Laughter

Laughter is an instant vacation. ~Milton Berle

So last night we had our annual holiday party with my work, and we went to a murder mystery mansion dinner. When we walked in (through a Chinese restaurant), I realized it was far from a mansion and was a little worried as to how it would turn out....They seated us in the front table and since I heard they took people from the audience to be a part of the show all I was thinking was "great, just my luck!" Stefan on the other hand, was ecstatic about sitting in the front and was just waiting to be picked out of the audience.

When they started the show, I couldn't stop laughing.... not because it was particularly funny, but because it was so cheesy! Once they started getting people from the audience it was hard to stop laughing.... especially when my boss was up there, and of course, Stefan eventually made his way up there too. Stefan stole the show when he was in a dance-off with a few other people from the audience and danced with another man (dressed as a woman). It was the funniest thing I've seen in a while, and he clearly enjoyed himself on stage.

I realized that there is nothing like a good laugh, and no matter how bad of a day you've had, or how stressed out you have been, laughter can turn all of that around. We had a really fun time last night and as cheesy as it was, it was so nice to not have to think about work, responsibilities, or anything and just enjoy a good laugh with good company.

Carry laughter with you wherever you go. ~Hugh Sidey

How we met....

I can't believe I'm behind the times with blogging, and this is my VERY first one! I figured the best way to start would be to share how Stefan and I met.....

My very first memory of Stefan was when I was in junior high... My friend Nikki rode the bus home with me, and Stefan happened to be riding the bus home with one of his friends.... He was in the high school and we were in the junior high (the schools were next door so we shared the same buses). Our stops were one of the last few so when there were just a few people left on the bus, I got a good glimpse of him :) I have a very strange memory and remember that his friend wearing light tan doc marten sandals (and to this day, we can't figure out who it was!)-- the shoes have absolutely no relevance to how we met, but still, it's a detail that only I would probably remember.

I had the biggest crush on Stefan and I didn't even "know" him... but I'm pretty sure a lot of girls had a crush on him too. I remember his license plate on his car said "FRANCE" and my friend and I would always make up stories about what we thought it meant. (We found out later it used to be his mom's car and she's French, so when she came to the states she chose that as her personalized plate.) When I came to the high school, he was a senior (I was a sophomore), and I still had my crush on him... He would say "hi" in the hall and we both knew we were neighbors, but just never had any sort of conversation with each other. Everyone in our high school knew him and he was pretty well-liked so needless to say, I was kind of nervous whenever I saw him.

I started dating this guy Phil when I was a sophomore in high school, and he was also friends with Stefan. Stefan and I still just knew OF eachother, but still didn't have any sort of conversation.... Phil and I broke up the beginning of my junior year and a month after I got my drivers license, I got in a car accident (surprise surprise). Phil had called to make sure I was okay, and somehow Stefan learned about the accident (University Place is a small little city, so word gets around quick) and he sent me an email asking if I was ok. I think I probably crapped my pants when I got the email.

Stefan and I became really good friends, and didn't start dating until the beginning of my senior year (October of 1999) when I wrote him a letter telling him how I really felt. Luckily he felt the same way I did and we've been together ever since!!