Latest News:
On Friday, January 14, 2005
Lisa Elaine
and
Michael Joseph
were united in marriage
in a private ceremony.
We would like to thank both of our families and all of our friends for their love and support. Thank you for being there for us!
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Previous Update: As of July 2, 2004, I am a divorcée! Let the wedding plans begin!
We've finally chosen a date, although HOW we're going to do things is a bit up in the air. And so is the wedding party, due to some ensuing drama.
Our relationship grows stronger day by day. He is as involved in the wedding plans as I am.
Mike just started a new job on August 24 at a company not far away from our apartment. It's 12 hour shifts, three or four days a week. It also shifts from day to night shift every seven weeks. But the pay is much better, and so is the fact that he doesn't have to drive 50+ miles ONE WAY just to get to work!
Things are slowly coming together. I've got my dress and my shoes. We kind of have a venue.
Eh, it's not like I haven't planned a wedding on short notice before! At least I KNOW this one will last! :)
~*~*~*~
Previous Update - February 2004: Due to circumstances beyond our control, the wedding has been postponed until Mike and I can sit down and figure out when/where/what we want to do. Turns out the Baltimore County Court system likes to drag their heels and my divorce hearing isn't until July 2. THAT will be MY Independence Day!
As soon as he and I figure out what we're doing, you'll be the first to know!
~*~*~*~
How it all began: It all started innocently enough. Or so we both thought!
Mike and I met online in November of 2002, through one of the myriad of online dating services. (Suffice it to say, we are proof that this interweb thingie DOES work!)
Anyway, I had just come out of an extremely bad break up and was just trolling through the ads when I came across Mike's. Something about it caught my eye...I think it was the way he had written it...laced with such off-beat humor...that I had to send him a message. It could have also been the picture attached to the ad...YUM! The adorable smile had me hooked from the beginning.
We sent a few emails through the aforementioned dating service and then moved things over to instant messages. After getting to know each other, we made plans for dinner and a round or two of pool. Early on, he took to calling me "Sharky", even though I believe my pool playing skills are severely lacking...
Well, the fates intervened and decided it wasn't right for us to meet just yet. After a few failed attempts due to Mike's being sick, we finally made plans to get together the week of Thanksgiving. Wouldn't you know it...*I* got sick! He wanted to come out and see me shoot that Wednesday night before the holiday, but unfortunately, I was too sick to even move off of my couch. So we postponed things yet again.
Finally, December 2, 2002, I met the man who will become my husband in 2004. We hit it off instantly. I was thoroughly taken by his good looks and his boyish charm. I'm still wondering how it is I got to be so lucky.
Our first date was interesting, to say the least. The Flyers were playing the Devils that night...anyone that knows me knows my life gets put on hold once hockey season comes around...so I invited him over for dinner and then drinks and pool after the hockey game. Well, he ended up having to do dinner with his family, but came over bearing beer and a charming smile. We sat down on the couch, conversation flowing, when my oldest cat Murron came over to do her inspection.
She instantly fell for him, in much the same way that I did. She didn't leave his lap for most of the night. Later on that night, neither did I! After the hockey game, we went out to my favorite hangout, shot some pool, had quite a few drinks, chatted with some of my friends and got to know each other better. Then we ended up back at my place...
It didn't take long for me to fall in love. Truthfully, I DIDN'T want to fall in love again. I had been badly hurt in my last relationship, so I wasn't looking for love at that point. I was also still in the middle of divorcing my first husband. Mike and I were both looking for a friend, someone to hang out with and have fun, and if something else were to develop, it would be quite the bonus. We both confided our fears to each other and let nature take its course...and I suddenly realized that I was deeply in love with this man, more so than I had ever been with anyone else. It hit me like a bolt right out of the blue, and it was something that I can honestly say I have never felt before. Yes, even though I'd already been through one marriage. This was something totally different. Something totally wonderful.
When I say that Mike is everything that I've ever wanted in a man, I'm not joking. Handsome, smart, charming, funny, respectful, treats me great and loves me for who I am. Likes to surprise me. Buys me roses for no reason. He takes such good care of me.
Mike moved in with me at the end of April, 2003. One big happy family. Mike, me, one fat cat, one skinny cat, a myriad of fish and a very opinionated donkey! (See the pictures in the sidebar and you'll see what I mean about the donkey.) Even now, we're still in the middle of moving stuff. We've gotten permission from the rental office to paint the apartment and we want to change things around totally. First thing we did was go out and buy a dining room set. As he says, "Our first furniture purchase together!"
On the 28th of May, he proposed to me...in the middle of
my pool match, to boot! I was losing, rather badly, in fact,
when he told me he had been thinking about us getting married quite a
lot lately. To say I was in shock was a bit of an
understatement. I continued playing my match, or rather, I
continued to watch my opponent run the balls out on me, and then Mike
and I sat down at the bar to discuss things. Truthfully, I
thought he was joking, just to make me feel better during my
match. When I found out he was indeed serious about wanting to
marry me, he received a resounding "YES!" I finally picked out a ring in the
beginning of October. When it came in, he proposed to me again.
I absolutely love my ring. It has a matching wedding band with three princess cut stones and baguettes alternating across the top of the band.
Our families and friends are thrilled, to say the least. My parents adore him, and I get along well with his. A definite plus!
We spend just about every waking moment together. Sounds sad to some people, but he and I enjoy each other's company immensely. We love doing things together, from walking around a shopping mall to just sitting together watching something on TV or playing on our computers. We compliment each other well. We get along famously, hardly ever fight and just love being together. We have quite a lot in common and are both willing to try things that the other likes doing. We just enjoy each other very much.
So there you have it!
This page will be updated occasionally as our wedding plans progress.
