Ten years

There are some huge gaps but these are some archived pictures of us together. They go way back to when we first got together.

2001

The First Time

We first started dating sometime after Valentine's Day 2001. It was probably April or May. I asked him out and then he kissed me.

Our First Vacation -- Summer 2001 Key West

We took our first vacation together to Key West in the summer of 2001.

We left from my apartment in Naples, FL

We watched the sunset on Duval St

It was very romantic

Southern Most Point, Key West, FL

We enjoyed Key Lime Pie in  Key West

We came back to Naples to watch the sunset on the beach near the pier

Our First Trip to Disney -- Fall 2001

In the fall of 2001, we went to Disney.

We went to visit the countries in Epcot. Here we are in Norway.

Kris met my 18-month old niece Lexy for the first time (She is eleven now!)

Our First Three Months -- Circa 2001

One of our fancy dates to celebrate three months together. We had dinner at Carrabbas. I bought Kris a brand new shirt and pants. He bought me a dozen red roses.

I had never seen him dressed up before

The first time he ever bought me flowers

We took a picture after dinner with our waiter at Carrabbas

Lalie's Wedding -- December 2001

We attended my younger sister's wedding on December 1, 2001. I was a bridesmaid. Was this a sign of times yet to come?

Here we are at the rehearsal dinner

Here we are dancing at my sister's wedding

He met my Mama Edad and Manang Nelly (my Dad's Mom and oldest sister)

We did not catch the garter or bouquet. It was not our time.

Kris' birthday -- December 2001

Kris never had a surprise party thrown for him so I invited our friends from the singles group to celebrate. It was hard to surprise him but he was happy to celebrate with friends.

He had to kneel to get on my level.

Happy 26th birthday (circa 2001)

Collier Catholic Singles -- Circa 2001

We liked to do fun things with the singles group like bowling but we also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity.

We went out bowling with friends

We volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in East Naples

Some random pictures I found...

We visited family and friends a lot and took a few vacations.

We visited my sister right before my nephew Dominic was born - circa 2002. Today he is eight years old.

Dominic posed for a picture with me and Kris who came to Orlando to celebrate my birthday in 2007

Kris even shared my birthday dessert with me

Fast forward to 2009...

Miranda's First Birthday -- April 2009

We celebrated my niece's first birthday at Chuckie Cheese just before we were engaged.

We had a sketch drawn of us at Chuck E Cheese

Grandma Edad's 90th Birthday -- April 2009

On April 18, 2009, my grandmother turned 90. We celebrated with my extended family.

He was already a part of my family

My birthday 2009 -- May 2009

We told my parents of our intention to marry the weekend of my birthday in 2009.

We celebrated my birthday with SFC friends in Orlando

Our Engagement -- May 29, 2009

We were engaged at St. Peter's Catholic Church where we used to go to Church in East Naples.

We reenacted our engagement

We celebrated with family and friends

Our vacation to New Orleans -- October 2009

We took a short trip to New Orleans in October 2009.

We went to the zoo in New Orleans

We took a riverboat cruise down the Mississippi River

Hannah's Twin Baby Shower -- October 2009

After we came home from New Orleans, I co-hosted a baby shower for Kris' sister Hannah who was expecting twins the following January. Hannah's friend Irina was the other co-host.

Kris joined me for a picture after the shower

I am sure I have more pictures of the last ten years but these tell a great story of us. I look back on the last ten years and smile.

Our History Time Line

So just to give you a little background on Kris and I, I made this time line that briefly tells our story. I could not write our story as there much to tell in 9 years of history. This time line gives you just a brief look into our relationship and what soon became our marriage.

The History of Kris and Eileen Mae

February 14, 2001 (Valentine’s Day): Met at Ruby Tuesdays Naples, FL I was a member of a Catholic singles group and he was joining us for the first time. He had the messiest barbecue bacon cheeseburger. He had barbecue sauce dripping from both sides of his mouth and his hands. I WAS SO NOT ATTRACTED.

About a week or so later: Met again at a local karaoke bar. Did not realize it was the same guy but talked all night. I could barely hear him but we had a great conversation. When the bar closed, we went out for an early breakfast at Denny’s. After breakfast & arriving at our respective homes, we stayed up chatting online until about 3am or so.

We spent quite a bit of time hanging out and getting to know each other over the next few months. It helped that he worked late and I was a bit of an insomniac b/c when he would get home late at night, we would chat online until the wee hours. On the nights I was really sad and needed company, he would come over to my apt and sit and chat w/me.

A few months later: After Mass we were sitting in his apt chatting. I took the chance to lay close to him (with my head in his lap) and told him I was interested in taking this to the next level. If he felt the same then I would be waiting for him to give me the word. Five minutes later, he kissed me.

We dated for about a year and half after that (late 2001-early 2003) and due to some stress in our relationship, he decided to end things with me. I was VERY hurt. I was heart broken. But we continued to remain close & remain friends.

We both dated other people on & off and when we weren’t dating other people we always came back to one another.

June 2006: Kris had already been seeing another girl (Christine) for a short time and he had decided to take a job in Sarasota (with encouragement from Christine & myself) and moved to Bradenton a few months. The whole time in Bradenton while dating this other girl, he was still calling me and talking to me EVERY night. In late 2004 or early 2005, Kris and Christine broke up due to distance.

October 2006: I moved to Orlando. I decided after almost 7 years in Naples that I would venture to a new place and move to Orlando. Kris and I continued our friendship.

2006-2007: This was probably the only time that we were actually NOT together. We had decided that we were going to be JUST friends. We continued to talk online and on the phone but did not see much of each other in person. Perhaps once or twice a year or if I had the chance to stop by Bradenton on the way to Naples to visit my sister.

May 20, 2008: Worst birthday ever. After a talking with a mutual friend online (Fallon), I had revealed to her that I was very much still in love with Kris and had hopes that he too had felt the same. So after we finished talking, she had a conversation with Kris. She told him how I felt and asked if he had felt the same. His reply: Eh Not sure what that meant but knowing that it meant that I had no chance or hope with him I decided to cut him out of my life as much as possible.

June – late July 2008: Although I had decided to cut him out of my life, I still held on by a VERY thin string. I had removed him from my IM list but not my phone. He continued to call and IM me. I answered an occasional phone call and IM but kept things pretty brief.

August 2008: I had a very big spiritual awakening that had really begun November 2007. I had made a big realization that God was a major driving force in my life and it was okay to communicate with Kris again.

November 15, 2008: First CM Central Florida event. A few people on CM decided to start planning events for CM Central Florida members. I jumped in on the bandwagon. I invited Kris who had started seeing a new girl (Christina) Their relationship was new but seemed to have some potential. After this event, though, Kris and I continued talking more & more.

December 2008 – March 2009: Kris and I had continued to talk more & more. We even were flirting a little back and forth. We started to take notice of one another again. Things with Christina were not working out. I had seen a few other people in the meantime, none of which worked out for me either.

March 28, 2009: Rekindled our old romance. Kris had been inviting me to attend his Dad’s 70th birthday. I was rather hesitant because I was not sure what this had meant for our future and us. I did want to join him for his Dad’s birthday without knowing that there was not going to be a future. After everyone left and Kris & I had some time alone together, we both decided to give our relationship another try.

April – May 2009: Things really started to move along pretty quickly. We quickly fell in love again. We both began to realize that the other person had all the qualities that the other wanted in a spouse. We began to talk about the future. We began to express more & more how we were feeling and our intentions for the future.

May 16, 2009: I had planned a birthday party with friends & family. I had asked Mom & Dad to come so that Kris & I could tell them of our intentions. We told them that we were hoping to get married in Feb 2010. After much discussion, they were happy. We went to the mall to show them the ring I had looked at (by myself) the night before that was similar to the one we had seen on the Internet.

May 20, 2009: My BEST birthday ever. I had planned to meet Lalie & the kids for dinner for my birthday. We met at Hurricane Grill. I was not expecting Kris to be there. After a few minutes, Lalie mentioned she had left something in the car. When she came back, Kris was standing there. I was shocked. He mentioned that the jewelry store was open until 9pm. I was not ready for him to make the purchase but after dinner we went to the jewelry store and purchased the ring we had looked just a few days earlier.

May 24, 2009: We had a double date planned with another CM couple (Lisa & Victor who had been egging this on since February) But due to some unforeseen circumstances they had to cancel on us. Kris & I ended up spending the day together at Church, lunch, and then went to pick up the ring. It was fast and easy. We tried it on and made sure it fit. It fit nicely. We returned it to its box and both left smiling & grinning really big.

May 29, 2009: Proposal. Where: St Peter's Catholic Church in Naples, FL How: Proverbs 31: 10-31
Answer: YES!!!!!!

Wedding: April 10, 2010. Kris & Eileen Mae 04-10-10 (Engraved in my wedding band)