Caution::: Sorry this is a little lengthy! (if you know me, you know I like to explain things in very particular detail)
This is Justin. I met him in the summer of 2009 through a mutual friend. Here's the story....
In 2009, Paige, my best friend, had met a girl named Lena through their elementary education classes at the University of Alabama. They had become pretty good friends and started hanging out some. I had not moved to Tuscaloosa yet but had started to visit Paige some and hangout when I had free time. One night we decided to hangout with Lena and some of her friends. She was friends with a lot of her neighbors in her small apartment community called Sumner Place. It was so much fun to hang out there. It was only made up of several small houses and everyone would be in and out of each other's place just having a good time. Steven Padilla, a local musician, also lived in the community. When he would be playing his music at bars around town the big group of friends would all go out and see him. One night we all decided to go out and Justin was in the big group of people but I don't recall him approaching me. He seemed very shy and kind of just hung out with the guys. (little did I know he had his eye out for me ;) ) The next time I came to Tuscaloosa, we all decided to go out to see Steven play. Same group, again. Justin says a few things but his friend Brandon seemed to be talking to me more. It wasn't until the third time that I came to Tuscaloosa that he finally started to really show interest. We had planned a going away party for Paige. She was about to head off to Washington D.C. for an internship with the Senate. We, of course, all went out to see Steven play at Gallettes. So guess who asks me to dance... :)
Luckily Paige caught this on camera....
kind of hard to see... but we're the ones up next to the stage. (big steven fans?)
Tall boy, white shirt, black hair. Girl, yellow dress, curly blonde hair. (btw, why the heck am I wearing yellow? not a good color on me)
Also, check out that arm.. he was getting brave
Paige and I had decided that night to stay at Sumner Place because we had all had a few drinks. (No drink&drive!) Justin was nice enough to give Paige and I his bed and also a shirt and shorts to sleep in. He made a good impression in my book right then and there. It is not often you find guys like that these days.
So at the time, remember, I had not been living in Tuscaloosa yet. I was still at home in ol' Red Bay. I had one semester left to attend at Northeast Mississippi Community College. Which on a side note, I regret staying that extra semester. I should have just come on to UA. (wasted time, ugh) Anyway, I went back home to Red Bay and Paige went on her merry little way to Washington D.C.. Lena had called me after Paige left and told me I could come back and hangout any time I wanted. She also added that "Justin told me to tell you to come back." At the time I didn't think much about it... hmmmm :)
Unfortunately I didn't make it back to Tuscaloosa until I moved there in January of 2010.
A week or so after I moved to town Lena, her roommate Katie, Paige and I decided to go out one night. We had planned to meet at Lena's beforehand and walk to the strip because she lived close by. Well, guess who was there when I arrived at Lena's... Mr. Justin L.
Not long after that we all started to hangout again. Most of the time it was a group of us. Justin and I became close friends. Sometimes we would hangout even when everyone else never wanted to. We'd stay up late just talking and sharing stories about each others lives. I loved hanging out with him. Even some nights when I'd be studying my life away and stressing over calculus and stats he would come and take me to arby's when I left the library so I could get some cheesesticks. He even ditched his friends one night to come to the library to help me with my calculus.
He says he doesn't understand how I never caught on to how he felt about me.... guess I was blind? haha. I just thought we were good friends. He wasn't like most guys I had ever been around. Not creepy in the least bit. He was someone I could hangout with and just have fun. No worries at all.
Then in a May of that semester, right after finals, he told me how he felt. He has always told me he was so nervous but that he'd been holding it in trying to work up the courage to tell me. Of course, I didn't know what to say....
It took a bit but I finally realized how I felt the same way about him.
Unfortunately with every good there's always some bad... not too very long after we had gotten together, he had to move back home to Selma, AL. He had finished his schooling for the time being and moved back home to work. He didn't want to at all. His heart and myself were in Tuscaloosa and he was leaving that. Me aside, he was leaving a life he'd known for 5 or so years. It sucked that it happened and then we automatically turned into a long distance relationship. He has always apologized for it but I tell him to stop. Everything happens for a reason and him moving home was just part of some plan in his life.
We have had our ups and downs of course, no relationship is perfect. We have always worked through any problems that came our way. This past summer we took a break. He was dealing with some stuff back home and I think I must have had some wild hair in me. I started a new job, made some new friends, and just vied for a single life. I was loving it. Doing what I wanted, when I wanted. Hanging out with whoever and just doing me on my own. Of course, I missed him. I tried not to. I tried to block him out and pretend I didn't. He would call or text me almost every day wanting to get things back together. I wouldn't give in. So many times I would just ignore him. It wasn't until mid July that I finally realized how much I truly missed him. I was going through some stuff myself and things at work were getting really tough. I was exhausted a lot and hadn't seen my family in days. I knew I needed him. Especially in a tough time. I called him up one day and asked if he'd like to have dinner. We had dinner and hung out and before I knew it we were back on track.
Before each other, Justin and I had both been in horrible NON-fairytale relationships. Oddly enough, both of the ones we'd been with before each other had royally screwed us over. (mine is a story in itself. don't even know if it's worthy enough for my blog)
We had both been a little skiddish about beginning something new but I guess he just couldn't hold in his little feelings :))
Out of the guys I've dated in the past, Justin has been the sweetest and most loving. He has a way with his words. I have never been with anyone has sweet as him and to tell me how much he cares for me so often.
We are still growing in our relationship everyday. He makes mistakes and I do as well. We always work through it. It may take a little squabble but then we're back to normal not long after.
I have told him before that this is similar to the way I feel about us sometimes... haha
Anyway, that sort of wraps it up. There could be more to tell but the person reading this would be here for a while.
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| This is actually when we were just friends. |
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| This is him and his dog Lulu. Love that sweet girl. |
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| Our first Alabama game together. He had his buttons unbutton becuase it was so hott out. He says he looks like a "Key West hippie" here. This was in football season '10. |
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| Here's a pic from football season '11. |
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