A tribute to my high school sweetheart

I thought that I was pretty clever when I thought up the title to this

blog post. Then it occurred to me that people might think that 

I'm blogging about an old high school boyfriend

and wonder how Josh would feel about that ha ha

Well, Josh IS my high school boyfriend so I guess it's okay =)

Let me tell you a little our little story...

if for no other reason then because I don't want to forget it myself

It all started a little over 11 years ago. I was 15, almost 16 and like any other almost 16 year old I was eager to start driving! So I walk into my first drivers ed class and quickly find my friends and sat down in an empty desk. It wasn't long after I noticed this boy who was sitting amongst some mormon boys that I had known for years and couldn't recall if I'd ever seen him. But that isn't what really captured my attention, it isn't odd that these boys would know someone that I didn't know. It was that this boy was really cute! There was just something about him that attracted me to him. As the months followed, I did what any boy crazy almost 16 year old would do. I joked with my girl friends a little louder then normal so he would hear me and think I was really funny. I would wear the cutest outfits I could find. I tried to strike up conversations with his group of friends in the hopes of talking to him. I would put on the best smelling lotion as I got into class so he would notice how yummy I smelled. And more I'm sure! Everything BUT talk to him directly. With no luck. This boy and I never spoke to one another through out the corse of this driving class. Just some brief eye contact, but that was it. Sad.  In fact I didn't see that boy again for 12 months. Never saw him in the hall, never saw him at lunch and never had any classes with him. 

1 year later, it finally happened. I walked into my first day in English class and there he was sitting in the first row next to a friend. When I walked through the door he looked up and locked eyes and my heart hammered into my chest. I'm sure it was just a second that I paused at the door way, but my mind when crazy with a million thoughts "It's him. We finally have a class together. YES! Did I get the right room? Will I sit by him? What if this is the only class we ever have together?" We both can still remember that split second of eye contact. And no I wasn't brave enough to sit by him. But it didn't matter anyway, the teacher had a random seating chart every other week. After the first few weeks of class I was starting to get bummed that the teachers random seating chart never had us even close, but at least I learned his name. But I DID always seem to sit by his friend that I noticed him sitting by when I first walked in. His name was Aaron. Aaron was fun and easy to talk to, I quickly became friends with him. Till one day it finally happened, that cute boy that captured my attention for some reason was placed directly behind me! YAY! And his friend that I felt so comfortable with sat next to me in the next row over. How perfect! It still probably took a few days to get the courage to talk to him, but with Aaron sitting there I was finally brave enough. They were talking about cars and I said to Josh "You drive that loud red truck don't you?" And that was it! ha ha from that moment on we flirted LIKE CRAZY!!! When ever I was stuck on what to talk to him about I would ask for his answer to what ever English assignment we were working on. Later I find out that Josh was doing all his homework INCASE I asked him the answer to a question! I remember some tricks I would play to get his attention. I have very thick hair so sometimes I would take a shower in the morning, put my super wet hair in a bun and it would stay wet all day and when it's wet it still smells like yummy smelling shampoo, so when I got to 4th period, the last class of the day, I would take my bun down and play with my wet, super yummy smelling hair in front of him. And it WORKED because he still remembered thinking that my hair smelled really good! ha ha ha Well, after all the shameless and obvious flirting, there was still no talk of a date or hanging out or phone numbers, so Aaron takes my year book and tells me that he thinks Josh has a crush on me and here is his number! Everyone in the room knew we liked each other so on yearbook signing day, once they saw that Aaron wrote that, they all started writing the same type of things, Josh + Rachel, you guys should date bla bla bla. It was so embarrassing to us, and by that time we weren't sitting by each other, darn random every other week seating chart, so once we saw our year books, we didn't speak again the last few days of that school year. =( I thought "darn, I lost my chance."

After the last day of school, my friends went to God Father's Pizza to celebrate the beginning of summer. When we walk in, Josh's group of friends had the same idea! I didn't let my chance get away from me again! Even though his friends were ALL guys and half I didn't know, I sat down with them and talked to as many of them as I knew and made them all laugh waiting for Josh to talk to me, and nothing... This guy is too shy! That night my friends wouldn't let me just let this chance go because they KNEW he liked me, so I call him up with the number in my yearbook. We talk for 10 minutes or so, he tells me he's going to Hawaii with his dad and brother and that we would go over to my friends house after he got back. FINALLY!

He shows up that night, all cute and tan! We have a great time I think I remember him holding my hand, he drives me home, we chat in the car for probably an hour. I keep telling him "well, I should go." aka are you going to kiss me!? After about the 5th time I said it, I just lean over and kiss him! Just a little one and literately run out of the car and run up to my front door with out saying another word! Except I didn't make it to the front door, in my nervous excitement I run right into my dad's car's side view mirror and hit it with enough force that I bounced off and fell backward on the ground! Yep, I'm a keeper! ha ha
We dated that whole summer. I had every intention of casually dating lots of different guys my senior year and just having lots of fun. What's the point of seriously dating in high school? You seriously date someone when you're ready to get married. Not when you're 17. But we were 2 young almost adults and that summer we fell in love. We dated all senior year and it's so fun to look back at our dance photos! Here's us... high school sweethearts! =)

Here's Josh that night we had our first kiss

 This next one is Josh's favorite picture of me cause I'm doing what I do best,

decked out in my Kentwood Pride an making signs for leadership!

I was Suzi High School

Our first school dance, Sadies. I was too busy

setting up for the dance, I barely made it home in time to be picked up!

 Homecoming, man we both hate these pictures of us, but

we gotta post it...

 Tolo, our favorite dance memory! Fun group, fun restaurant Buca di Beppo

 in Seattle and just a fun night!

Senior Prom

 My mom did my hair, she did a great job!

So that's our little story of how we met and fell in love.

There's a lot more to our story post high school, but I'll save that for later.

Oh and today is our 4 year wedding anniversary! 

Love you Joshie!