The Places We Go: The Story of Steve & Melanie

The Story of Steve & Melanie

Est. Spring of 2002

Steve and I are celebrating our 3 year Wedding Anniversary - Nov 10. So I decided it would be fun to share our story and a few pictures down memory lane. We've come a long way. This is a long post...

Steve and I met briefly during "College Night" at Hurricane Alley in the L.C one night; I went out with Cassie and a few sorority sisters. I remember noticing this really cute guy wearing a white shirt and jeans as he quietly drank his beer. We were introduced by a mutual friend, but Steve seemed cocky and uninterested and I thought "Who cares, he was probably a jerk anyway." I later found out he thought I was a snob, uh-no! A few weeks later, we met (again) at the famous Brew (an awesome local hangout); which was a dump, but fun all at the same time. I was there with Cassie (wow, I'm starting to realize Cassie and I went out a lot in college) and some friends. Cassie and I were talking alone when this guy (Steve), walked up and started to talking to us. I thought to myself "OMG, this is the guy from a few weeks ago." I remember Steve wearing skater shorts, t-shirt and Birkenstocks. I of course was witty and told him not to act like he didn't know me since we had met a few weeks back, but of course, he just gave me that "smile". Before I knew it, Cassie left us talking, since she noticed we had hit it off. Steve was charming, smart, funny and obviously easy on the eyes. I liked him, but I was hesitant. We both had gotten out of failed relationships and had trust issues. We continued to see each other out at pubs and house parties and every time we saw each other, we talked and talked. To the point where my friends would pull me aside and say "Mel, why are you talking about politics with this guy, we're at a party" - we connected.

Summer was approaching and I was leaving to Spokane, WA for an internship. Finally, while out one night at the Brew (can you tell this was our favorite place?), Steve asked for my number. I, however, was upset that he had taken so long to ask for it, so I gave him my email address instead. Of course, I was playing hard to get. I will never forget the look he gave me - priceless. Our first date was at High Desert Brewery in Las Cruces, NM; I had a coke, Steve had a few beers. Steve and I dated for a year in college and then parted ways, he was going to Office Candidate School and would soon travel the world in a submarine, I still had a year of college left and had my eyes on graduate school. I needed to find my own voice.

As most of you know, I had internal childhood demons (hadn't dealt with them) and to be brutally honest, I was in love with Steve, but my heart didn't know how to handle or accept that. We remained great friends; dated other people, but always called each other on Christmas, Easter and birthdays. Steve and I didn't see each other for 3 years. Not because Steve didn't try, because he did several times, but my heart wasn't ready.

During graduate school, with the support of my family, Cassie and Carlos, I confronted those demons head on and went to therapy. Steve knew about my internal conflicts from the very beginning and loved me anyway, which was hard for me to accept. During this emotional process, my love for Steve was something I could no longer ignore and I for the first time became vulnerable and confessed my love (Thanks to Cassie; she gave me the push I needed). It was all Steve needed to hear and everything I had always wanted to say. The timing could not have been more challenging. Steve went on a 6 month deployment and I was finishing graduate school. It was during deployment that we fell in love all over again; sending love letters, care packages and talking every time he ported (sometimes at 3AM or during grad study sessions). When Steve got back from deployment I was waiting for him on the pier in Connecticut. We hadn't seen each other in 3 years, but our love and deep friendship had never faded. We were engaged 7 months later and married 9 months after that.

Our story continues . . .