Story of Josh and Tara...

Once upon a time in a faraway land there was a gorgeous young lady and a dashing young man...

Okay, maybe it wasn't a faraway land. And maybe I was really just an awkward 14 year old girl going through a weird growth spurt. But in Mrs. Byce's chorus class...Josh was there.

8th grade was a year I'll always remember, for a few reasons. One being my amazing chorus teacher Mrs. Byce. Many people joined her chorus class because of the cruise we would be taking at the end of the year...(Josh...). I was with Mrs. Byce for three years because I loved singing and I adored that woman. She made music fun, and lively, and made you believe in yourself...because she did.

The other reason of course...is Josh. Josh was a bit of a rebel back in that day. The quiet skateboarder. We didn't run in the same circle, but were always friendly. I had a nice little boyfriend when we left for the cruise at the end of the school year. I was so excited to be with friends and hello...I was on a cruise!

I don't remember how Josh and I got to flirting. But on the cruise we caught each other's eye and after an afternoon of playing footsie in the hottub together...I wanted him to be my boyfriend. So major in 8th grade. So, as soon as I got back home I broke up with my then boyfriend...and moved on to Josh. We had plans to get married one day and live on the beach. Then the school year came to an end and both of us moved away, him to Rome, GA and me to Hiram, Ga.

Years pass and then out of nowhere I'm 19 and going to dinner with my then boyfriend. We're in Douglasville and decide to eat at Ruby Tuesdays. As we were leaving who should I run into...Josh. We had an exchange of "OH MY GOSH! HOW ARE YOU'S" when I finally left. I totally got reamed out by my then boyfriend for "checking him out."

So yet again, more years go by. I have a baby and am doing fine in my single mother world. Then myspace and facebook became popular and guess who is one of the first people to get in touch with me...Josh. We exchange e-mails for awhile until one day we decide to hang out while I'm in Georgia visiting friends. He took me to eat, and to a frat party...wow. We had a great time together, but I guess the timing was off. I actually gave him a chance with me...but he had just ended a relationship and I didn't want to be a rebound girlfriend.

So for the next two years I get an endless amount of phone calls, letters, e-mails, and text messages from Josh. I don't consider myself dumb by any means, but I have to look back and think "What was I thinking?" The only explanation I can come up with is that when you're used to dealing with guys that play games...you really don't know what to think about the good ones. Josh was always calling to check on me and Ani, and I didn't realize what was going on. I knew he regretted us not being together, but I never knew how much he really wanted to be with me.

Then, a few months ago, I had a crappy weekend. I was down, and Josh sent me a text out of nowhere. So I straight up asked him what his deal was. And he told me...that he had never gotten over me. Finally, something clicked in my head. Here was a guy that thought I was worth waiting for. A guy who never gave up hope on me. He let me live my life and get through whatever I needed to get through, until I was ready to be with him. And I was finally ready. All my heartbreaks and bad times...and he was there.

Its like God picked Josh up and threw him in my face. I had prayed for someone like him, but I didn't really think he existed. He's so perfect for me. So right away, I just knew it was right. We knew we wanted to get married. We figured the whole time he was doing classes in California, we could plan a big wedding for May, when he graduated. But, long distance is really no fun. So with a month left, we decided to get married in September when Josh was on leave. That way Anistyn and I could be with him in California. It might have shocked some people, but for our friends and family that REALLY know us...its just like us to do something like this.

The funny thing is...we'll be living by the beach, and married. Just like we wanted when we were 14. Isn't life funny?