ang disappeared.  I literally didn't see her the rest of the night...until...last call.  I randomly run in to her again at the bar, buy her a drink, and decide to ask her out.  You know...because when a girl you just met ignores you all night, the only logical thing to do is to ask her out.  But...no shit...it worked.  I got her number.  Side Note:  On second thought... maybe her version does sound better?

The dreaded phone call...
I waited 3 days 1 day and called her.  Here's what I know for certain about that moment...
1.  She answered the phone so...she actually gave me her real number. 
2.  She had absolutely no idea who I was (there may or may not have been some cocktails involved).  She did however enter my number in her phone as "Mike- Mari's Friend".  She knew that Miraim worked with Mari, Miriam liked Mari, and I was friends with Mari so I couldn't have been that bad.
3.  She actually agreed to go on a date with me which was essentially a blind date for her since she didn't remember who I was.

Things are looking good right!?

The first blind date...

Ang had always dated the same type of guy... the hockey player, Abercrombie & Fitch type guy.  Then there's me.  Keep in mind that this is a blind date for her...she answers the door to some guy with ripped jeans, tattoo's, piercings, and a mowhawk.  Yep...that happened.  I'm pretty sure at this point she thought she was going to die but, bless her heart, she went on the date anyway.  She didn't expect things to go well but we ended up hitting it off right away.  It was the "easiest" first date either one of us had ever been on!  It was like we had been friends forever and were just picking up where we left off.  The evening just flowed and we had set up our 2nd and 3rd dates before we even finished dinner.

Happily ever after...
I wish I could say that everything continued to just flow after that first date but this is Ang were talking about here.  Lets just say things didn't always go as planned.  Ang and I dated for 4 years and during that time she actually broke up with me 3 times.  The first time she called me and gave me some line about how she didn't think we had a connection and maybe we should just be friends.  Ummmm...como se what?  Yea...even Miriam thought she was crazy when she told her that.  That break up (break up #1) lasted about a week.  The next one (break up #2) was even better.  She called me while I was at work ("apparently" she has a thing for breaking up with me over the phone) and told me to "pack my shit and get out by the time she got home".  First of all...this is sweet little ole Ang were talking about.  Second of all...WTF?  That lasted until I got home that day to officially "pack my shit and get out" where she swiftly apologized and proceeded to tell me she just "had a bad day"  Side note:  What the hell am I getting myself into?  And the 3rd time...well...I honestly don't even remember the specifics of that one but it was short lived like the rest of them.

Livin' the dream...
Fast forward a little...we got engaged and got married.  I'm still not even quite sure how I got her to say yes.  I think maybe she was either in a coma at the time or confused about the question...either way...I'm pretty sure there was a nod or a slightly audible yes in there somewhere.  Shortly after we started our family.  10 years after that drunken stupor night, we have been blessed with 3 little boys who keep life...well... interesting.  I document some of the craziness over at my dad blog Tonka Trucks & Tattletales.  I am blessed to be married to a fiesty Christian women who's idea of a swear word is "goodness gracious".  We rarely fight because, come on, you can't really take someone seriously in a fight when they come at you with "goodness gracious".  Am I right?  Anyone...anyone?  We have had an amazing journey together so far and I can't wait to see where our next chapter takes us! 

-Mike