My darling and sometimes grumpy Neville,
Today marks the day that we first met. We don't have a "real" anniversary as we aren't legally married. But we've basically been inseparable since the day we met. It's so strange to me that we have been together for eight years. On one hand it feels like just yesterday that we fell in love. On the other hand, I feel like I've aged 35 years since meeting you.
Who knew that when our eyes locked at a fraternity party (well as much as my very intoxicated eyes could lock in on anything) that we would have become life mates? I honestly never expected us to last longer than that one night. After all, it was college. We met at a frat party where girls were exposing their 19 year old boobies to horny boys. I chalked up you offering to drive me home as your attempt to get in my pants (I was right about that, now wasn't I?).
When we exchanged numbers at 5:00am in the morning, I never expected you to call. I had been to other frat parties before. I knew how this would play out. And I wasn't going to sit around and wait for you to call - and then cry when you didn't. So I threw your number away in the trash and went to the girl's water polo match. When I returned to my apartment that evening, you had left a message on my voice-mail. You wanted to see me again. But you didn't leave your number.
And I dug through the trash can to find that teeny piece of paper that you had, just 12 hours before, scribbled your name and number.
That night we met again. And every weekend (since we lived in different cities) for the rest of my college year, we spent together. When I move closer to home, we became closer. Within 6 months of loving you, I knew that you would be the man for me, even if I would never admit it.
We've had our ups. And we've had our downs. We've managed to survive being total and complete opposites. We have different cultures, opposing political views and different religions. Yet I'd like to think that, most of the time, we balance each other. And when our differences are too much to take, we find a way to get back to our common ground. We always find our way back to one another.
I love you. I live you. I breathe you. Unless you stink. In which case, I run from you.
Happy Anniversary, baby.
