After dinner we drove the last hour south to San Antonio! I was amazed at how much we had to talk about – it was fantastic. At this point, I’m still considering our weekend - just two friends on a road trip that are enjoying each others company.

We came to San Marcos, where there are 2 HUGE outdoor Outlet Malls, with nearly every chain store and more that you can think of! John had NO idea what he was in for!! We concluded that we’d stop there on our way back on Sunday and get into San Antonio to find accommodation for the night.

As we came to the City Limits of San Antonio, I started pointing out cheap, lower quality Motels & Hotels that we could consider! You know the kind I mean, college budget – sleep with your clothes on, just a place to lay your head for a couple hours, type of places. He he…John suggested that we should go further into San Antonio and explore the city first. I kept driving and John read the signs to head to the Riverwalk. The traffic was heavy for a Friday night. We reached the downtown and didn’t know where to find the touristy area or where to park.

All of a sudden John asked me to “Pull over here please!” I quickly changed lanes and parked, I was trying to gain my sense of direction and figure out where we were. Out of nowhere, John gets out of the car and says “I’ll be right back.” I’m busy gawking out the window and conclude that we’re sitting outside a hotel. I grab my cell phone, since I had not been on it all afternoon, and call my bestie Laura with a quick update of our trip.

“Oh, John is just inside a hotel getting directions!” We continued our phone conversation - gossiping and catching up. Then I recall saying something to the affect of,

“Laura… John just pulled out his wallet?”

Happily Married and Living With Passion,
Robyn

On that gorgeous Friday afternoon, we headed south to explore Texas! About an hour south of Dallas/Fort Worth, we came to Hillsboro – where we made our first stop at an Outlet Mall! John got his first taste of Robyn’s love for window shopping, trying on the odd thing, AND “winning”… he he…buying!! John bought a couple pairs of jeans and then I found a cute yellow summer dress that John said looked really nice!  Mmm…a man with an opinion and it was a very sincere comment. The best part was that it was on sale! You may be thinking – it’s October, you’re just buying a summer dress to wear the following year. You have to remember we were in Texas and days were still reaching 85F (that’s around 30C)!! WHY am I telling you these details – because this dress entered my life for a reason and you’ll learn why very shortly!!

We kept driving south on the four hour road trip (Texas is a huge state!) and came to Austin! John loves this city, because it’s Texas’ capital! He loves politics and is so proud that the state capital building is taller than the United States capital – of course, everything is bigger (& better) in Texas ;)

John told me he wanted to take me to Rockfish for supper! He remembered that I loved seafood! Interesting…as miss chatty I didn’t recall telling him this, but I’ve come to learn that he is very thoughtful. John ordered Chicken Fingers – I didn’t think anything about it at the time – BUT know now that he doesn’t “prefer” the texture or smell of seafood. Well…quite a guy for taking me where he did for our first dinner together ;)

1 hour left until our destination! Half the fun is getting to where you’re going! Little did I know that this amazing road trip would be the start of the rest of my life, not just a weekend destination!

I PROMISE I’ll post the next segment over the long weekend, I’ve got most of it wrote…

Happily Married and Living with Passion,
Robyn

P.S. A few weeks ago I was telling John that all of you were addicted our love story and to my surprise he commented that he “knew”!? I was confused and after some prodding, he confessed that he “checks” up on me by reading my blog entries to confirm that he approves! Ha ha!! He was also quick to conclude that he didn’t think our story was going to stretch between many more entries, but I assure you he is incorrect!! I’ll keep you on the edge of your seat for awhile! Our story has many more issues to go – especially since he still does things daily to sweep me off my feet and fall more in love with him! Hi John – thanks for following my blog ;) Amazing friends that also follow – rest assured – I won’t bore you forever with our story!

Class started and the socializing began! I crossed paths with my new eye candy quite a few times and flirted every opportunity I had. It was hard work – as a virgin to living in Texas, looking good was hard work! The heat in August and early September was over 100F (40+C)! As a Canadian diva, with little experience living in the heat, I had to quickly adjust to sprinting from an air conditioning area to the next cool place and still look fabulous!

A couple days into the new semester I told my judging coach that I didn’t “prefer” my mandatory American Government class. To my surprise he told me that Mr. Amazing Texan could probably help me, since he loved those courses enough to take a minor in Political Science!

Lucky! I was thrilled to spend some quality time with my new study partner! After a couple weeks of our social circles and study time crossing, one of my judging teammates confronted me!

“So I hear that you like John!”  

Shocked, I quickly blurted out, “NO! Where did you get that idea?”

“John mentioned it and as roommates we have noticed you’ve been spending lots of time together!” he explained.

I was petrified! How on earth could my game be so obvious right out the gate? My snappy response denying this feeling, was because I didn’t want to stop browsing the Texas men selection ;) Hmm…I quickly decided that I wasn’t settling for the first Texan that thought he could figure me out that fast! What was it with Texans that think they can figure this dynamic Alberta diva out that quick?

I took a different strategy for the game; however I didn’t stop spending time with him!

Til next time…oh the next part is very exciting!

Happily Married and Living with Passion,
Robyn

Two and a half years ago, I married my amazing husband! I was inspired to write about our courtship and love story, as I’ve been getting my small doses of a Harlequin romance, reading The Pioneer Woman‘s: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels blog. I hope you have fun hearing about our adventures!

It was a crisp August morning and my new red Grand Am was packed for Texas! It was the beginning of the rest of my life as I’d ever known it. I was headed to finish my degree – complete my final two years of post secondary school, compete on the Livestock Judging team, and find me a Texan!

I grew up on a ranch in Alberta and had just finished two years studying in Kansas. I was having the time of my life and was excited to start this new chapter of my life in the Lone Star State!

I’ve always been very outgoing and had a huge, fabulous network of friends and family surrounding me. I had so many amazing guys in my life; my friendship with all of them was and still is very important.  When I was packing for Texas, I was dreaming about the rest of my life. It was exciting to think of who God had in mind for me to marry one day and if I already knew that person or if I might meet them while on this new adventure.

In my mind, I was on a quest to find my prince charming, be swept off my feet, to spend the rest of my life with. I am not to be confused with those divas that go to college to become a Mrs!! Ha ha…I was very career focused, had Graduate school in the back of my mind, and was looking for someone to challenge me to tackle the world! I knew that everything happened when it was supposed to and life was a journey.

Of course, I was imagining a life on a big ranch in the states, with cattle, horses and acres of land. I pictured myself as a successful business woman working from home and having a lot of children.

I envisioned a strong, stout man that reminded me of how a Steer Wrestler is built (That is a sport in rodeo, if you’re not familiar with this description – broad shoulders, thick, well muscled guy) (If you’re into showing cattle, you’ll appreciate that I was looking for a perfect show steer - that was the picture I had a snapshot of!). The ideal characteristics I was on a quest for made up a long list! Yes, start laughing with me – not at; you know what I’m referring to! We all have these in our mind, ok; maybe we have them written down also!! As you know, your ideal has a better chance of coming true if it is a written down goal!

In the middle of August, on a beautiful brisk summer day, my mother and I started our journey (oh the story of my Red Grand Am – another story on its own!) and drove to Texas. We arrived about 10 days before class started as I needed to get moved in, attend University orientation, and start working out (practicing!) with my Livestock Judging team.

One evening, my Mom and I arrived at my coach’s house for supper to meet the team. I had absolutely NO idea that would be the day; I would first lay eyes on my husband to be!

I can vividly remember what he looked like that day. I met a clean cut, muscular man, with a tanned glow. His short military hair cut and clean shaven face highlighted his baby face. He was wearing a light blue polo shirt that accentuated his toned upper body. Texas cowboy heavy (for those of you that know their starch – this pair was done real well!) starched jeans completed his outfit. It was my kind of eye candy! Everyone knows their type and this was indeed a picture God wanted me to remember!

To be continued…

Happily Married and Living with Passion,
Robyn