You know when you get your first boyfriend and you think you're completely in love, and you break up and it's the end of the world? Then you get your next, and it just keeps getting worse and worse with every single one? Yeah, I thought I was in love a couple times, actually. Embarrassing, I know.

My first real love came when I wasn't looking for it. I mean, I started dating a guy that had I had been friends with benefits with for a few months. So what good could come from that? Then out of no where, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Actually it hit us both. Shae and I actually met when we were just kids. I was a major tom-boy and he was a cry baby who tattled on his brothers. We re-met again my junior year of high school when we were in the same Police Science class. He had a girlfriend at first so nothing came of it for awhile. Before we knew it, I was helping him pass all his classes, staying after school to tutor him, spending tons of time together. Then summer came and we parted ways. When I told him I had feelings for him he said he had feelings for me too but he wasn't ready for a relationship and we agreed to be friends with benefits. This made me extremely determined to prove him wrong and prove myself that I was worthy girlfriend material.

I remember the first time we said we loved each other. I actually thought he was going to break up with me! (So funny to look back on). It's even funnier to look back on it now, when we both thought we loved each other then because now we are married and we live across the country from all of our family, and we are so completely in love.

I'm happy I married my first love. I feel very lucky and fortunate to get to spend the rest of my life with the first person I fell in love with.