Love at First Flight

** First, let me preface this post by saying that I am totally, madly, completely, head-over-heels in love with my husband but I had to kiss a lot of "frogs" to find him. This was one of those frogs.**

Not many people from my high school ended up at Auburn, so my freshman year I joined a few organizations to try and meet friends. I joined a sorority, the crew team (only for 2 days, tell you about that one later) and also the Young Republicans Association (YRA). About 10 minutes into the first YRA meeting I had all but fallen asleep. This just wasn't the party crowd I was expecting. They kept talking about boring political crap that I didn’t care about at all. About half way through the meeting the president of the association took the mic to talk about an upcoming event. I looked up from my intense game of tic-tac-toe long enough to see a total DREAM BOAT walking up to the stage.


Ohmygosh. He (Pete) was a senior, pre-law, president of the YRA and totally hot. I perked up immediately and I realized that he was talking about an upcoming trip to DC for the National Young Republican’s Conference. He was PERSONALLY attending this trip and was encouraging the members to go because we could make a change or something. I don't know, wasn't really listening. After the meeting I made a beeline for Pete and made a point to introduce myself and my passionate love for politics. I just wouldn’t miss this conference For. The. World.

Later that week we had a meeting - at Pete’s house!! – to go over the itinerary and travel arrangements for the trip. I couldn’t have cared less about what lame politicians were going to be speaking, I was there solely to figure out a way for Pete to notice me and ask me out. He said that everyone was responsible for their own flights but he did share his arrangements in case we all wanted to go together. Of course I used this little bit of information in a very sane, and legal, way...

Not even ten milliseconds after I got to my dorm room I was on the phone with Delta booking a seat on his flight. I asked the representative if there was any way possible to be sat next to Pete. She said that, unfortunately, there was already someone sitting beside him.  I asked if that guy could be moved or bumped up? She said that was not possible without first speaking to the passenger.

At this point most people would.... scratch that. "Most people" are not crazy enough to even come up with this stuff in the first place and are usually above begging a complete stranger to put their job in danger by completely breaking protocol to assist an apparent stalker zone in on their prey. But, as you know, I'm not "most people".

So then I said: “Look, you just don’t understand, I joined this dumb group just to meet people and I think I have found the man that I might marry and even though we haven’t even had a real conversation yet I know that if we can just get sat beside each other he will totally fall in love with me and..."

“Ok, girl, I’m gonna help you get your Man!!!”

So, in violation of several Federal and State laws, and after promising she could be the maid-of-honor at our wedding, she moved the poor guy that was supposed to be sitting beside Pete and put me in his place. Good thing I use my powers for good and not evil!

The day of the trip I played it very cool and as our group was waiting in the lobby I didn’t say a word until people starting looking at their seat assignments. Undoubtedly someone asked Pete where he was sitting and I acted totally surprised, but cool, when I told him I had the seat beside him. What are the chances? Ha! To this day I don't think he had a clue what I had done. Actually, I am sure of it, because I don't recall any restraining orders being brought against my by him.

Oh, and by the way, I will just have you know that my plan worked like a charm. By the time that plane landed in DC Pete and I were inseparable. A match made in political heaven! And we continued to date for about 6 months my freshman year until I ended up falling through his back porch and landing in the hospital - but that’s a different story all together.