The Story of a Girl

Once upon a time, I had no desire for any kind of serious relationship; I thought boyfriends and marriage were for squares (and they still are to some extent).

THEN I moved to Lethbridge and something was waiting for me that I did not take into account...

I met Brett playing volleyball with the YSA like they do every Tuesday and Thursday night.  I was "dating" someone else at the time (dating being an extremely loose term; a 5 day shelf life is hardly a relationship) but he was in Calgary for a bit.  Brett and some other people around and I would just joke on the sidelines and whatever and talk about who knows what.  Somehow we got talking about longboarding and how I love it but don't have a board and he said he has 2 and that I should go longboarding with him and his friend Steve the next day.  So we did.

Longboarding was super fun, I am not very good compared to Brett and Steve but it was fun and casual and we went back and played cards with Steve and his roommates.  (Yes I was the only girl and yes it was a little awkward).

So my pathetic excuse for a boyfriend comes back after a few days (after hardly talking to me at all) and he breaks up with me but still wants me to hang around that night and watch Nacho Libre (GREAT film by the way, I highly recommend it.).  So I did, feeling PAINFULLY awkward but Brett was there on the other side of the room and we would make jokes and laugh from all the way across the room because we are cool like that.

Not wanting to get a ride home with my now ex-lame-ass-boyfriend, I asked Brett for a ride home and talked with him a little about how I was feeling.  Over the next little while we would text and hang out and be cool and whatever and I would still complain about the douche who dumped me like a chump and Brett sent me a text that really caught me off-guard.  It talked about how I would always say I am tired of boys who are pansies and incapable of having competent relationships and he said "You always say you don't want somebody who is afraid. Well, I'm right here."

WOW. Wow. I did not expect that kind of honesty.  Especially considering I had noooo intention of having anything more than a friendship with him (and we were the bestest of friends), I did not have those kinds of feelings for him and I told him that and that I did not want a relationship. I just wanted to "do me" (shout out to Jersey Shore for the terminology) and have fun being single in a new city and stuff. 

So we continued to hang out, Brett and Dallas and I, and we decided to make a spur of the moment roadtrip to Kelowna to go to the beach and pick up the rest of my things from home.  My mom talked to me while the boys were outside/away from the conversation and said "....you do know Brett likes you right?" to which I replied "UGH! I know. I wish he would just....be...REGULAR and stop it." That's a direct quote.

So the next while passed, about 2 months, and we got closer and closer and it was as though we were dating without officially dating. I didn't want to date him because I didn't feel 100% invested in the romantic relationship and he deserved a girlfriend who was completely into it.  I told him I didn't see this relationship lasting or going anywhere (HA! joke's on me now...stupid Allison...) especially because he was moving to Edmonton for work so duh I'm not gonna sacrifice everything for a long distance relationship that I am not invested in.

Brett came down from Edmonton for Thanksgiving weekend and since I was not able to go home, I went with him to his family's Thanksgiving in Raymond and it was lovely.  When we got back to my house in Lethbridge and he was about to leave to go back to Edmonton, we were hugging and kissing goodbye (yes we kissed while we weren't dating. I'm probably going to hell, I know.) and he started to tear up and I was like what the heck is going on?  He said some really nice things about how badly he wanted a relationship with me and he was willing to do whatever it takes to make it work because he just wanted to be with me.  I told him I would think about it.

I was going up to Edmonton that following weekend with Alaya French, my homie (literally, I lived at her house), and I had decided I was going to tell him no but the more I convinced myself to say no, the more I felt I should say yes...

So I told him all my reservations and how I felt and was completely honest from the beginning and decided that he deserves for me to give it a real good try before writing him off.  I had told my roommate Kiera that I would genuinely give it my all until around Christmas and if I still felt it wasn't going anywhere then I would break up with him after that. 

So we started dating and things went great.  We went back to Kelowna for a fun roadtrip and things were great.  Brett drove down every weekend except the one right before the Kelowna trip.  I found myself missing him more and more and was surprised how much he was putting into this relationship; it made me feel really good.

December rolls around and I had the thought of "what if we were to get engaged?" and then proceeded to laugh at myself and shake off that ridiculous notion.  Then one day we were just chillin' on the couch in his parents' basement and talking about how I didn't want him to leave and he said "how would you feel if I never had to leave you again? Forever?" and I told him "I don't think I can answer that right now. That's not a fair question." and we proceeded to talk about it and I guess by the end of the conversation we had decided we were going to get married (though I'm not sure how we came to that decision haha...ha...).

It was really hard not telling people we were going to get married for the couple weeks before he actually proposed. I let it slip a few times to a few people because I am a terrible secret keeper :} oops.

The day of the proposal was December 11th (exactly 2 months after that fateful Thanksgiving day, about 4.5 months of being best friends).  On this day in history, I was in La Senza buying bras ( I know you wanted to know that) and Brett was out doing whatever (HE WAS GETTING THE RING! which I kind of knew but didn't really know. We had picked one out earlier so he knew which one to buy.)

We decided we were going to go talk to our old friend Jack Stone (he is 60+ years old and is Brett's best friend for real) and we stopped at Brett's friend Andrew's house who is Jack's son in law who happens to be Brett's best friend of 20 years, no big deal.  We tell him we are headed to Jack's and Andrew follows behind us. 

I sit in the kitchen with Jack's wife Janice and their daughter Candace who is Andrew's wife and we are just talking about whatever while Jack and Brett wander off which is typical of those two.  Jack asked Brett to help him set up lights in the backyard on their stone archway (HA. funny joke because it's out of bricks and their last name is Stone....haha....? Nevermind.) which I thought nothing of because they are best friends and always talk and chum it up and whatever.

So they come back in the house after a while and Jack says "Brett you should take Allison to go see the lights" and RIGHT then I knew it was going to happen so I am trying not to smile or shake out of anticipation and they give me a coat to wear because I didn't bring one because I wasn't planning on going outside to be proposed to.

So we trudge through snow literally up to my knees through the whole backyard because it's so convenient and warm out. Not. There is a single strand of red lights along the arch (it actually looks pretty lame) and we walk to the other side of the arch and there is a bin of chocolates from Jack and we eat one and I say "okay I'm freezing can we go back now?" because I love to unintentionally ruin the moment.  Brett walks me to the other side of the arch and the lights are bunched together in the form of a bouquet with cotton stuffed in it and the ring on top of it.

He took my hand and knelt down and asked me to marry him and I said yes!  And the rest is soon to be history :)

The more I thought about the idea of marrying him and the more I allowed myself to be able to just love him and get out of my own way, the better I felt and the stronger the feelings got and I feel it is the best choice of my life (which is interesting considering the other choices I have made over the course of my days haha).  but seriously, he is more than I ever could have asked for.  He is such a sweetheart and so cute and kind and patient.  He never worries and I worry enough for the both of us.  He is my best friend and my everything and I just love him and can't wait to be with him forever.



Okay I had to do at least ONE cheesy post so there you go.