Love Story: Rie and D

Rie & D

Rie: This is from my 25th birthday. I decided that D was the only person I wanted to spend my milestone birthday with. It was nice to get all dressed up for dinner (we were WAY overdressed). It meant so much to start off my first day a year older with the man who makes me so happy. The kiss was a way to calm my nerves (not a real fan of taking pics) but it's so sweet and all I see is how much we love each other.

Rie: This picture is one of my favorites because it was candid. We were at the Stir Crazy for Halloween as part of my bday celebrations.. We didn't even realize his sister was taking it. She posted it the next day... She can tell us how much our "lovey dovey" behavior makes her sick, but somehow it's like she approves of me as his girlfriend and that means a lot. 

 

D: I knew it was being taken.

Rie: We went to visit a friend in the hospital, as a family with his sister and her kids... One of the twins had the phone and snapped this candid but sweet pic of us. We lean on each other, we need each other. I know that I can depend on him. I know that if I'm feeling bad he'll make me feel better.

How long have you guys been together?

D and I have spent almost all of our lives together as friends... We met at some point at Pine Lake elem in the second grade. We also went to high school together. We've always had mutual friends. He's known me before the boobs, during the braces, and after my very destructive relationship with my ex. I knew him before he was tall, with the long blonde hair, and while he was still playing baseball.  

 

Children?

Rie: We have not been blessed with kids yet. But we have discussed baby names. I am just weird like that and I like a man who's willing to think that far ahead with me. He may hate most of the names that I've picked out, but the little exercise shows me just how much he loves me that he wants to have kids with me. And even after he's met my crazy family, he still wants to dip into my gene pool and raise kids with me. He's a keeper!

D: Naw man, I got 15 kids and 10 baby-mommas... Just joking. 

 

How did you guys first meet?

Rie: Is is bad to say that I have no idea when we first met? While I admit I can tell you a story about the first time I saw someone in the 2nd grade, I can't tell you where and when I met D. We never had classes together but somehow we always knew each other and always said hi. I guess that's a good thing, we've known each other so long that there seems to be no real beginning or ending to our friendship. In high school we rode the bus together during the summers and sometimes during the year when my girl wasn't in school and I had no other choice. He was always great about stopping by our table at lunch and saying hi... There was always a hug, like he was so happy to see me. I always just saw him as a friend. Someone cool I talked to. 

D: I used to catch rides home with her and her girl... I had to ride in the back. 

First Date

Our first date is one of my favorite stories. But first the back story. I had finally left my unhealthy situation with my ex in mid 2010 and moved back home. I found him on FB and we began reconnecting after my 6 year disappearing act. We texted frequently but I always saw him as an old friend and had no interest in dealing with his feelings for me. [ I know how horrible and assumptive that sounds.] So funny enough, one day I'm starving and there's no food in the house and he texts me that he's at Keg South (a bar). I asked if there was food there. He said yes. I asked if he'd be willing to feed me. [Again I realize how horrible this sounds] So I told him I'd meet him. Then I scurried around the house to figure out what to wear. [Somehow, even though I knew he was just a friend, I wanted to dress to impress] I get to the bar and find him. He did not look like the D I know from high school. He was tall, blonde beauty. I got bombarded with names as he introduced my to his sister, brother-in-law, nephew and 2 of his nieces... After the fam left [I offered to take him home, which was the turning point in the night because I wanted to spend more time with him and didn't want it to get cut short] we decided to play pool. I'm not the greatest player and he didn't pull the typical guy move and get all touchy feely to attempt to "teach" me. Instead he appealed to my intelligence and explained that the key to playing pool was understanding the geometry of the game. I can remember looking at him as he got ready to hit a ball and thinking "WOW! He's so confident" and that was so sexy. 

What sets him apart from other guys?

 He's special. He's not conceited, he's so laidback some people mistake it for laziness... .But I'm a high stress person and his calm nature helps to keep me calmer than I'd normally be. He feeds me [ Seems simple enough, but the way to my heart is through my stomach] He never makes me feel like I owe him anything. He puts power steering fluid in my car, changes my broken headlights, and drives so I don't have to. He includes me in his life. He had me around his family from day 1. Even before we were official his sisters introduced me to friends as his girlfriend... He anticipates my needs. He often says what I was just thinking about. He's willing to do things to make me happy like go to church, or walk around the mall with me. He makes me feel important. We go to the strip club and his eyes are on me. He's always looking at me, not at the other girls around him. He makes me feel BEAUTIFUL. I've always wanted a man who could be in a room of 100 beautiful women including me and yet only see me. Dustin makes me feel that, everywhere we go. He always makes me feel wanted. 

 

What do you feel keeps your relationship strong?

Our relationship is strong because I treat him as more than my boyfriend. He's my confidante, I tell him all my hopes and dreams for the future and the past and present. He's my best friend, I share my secrets with him. I tell him everything. He never makes me feel like I can't tell him what I feel or what's on my mind. From the beginning I never felt like I had to front. With him I'm just me. We joke, we kid. We spend time together, whether it's going out or curling up together to watch a movie. We are a big PDA couple. It's rare to see us without our hands being entwined or kissing. We say I love you and I miss you constantly. Life is so short. We make sure that we both know how much we matter to each other. We may not be married, but I think the strongest thing about our relationship is that I treat him like my husband, and he treats me like his wife. 

Any advice to people just starting out their relationship? 
Don't rush into a relationship. The greatest thing that Dustin did for me, was not try to lock me into an exclusive relationship right away. He gave me time to date other people and realize that I was happiest with him. So the decision to become official was made based on my experience with world. Also, don't let other people dictate anything to you. I've had a few friends who feel like D isn't good enough for me. One swears he can't take care of me financially because he's not as educated.. .Another swears he isn't good enough because he's not "attractive" enough. Never let people tell you what you should be with. Let your heart tell you who makes you the happiest.