My Best Friend {Part 2}

Happy Memorial Day, Weekend!
3 Days off? Sign me up.

It's time for an addition to the My Best Friend post; you may click here if you missed Part 1 a few weeks ago.

When I left off last time, I had just mentioned that we had started dating in October of 2008. We kept our relationship on the down low for awhile since I was still interning at the design firm that he worked at. You know that whole "don't mix business with pleasure" advice...? yeah, oops. Don't worry, I did a good job at my internship.

On a walk

Our first dates usually consisted of rollerblading around the lake or playing tennis, seeing movies, or going out to eat. We often played a continuous game of "questions" in which we would alternate asking and answering random questions in attempt to learn more about each other. A lot of the questions that we would ask were along the lines of "What's your favorite childhood memory?" or "What was the best gift you've received? etc. This helped us open up to each other in an easy way.

Mini Golfing for Andy's Birthday

As our relationship grew, we got to know each other more by spending time together and meeting each other's friends and families. We started attending each other's family's holiday events and building relationships with these new faces as well. Andy blended seamlessly into my family and everyone loved him from the start--including my little cousins.

Andy and I with my cousins on Thanksgiving

Us with Andy's brother and sister plus their loveys

Us with my sister and her husband (Clearly it was past my bedtime)

Time went on and our relationship grew--it was hard to believe when we had reached the 1 year mark so quickly! Within that year, we truly enjoyed spending time together and getting to know each other.

1st Valentine's Day together, 2009

Snowy Christmas Eve

All dressed up for our friend's wedding

One of the main things that drew me to Andy was his love for the outdoors and being active. Living an active lifestyle is something that has always been a part of me so it was great to learn that he and I shared a love for rollerblading, sports, and enjoying the outdoors. Some of the active things that we enjoy doing together include:

• going for long walks around the lake (sometimes we run but I always make him run behind me because he's too fast and I try to keep up with him and his long legs and tire way too quickly
• playing tennis (he taught me how!)
• rollerblading
• soon enough--biking.

Canoe trip last summer

I love Andy's easy-going nature and optimistic personality. He's a hard worker but knows how to strike a balance to play hard too. From the start, I felt like I could be myself completely around him and that made me want to spend more time with him. He has taught me a lot: tennis, graphic design, life advice, and photography. He's fun to joke around with and his sense of humor always has me laughing.  It is hard to believe that as of next month, we will have known each other for 3 years! Our wedding is coming up soon and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him.

State fair--we go each year since it is THE event of the summer in Minnesota.

As our second year of dating began, we started to talk more about marriage in the future. We both knew that we were the right ones for each other, but the question was more of "when?" This was a topic that was hard for me as a girl, to let go of control and let Andy decide when the best time for us was. Never fear, he came through at the perfect time and proposed September 25, 2010 on a surprise trip up north. However, I'll save those engagement weekend details for another post...


If you have one, how did you meet your significant other?
What do you like to do to stay active?
Do you have Monday off?