2,420 Days

Meet cute boy at wedding = check

Exchange phone numbers = check

Talk a little bit via text & FB = check

Hang out with him on neutral ground in Columbia = check

Invite him to come to Clemson for a football game = check
 

... and then promptly go into full on stress about this boy you've just met a couple of weeks ago coming to visit you at Clemson = check
 

I had only known this boy for like two seconds before I invited him to come up to Clemson for the first football game. I was a nervous wreck about it and distinctly remember threatening a few friends to be extremely nice to this guy because I really liked him. Like really liked him and I wanted him to have a good impression of Clemson {plus my friends}.
 

I'm not even sure I slept much that Friday night in anticipation of him coming up the next morning for the football game.
 

Y'all, here's the part of the story that makes me surprised that he came up that day: he had gone out the night before to celebrate a friend's birthday and had gotten home pretty late. He overslept. By the time he woke up, he might have had two dozen missed calls from me.
 

... no shame in my game y'all, no shame. I just wanted to make sure he woke up and got to Clemson.
 

He did eventually wake up, see all of the missed calls, and not only did he call me back but still came up to Clemson that day. We went to my friends' tailgate {where there was much peer pressure to play quite a few tailgate games} and then wandered across campus over to my parents' tailgate. I remember kicking off my sandals, running around our tailgate barefoot, and being completely happy that this boy had come to see me.

 

{PS - please note that 1) Patrick is being completely neutral in the white polo/khaki shorts combination and 2) the other two girls in this picture, Abby & Lindsey are bridesmaids in our wedding... they've known him from almost day one!}

We went into the game and I made sure that I got that gamecock lovin' boy down at the very front of the student section. On the very first play of the game, Clemson's CJ Spiller ran the kickoff back for a touchdown and I went insane. You know. Screaming. Jumping up and down. Out of control.


 

I remember looking over at him and seeing this look on his face. This look of "holy cow, what have I gotten myself into".

That was 2,420 days ago.
 

In 99 days, I'm pretty sure that boy is going to have that same look of "holy cow, what have I gotten myself into" as he's standing at the front of the church, waiting for me to walk down the aisle. But by then, we'll have 2,519 days behind us as proof that he clearly knows what he's getting himself into ;)