Big city girl, small town life.

Growing up in Norwalk California was an amazing adventure. We were about 30 minutes from the heart of Los Angeles. And 30 seconds from my Grammie and Papa.
Life was busy in the city, big city noise, hot blacktop summers, and there was always something going on.

Most of all I remember spending most days never inside (unless it was at Grammie and Papa's.) We would ride our bikes to the Santa Ana river bed and ride along see what trouble we could find. We would walk to the local grocery store, where we would sit in the freezer section cooling off, while my sister Amber poked the eyes of the packaged dead fish.

Life got a little quieter when we moved a further inland the summer before my sixteenth birthday. Little did I know this is where I would meet the man I was going to marry.

We moved in a week before a big youth beach party. My parents forced my sister's and my anti-social butts out the door that day. We got a ride there with the anticipation that someone else would take us home (thanks mom and dad.)
We mingled as best we could, talked with some people and slowly made our way around the group. It was then I noticed a group of guys horsing around and playing beach volleyball. I saw one guy with dark brown hair, striking blue eyes, amazing jaw line, and a killer body. He looked my way and shot me a thousand watt smile. People faded and all I heard was the most awesome rendition of Berlin's "Take My Breath Away."

The party was coming to a close and we had to figure out who to get a ride home with. We ended up riding with the scoutmaster in his fifteen passenger van. And guess who was sitting in the middle seat... You guessed it, ol' blue eyes himself, Mike Berry. My sister and I hopped in the back and quietly talked to each other. We were well into our drive when I heard a familiar song come on the CD player that blue eyes and his friend were listening to. I quietly asked, "Is that Depeche Mode?" Mike turned and looked at me, no smile, nothing, he just stared right into my eyes and replied, "you know who they are?" I couldn't even squeak out an answer, I just nodded. With a smile he said, "I have to marry you!".

Now you think at this point we fall into each other's arms talking and making out all night. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Mike and I became friends, mostly only talking at church or ever so briefly in cross country.  We dated other people and he eventually went on a mission. I had forgotten about him while I was in college. I was carefree and had no interest in settling down. It wasn't until I saw him again at church years later and we started talking that he came flooding back into my mind. He had asked me out on a date and it took me weeks to answer. Was I really ready to finally go on a date with blue eyes? This man that always seemed beyond my grasp. My roommate finally convinced me to call him back. That was it.  I was smitten.

Here we are, ten years and countless adventures later, in a small town as far from civilization as this girl has ever been. Living in an amazing home and happily married to ol' blue eyes...  How far I have come from that little girl in the big city.