Anniversary

This picture was taken on June 1st 2009. What if we could go back and talk to these two? What would happen if we could somehow communicate what was going to be happening exactly one year later? What would they say? Would Carrie have run away? Would I have passed out?

There are a few moments in everyone's life that define how your life is going to go. I can remember several of mine. They are also the best days of my life. On this, the occasion of our ONE year wedding anniversary, I would like to recap them.

July 1st 2007 - This could also be June 30th 2007. The night ran into the next day. I actually didn't meet Carrie until after midnight so it was July 1st. Back Porch Mary was playing in Riverton, Illinois at the Old 36 Inn. We had played there one or two other times, and we had a small loyal following in the area. The show was always fun and that night was no different. In the crowd that night was one Carrie Creasey. She got dragged to the show by some friends. She did not want to go. Who was Back Porch Mary? Why was it $10.00 to get in? She was only going to stay for 2 songs and then she was out of there. She had left a perfectly good party to come to Riverton of all places. To this day, she can't tell you why she went. A few songs went by and she got closer to the stage. She wanted to stay. The lead singer had caught her eye. During the show, she tried to buy me a drink. She came to the stage with it, and Joe (our bass player) took it from her and gave it to me. She had guessed that I was a Jack and Diet Coke guy. I was. How did she know that? I was oblivious to all of this during the show. At the end of the night she stayed around and waited to meet me. I was off talking to people when a guy came up and grabbed my arm.

Guy: There is a girl that wants to meet you.

Me: Okay. Cool. Where is she?

Guy: She says she is going to marry you. Don't tell her I said that. She won't leave until she meets you.

Me: Alright, where is she?

He turned around and I followed him to a table and all of a sudden there she was. I looked at her and I instantly believed her. I was absolutely floored when I saw her. The feeling was very strange. I sat down at the table and we started talking. I couldn't hear or see anything but her. We talked for a while and she got up and was talking to the rest of the band. We went outside and I asked her if she wanted to try and gig some frogs in the pond behind the bar. She said sure. Cool. We walked down by the pond and soon we were deep in conversation about everything. I mean everything. I told her I had to go tear down my stuff. She said she would wait. I could tell that talking to a guy in a band was making her very nervous. What kind of guy was I anyway?

I went back inside and found Ryan, our drummer.

Me: Did you meet that Carrie girl?

Ryan: Dude! She is awesome!

Me: Damn it! I knew it. She is really cool.

Ryan: She has perfect legs.

Me: She's something alright.

Carrie had stayed so long her friends left. She had to come with the band. She had a few ground rules for me.

Carrie: NOTHING is happening tonight. I'm not some groupie. If you want to hang out and talk that's fine, but don't get any ideas.

Mike: Okay.

Carrie: I'm serious! I'm not like that.

I was oddly perfectly okay with that. We rode back into Springfield with the band and stayed up all night talking. I felt like I had known this girl forever. I left Springfield the next morning and soon we were on the phone. We talked constantly. I had to drive back to Texas and I spent the entire 15 hour drive on the phone with her. She wouldn't call me. I always had to call her. She told me she wouldn't call me. I told her I could make her call me. She said no. So, I sent her a dozen roses to her work.

She called me.

I had tricked her.

She said I hadn't tricked her. She just called to thank me.

Now, all of this had happened between July 1st and July 3rd. I bet we were on the phone for a total of 50 hours in those three days. My band laughed at me. I could not stop thinking about her. As anyone knows, guys don't say "I Love You" very fast or very easy. It's an unwritten rule that you don't tell a girl that you love her. Maybe not even for a year or two.

I made it until July 4th. Four days. That's right. FOUR days. I had to play an acoustic show on the 4th of July. I called her right before I went onstage. It went to voice mail. I checked my phone after the show, which was over two hours later. No missed calls. No texts messages. I called her again. No answer.

Panic set in.

What was going on with her? Where was she? I was worried that something had happened to her. I was very concerned with her well being. I was hoping she was okay. What if she got sick of me? What if I never talked to her again? Finally, my phone rang.

Me: Hello!

Carrie: Hi! How's it going? How was your show?

Me: It was fine. I was worried I hadn't heard from you.

Carrie: My phone was in my purse. We were shooting fireworks.

Me: Oh...Okay...I just got worried...you know...about you.

Carrie: I'm fine.

Me: I know. I just....well...I got scared when you didn't call back.....I know it's ridiculous.

Carrie: No it's not. I think it's sweet.

Me: Well...you know......it's cause....I love you.

Carrie: I love you too.

Me: What are we doing?! We have known each other for four days. This is entirely too quick.

Carrie: I know...but it feels right.

It did feel right. So it began. That was July 4th. Carrie moved to Austin around September 16th which was just over two months after we met. She got an apartment and we spent every moment we could together. Let's put together a quick time line of how things transpired.

July 1st 2007 - We meet

September 16th 2007 - Carrie moves to Austin

January 1st 2008 - Carrie moves in to house with me.

March 7th 2008 - We are engaged.

June 1st 2009 - We are married.

January 22nd 2010 - We find out about the triplets.

June 1st 2010 - On bed rest waiting for triplets.

We didn't really waste any time. We didn't tap the brakes. We didn't even try to slow down. The entire time it just seemed like it was meant to be. I'm not saying it has been easy. Relationships and marriage are very hard things. You have to work at it all the time. You also have to be willing to concede a few things. Carrie and I both struggle with conceding anything. We are both very strong willed people who are not afraid of confrontation. Neither one of us is very good at backing down. However, I think that we are learning. I think Carrie's mother said it best:

"You don't have to like each other all of the time, but you do have to love each other all of the time."

So, those are the three best days of my life. The day I met Carrie, the day we got married, and the day we found out about the triplets. Carrie and I are both ready to add a fourth day to that list. It's coming. 29 weeks and counting.

I wonder what would happen if we could travel back in time 1 year and show Carrie this picture. This is Carrie at 29 weeks. The boys weigh about 3 and half pounds each. That's ten and a half pounds of baby.



Happy Anniversary Carrie. I love you very much. Thank you for doing all of this for us. Someday the boys will thank you too.