The Backstory...

For starters, Bob and I are no strangers to wedding planning. In fact, we've both been married before...more times than either of us probably cares to admit...to each other even. You see, Bob and I are childhood sweethearts. From a small town where if you didn't marry right out of high school and start popping out your next of kin, you were considered freakish or destined to become an old maid. So, with stars in our eyes, love in our hearts and lust in our...well, you get the idea....we headed to Vegas and eloped at a very young age. To make a long story short, once my parents found out, they were devastated. How could their only daughter run away and get marrr--ieeee---ddd, without her daddy giving her away or her mother planning the biggest shindig their small town had ever seen? Well, needless to say, a "real" wedding was in order, so 9 months later we had a big church wedding with all the trimmings, followed by the biggest, fanciest reception. And while we did live happily ever after for a bit, eventually we grew up. Which also means we grew apart. And divorced. A first for my side of the family. I wasn't proud.

So Bob and I went our separate ways, for oh, about 8 years or so. I moved to a big city 2 states away. He...well, he moved to a different big city. We both moved on, met new significant others, and both remarried. During this time, we had hit and miss contact with each other, mostly through friends and family members or the occasional secret rendezvous (pre-other significant other marriages...and who could blame us, the sex really was good even if we did hate each others guts). Bob and his new wife had no children. I had a baby, who will from now on be referred to as Little bear, or LB for short, who is now a big 5 year old kindergartner. Time sure did fly, that's for sure.

Fast forward alot of years, alot of tears, and alot of playing the what-if game. My second marriage crumbled, as did Bob's. Now, neither of us are proud of this fact, but we are both quite good at internet stalking and at different times had sent each other messages that were never received for one reason or another...until April 11th, 2007. Lo and behold, Bob's picture popped up after much searching and with knots in my stomach, I sent him a quick email to say hello. He replied almost immediately and the rest, as they say, is history. We've been pretty much inseparable ever since.

Now, I know we may seem prime candidates for a sweeps week episode of Dr. Phil, and that "an ex is an ex for a reason". But in our defense, we are both MUCH older now, and most definitely wiser. .We've talked through most, if not all of our prior "issues", and have agreed to go back into this relationship with an open mind, heart and 100% honesty. I'll be the first to admit, as a single mother, who thought she was destined to live the rest of her days alone raising her son, Bob's re-appearance into my life has been nothing short of a miracle. He is the father I'd always imagined for my son. The partner in crime I'd been dreaming of since I was a tiny girl, and the man I'd hoped and prayed for every night, before I finally given into the fact, that my dreamboat was never coming. I no longer take him for granted, and waking up in his arms every morning is one of the best gifts I've ever received. I am now a firm believer in second chances.

Stay tuned...I'll be posting photos and ideas soon. Now that you and I are practically cyberspace BFF, I'm going to need alot of advice and help in pulling off Bob and I's surprise wedding.