So, it pretty much started with a little alcohol, music, some friends, a little bit of family, Georgia football, curly hair, a stare, and a kiss. I was with some friends at Fado Irish Pub in Buckhead after watching Georgia beat Auburn in 2009, and I kept noticing this stunning brunette who was there with her sister. As luck would have it, she must have been noticing me too because I was getting stared at like I have never been stared at before....a once in a lifetime kind of stare. I started talking to this girl and we quickly hit it off, noting the things we had in common, curly hair, Georgia football, and supreme dance moves. Before she left for the night, I told her that I could not let her leave without kissing her, and not only did I get the kiss, but her phone number as well!
I called her pretty soon thereafter, ignoring any of the so-called 'rules' out there, and set up our first date. She met me at my condo on the evening of our date and I invited her in for a minute before we left. Once inside, I soon realized that she was noticing a picture of two kids on my dresser and I quickly pointed out that they were my niece and nephew and that I had no kids of my own...no need to worry about that. Well, it was right about that time that she informed me that she had two children, which shocked me at first because she was so tiny and youthful, but I rolled with it and went on to have a wonderful first date eating Italian food and seeing some improv. We ended the night by agreeing that we would have no 'rules' between us. We would just go with how we truly felt.
Well, how we truly felt was strong, and that was obvious pretty quickly. I would eventually meet the kids and was immediately blown away by how awesome they were. I will never forget meeting Hannah for the first time. She was so excited to meet me that she slipped and tumbled all the way down the stairs before popping up and saying 'Hi!'....and that was Hannah, the cutest, most exuberant and surprisingly insightful little 7 yr old girl I had ever met. And then there was Zach, who I was very impressed with right off the bat. I had never met a 12 yr. old boy, much less many adults, who was so obviously caring, well-mannered and intelligent. I thought, 'Wow! This kid thing might not be so bad after all.' More importantly, they accepted me with open arms immediately.
So, most of the rest is history. We got to know and love each other's wonderful family and friends, and we now already feel like a family ourselves. I love these two wonderful children as my own. I think of them as such, and I am truly honored to be their 'Tedd'. Neither Jane nor myself can even imagine life before we met. In fact, it feels like that's when our lives truly started. I know I am awake now like I've never been before and I am so lucky to have this truly amazing and awe-inspiring person as my soul mate. With each other, there is a level of peace that I did not think possible. The feelings go beyond words, and we cannot wait to make our union permanent in the eyes of God, our family, and our friends.
And so, the next chapter begins much as the first one did, with a little alcohol, music, some friends, a little bit of family, curly hair, a stare, a kiss, and some sand...
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