The Story of Mr. Rose

A few weeks ago I mentioned in a blog post that my husband, aka Mr. Rose, stole me away won my heart from another man boy. Several of my bloggy friends asked to hear that story so here it goes.

When I was in college, I met a Boy. He was a nice Boy from a nice family that lived in the town right next to my hometown. I met Boy the summer after my sophomore year, a year which was the most tumultuous of all my college years and a year in which I had all but sworn off ever dating again.

Boy and I had fun in college. We went to football games and parties, but we could not have been more different. I consider myself a very good student; Boy was just getting by. I like to go out, dance, see movies, attend concerts; Boy was a hunter/fisherman.

After graduation, we continued to date while living about an hour apart. I had a full time Monday to Friday job in The City, while he worked a less traditional schedule that included evenings and weekends out in The Country. Before I knew it we were growing apart, but I was still hanging on by a thread.

Right around the same time, I started an MBA program for professionals. I took two classes a session which met in the evenings and one Saturday a month. About a month into the program, I sat outside my classroom waiting for my first Accounting exam. I was freaking out a bit and trying to cram every bit of information into my brain possible.

As I sat there, I noticed someone walk up. He tried to strike up a conversation with me, trying to ensure me that I was going to do great on the test. All I could think was, "Why is this guy talking to me???" It was Mr. Rose.

A few weeks later, I began to socialize a bit more with my classmates. I became friends with a group of them and we started going out for drinks after tests and then dinner. One of these friends was Mr. Rose.

The next summer I was still dating Boy, but the arguments were becoming more frequent and more volatile (but never violent.) Mr. Rose and I were spending more time together with our friends, but also one on one. He'd invite me over to "work on homework," but it was really just so that he could cook me dinner.

At the end of August that year, one of my best friends was getting married three states away. I had arranged for Boy and I to road-trip and attend the festivities together. The day before we were supposed to leave, Boy called me up and asked me what he was supposed to wear. To a wedding. Seriously? Coat and tie, Dude, coat and tie. We actually had a really big fight over the whole thing. It was so stupid. I called Mr. Rose and asked his opinion. I cried on his proverbial shoulder over the phone.

Our relationship was rocky at best, but after this wedding weekend it was as good as over. Boy did not bring a coat and tie as I had instructed. He only brought a dress shirt, one dress shirt to be exact, to which he needed to wear to two events, the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. What the???

During the wedding reception, he sat out in my car to listen to a football game on the radio. I called Mr. Rose at home, but he was out so I cried into his answering machine. It was one of the worst weekends of my entire life.

Every morning for the next week, I got up and prayed for guidance. Mr. Rose asked if he could take me out to dinner one night. I didn't think anything about it until he showed up at my door in a shirt and tie (not his normal eating out with a friend attire.) As it turned out, I had spent the entire afternoon in my friend's office crying my eyes out. I had decided to break up with the Boy. Because I had cried my eyes out, they were red, swollen, dry, and scratchy and I could barely keep them open.

Mr. Rose was so sweet that night. He tried to keep my mind off of things by telling me that he was getting a promotion. I don't think he knew at that point that I was breaking up with Boy, but I remember thinking how wonderful he was to be there for me.

In the end, I did break up with the Boy. And after a few weeks of pretending to myself that he wasn't interested in me, I finally gave in and allowed myself to be swept off of my feet. Mr. Rose was, and still is, everything that Boy was not and never would be for me.

Mr. Rose is my rock, my steady hand, my common sense, my comedian, my partner, my love, my everything. Do you know that Garth Brooks song Unanswered Prayers? Here is the line that hits home for me every,time:

And as she walked away and I looked at my wife
And then and there I thanked the good Lord
For the gifts in my life

Some of God's greatest gifts are all too often unanswered...
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Amen to that.

Mr. Rose is on an extended travel assignment right now. I want to give him a huge hug and kiss right now, but I can't. So for those of you out there with a wonderful man in your life, go give him a big hug for me.

Erin