10 Year Anniversary

Exactly 10 years ago today--on May 7, 1998--I met Matt. It's sometimes difficult to wrap my head around the fact that we've known each other for an entire decade! I was 17, and he was 19. We were just kids! That Spring day was beautiful. My senior year of high school was wrapping up, I had already been accepted to A&M; basically I didn't have a care in the world at the time! (Ah, remember the good ol' days??) Thanks to my good pal Meredith, I met Matt at Casa Ole in Longview. At the dinner was me, Meredith, Moody (I never knew he was good friends with Matt!), Matt's brother Jason, and their friend Ben Fenton. I had no idea that gorgeous Spring evening that I would meet the man I would spend the rest of my life with. I was just planning on meeting this guy who I had chatted with online, thanks to our mutual friend Meredith. It was a dinner that we both will never forget. And here are just a few reasons why:

1. Matt told me (much later) that when he first saw me that evening, he knew that he was going to marry me. Isn't that sweet?! Too bad I didn't feel the same way! I mean, don't get me wrong: I thought he was the hottest thing I'd ever seen, but he was a Big College Man. I was a measley little senior in high school. He went to Tech, I was going to A&M. In my eyes, I didn't see anything working out. Good thing I'm usually wrong. :)

2. I finished off his plate. Yeah, that's right. I can eat Mexican food like it's going out of style. Keep in mind that I had JUST met him. And I finished off his plate. I was starving. We still joke about that. Hey, nothing gets between a girl and her mexican food. Not even a hot stranger. ha.

3. I realized that Matt was ridiculously tall. Mind you, he had been sitting when I sat down across from him, so I didn't see him stand up until we got up from dinner. When he stood up, my eyes searched up, and up, and up, until they finally reached the top of his head. That made me like him even more. ha.

We hung out all summer long. We had a blast. But then August rolled around and he went his way, and I went mine. In College Station, I waited for my phone to ring. It didn't. I waited and waited and waited. Finally, I picked up the darn phone and called him. And, well, the rest is history.

I could not have asked for a better partner in life. Here are some of the highlights of the past 10 years. Oh, and speaking of highlights, check out Matt's hair in the third picture. :)

This is me on May 7, 1998, just a couple of hours before I met Matt. I was even wearing that dress when I went to Casa Ole. I doubt it still fits. :(
This is our very first picture together. Matt came down to College Station to surprise me in October.
Here's us on our 6 month anniversary. Matt took me to Oxford Street. Hey, you Longview folks know that that was a FANCY restaurant back in the day! Matt looks like he could be the sixth member of The Backstreet Boys, doesn't he?? :) Not that I'm one to be talking. At this point, I had gained the Freshman 25. And no, that is not a type-o. :(
Here's us after a year of dating.
Engaged! July 6, 2001. (My 21st birthday)
Wedding! (July 20, 2002)
Our first house. (Spring 2003)
Our first glimpse of Abby. (October 6, 2006).
Our first family photo. (May 18, 2007)
The Tenner Trio now.
Do you ever feel blessed beyond belief?