Miss independent, Miss self-sufficient, Miss keep your distance, Miss unafraid, Miss out of my way, Miss don't let a man interfere, Miss on her own, Miss almost grown, Miss never let a man help her off her throne. That pretty much describes me a few years ago JA! Then I met Sam. :)
Sam and I are both from the same small town of Mission. We attended the same High School, but because he was several grades ahead of me, we didn't go to High School together. As many of you know, Sam and I also coincidentally attended the same University. Yet, we never met! Sam was a senior my very first semester at A&M. The very first party I attended during my very first semester (2000) happened to be that of my best friend's (at that time) brother's ring dunking party. Sam was there also as my best friend's brother was his best friend but we still didn't meet and it wasn't until 8 years later that we even realized we were at that same party together!! So being that I love taking pictures, I took a group picture of all the "Valley" people at that party. Every time I looked at this one particular picture, I remember thinking that I knew everyone in that picture except for that guy on the far right. Eight years later (2008), when Sam and I were going through my pictures, I found out that that guy was actually Sam!
Some time during my freshman year of college, we also attend our friend's wedding in Mission and again, did not meet.
Our paths didn't cross again until four years later (2004). This time, we crossed paths at a Buffalo Wild Wings (BW2) in the Valley where all the Aggies in the Valley gathered to watch the Aggies BTHO t.u.! :) During half time, this guy gets on a chair and acts like an Aggie Yell Leader and leads all of us in the Yells. I vividly remember thinking to myself "man, that guy is so cool!". I don't have a picture of this particular moment but both of us remember this day and again, neither one of us knew we were there until we start talking about it years later in random conversations once we were officially a couple. I also didn't know that that guy on the chair was also the random guy in the picture above.
After BW2, our paths didn't cross again (that we know of or can remember) until the first time we actually officially MET September 2006 at a tailgate for the Aggie vs Army football game in San Antonio. My friend Omar calls me and tells me this guy has an extra ticket to the football game. I get in my car and drive from College Station to San Antonio. Omar introduces me to that guy...he FINALLY has a name...Sam. Of course I do not remember Sam being that guy in the picture or that guy on the chair leading the yells. Below is the one picture we have of this day. We both look sooo young!
A whole year later, we meet again, and again it revolves around A&M! :) Sam buys season tickets to the Aggie games so he'll be at all the home games and I, being that I live so close to Aggieland (Austin) and still have all my great friends there, also come back for all the home games. Sam and I cross paths again at the very first game at Omar's tailgate. Amanda and I attend the game together and sit separately from Sam and his friends but by half time, some how, we're all sitting together. :) We didn't take any pictures together during the game, but below are some pictures of after the game in September 2007.
Our paths didn't cross again until four years later (2004). This time, we crossed paths at a Buffalo Wild Wings (BW2) in the Valley where all the Aggies in the Valley gathered to watch the Aggies BTHO t.u.! :) During half time, this guy gets on a chair and acts like an Aggie Yell Leader and leads all of us in the Yells. I vividly remember thinking to myself "man, that guy is so cool!". I don't have a picture of this particular moment but both of us remember this day and again, neither one of us knew we were there until we start talking about it years later in random conversations once we were officially a couple. I also didn't know that that guy on the chair was also the random guy in the picture above.
After BW2, our paths didn't cross again (that we know of or can remember) until the first time we actually officially MET September 2006 at a tailgate for the Aggie vs Army football game in San Antonio. My friend Omar calls me and tells me this guy has an extra ticket to the football game. I get in my car and drive from College Station to San Antonio. Omar introduces me to that guy...he FINALLY has a name...Sam. Of course I do not remember Sam being that guy in the picture or that guy on the chair leading the yells. Below is the one picture we have of this day. We both look sooo young!
A whole year later, we meet again, and again it revolves around A&M! :) Sam buys season tickets to the Aggie games so he'll be at all the home games and I, being that I live so close to Aggieland (Austin) and still have all my great friends there, also come back for all the home games. Sam and I cross paths again at the very first game at Omar's tailgate. Amanda and I attend the game together and sit separately from Sam and his friends but by half time, some how, we're all sitting together. :) We didn't take any pictures together during the game, but below are some pictures of after the game in September 2007.
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| From Left to Right is my Amanda, Artie, Sam, Me, and Israel (my best friend's (back in 2000) brother) |
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| This was also at a bar in EP during one of my many visits for work |
Sam and I keep seeing each other at all the home football games through out Fall 2007 and even drive in to College Station together for some of the games. It is important to note that Sam and I were not in a relationship together through this time. We were honestly just friends...and we can prove it as he had a girl friend during some of these months. I was happily single and was a very social butterfly. :) Below are some more pics of Fall 2007 football season.
I know this picture looks as if we are "together" but we are NOT! The thought hadn't even crossed our minds...for real. Sam had actually driven in to Austin to see his best bud Adrian (right above) and he called to see if I was in town and I met them both at Plucker's in Round Rock.
Through out the fall months (October 07-December 07), it so happens that I needed to fly into El Paso for work once a month to visit a group of children on my case load. Since Sam lived there, I stayed at his house instead of staying in a hotel. I suppose because of how often we saw each other (me flying in to El Paso for work and him flying in to Austin for the Aggie games) we formed some kind of a friendship.
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| Here we are at a club in El Paso on one of my work trips. What is also so ironic about this day is that my childhood best friend was going to be modeling at this bar. I hadn't seen her in years so we decided to go. |
December 2007, A&M makes it to the Alamo Bowl Game. Again, Omar plays an important role in this part. :) Sam has decided not to attend the bowl game. Omar calls me and tells me he has an extra ticket. I call Sam and tell him Omar has an extra ticket if he wants to go he can buy it from Omar. Sam says "i'll think about it". I think it was around this time that I finally start thinking to myself "i like his company". Sam calls me back and says he wants to go so I call Omar and tell him Sam will buy his ticket. We all attend the game together and have a blast back at the hotel staying up all night. Below are pics of the Alamo Bowl.
Anyone who knows Sam, knows he is not a typical guy. He doesn't flirt with girls to show them he is interested. He doesn't really "date". He is not romantic but he is very considerate. I like that better. So if he was interested in me, I had no idea, but from the next day forward, Sam and I spoke on the phone or via txt every single day and that is the only way I knew he was interested. I came back up to visit him in El Paso (for work) January 2008. AND SO IT BEGINS...Finally! I think the rest from here is history :) Below are some pictures from January 2008.
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| My trip to EP with work also so happened to be Sam's birthday! :) We were out celebrating. |
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| Sam took me to the top of Franklin Mountain at sunset. |
I felt I needed to explain how our relationship began with being at the same place at the same time several times and never meeting because every time I think about it, I am amazed of how full of coincidences the history is. These coincidences that we didn't discover until many many years later. I love it!
So if you were one of the patient ones who read all the way through and got this far (sorry!), you'll be happy to know that I'm done writing and will leave with saying one last thing...............
WE'RE ENGAGED!!
