My Love Story

It was 2005. I've just graduated high school, really living the life of the carefree teenager. Tuesday nights consisted of going to "Uncle Mikeys" our local 18+ dance club.  I'd go every Tuesday night with the same group of friends -- we all loved to dance the night/morning away. And that's where I met him. 

There was the dance floor, and there was the stage. Being 4'10" I always hopped on stage to dance, getting away from armpits and being bumped around. He was a great dancer, always caught my eye... evidently, I caught his. He became my Tuesday night dance partner. The highlight of every week... I remember getting ready, wondering, "will he be there tonight?" It was all in good fun. We never hung out aside from dancing..well once, he came to the beach with my friend and I, but I loved that feeling of being the "only two people in the room."  He definitely gave me butterflies.
 
After a while, he didn't show up to Uncle Mikeys... We went our separate ways I suppose. Life went on... 

In January 2008, I was walking around the mall with a friend.. when I saw him again. We shared a hello as we walked passed each other... Of course my heart was pounding. And I remember telling my friend, "he's still my favorite kisser." I was fresh out of trusting guys already, really believing there was no one good in my town... No one who would appreciate me for my heart. So I had no plans on romance.. He was just always so "Pretty" to me. 

Sadly, I can't remember how we got to talking again. How we exchanged numbers, how we ended up at the same places... but we did. Once again, he was my dance partner whenever we'd go out. But this time, I wanted to hang out with him. I wanted him to pick me up, for beach dates, food, movies. And he did. He didn't talk much, but he was sweet. Always polite, and gentle. I thought he was fun. Yet still, I couldn't admit to myself, or him, that I really liked him.

June 2008 -- I was heading out to Europe to visit family with my grandfather. By this time, I was already writing cute things to him, we'd be exchanging "just because" presents here and there.. but we never proclaimed anything about love. I'd be in Europe for 6 weeks. I knew in my heart I was sad to be leaving him... but at the same time, I was excited to have fun in Germany. It was until I dropped him off at his house, I found myself crying on the way back home. I realized, I was REALLY going to miss him. 

During my stay in Germany. We wrote mini novels to each other on Myspace. Saying how we miss each other, really seeing that "Distance makes the heart fonder." It was one day, I read the terrible news, of my best friend's Mother passing away. Frantically, I called her.... really feeling helpless, knowing I couldn't be there in Hawaii for her and her family.. I called him... sharing with him how I felt... Surprisingly, he attended the service for me. I was touched... I was falling hard. 

I was back in Hawaii mid July. I was happy to see him again! (: It was back to how we were. Movies, Food, Beach. Back to us spending time together. We were always together, yet never officially together. It was one night in August. We were laying in bed, just talking stories, when he dropped the news, that he had enlisting in the Marine Corps. I was caught off-guard. I had no idea when he did this, or how this decision came up. I was speechless. It was then, my heart was pounding, I felt a little broken, but I managed to mutter out, "I love you." --- "I love you too." He would leave for boot camp in December. I had 3 more months to spend with him. And that's exactly what I did.. I spent as much time with him as I could... I didn't see us being an item anymore. He would be leaving for the military... He would be gone for 3 months in bootcamp, and who knows when he'd come back to Hawaii. We left it as that... December rolled around... I would go to his house, help him pack up his things... I said my goodbyes to him at the airport.. I said goodbye to my 2008 best friend. 

For the next 2 weeks after he'd left, I would check my mailbox.. wondering if he'd write me at bootcamp. I received nothing. I gave up. I went on with my life.. hoping he was okay. It was one day, unexpectedly, I decided to check my mailbox before heading out to do errands.. and there it was.. I received a letter! Evidently, he'd written it a while back. Not having free time, he'd penned the note during "lights off." But I was happy to see he was still thinking of me. I wrote to him as much as I could.. hoping that a little piece of mail here and there would bring him joy during "hell." 


3 months had passed, he came back home. He looked so different. He looked good. He didn't have much time at home, but he spent time with me. It was like old times. I still got butterflies, but I couldn't be too attached knowing he'd be gone in a few days. 


He was sent to California. We continued to talk, but I would go crazy, call me your typical young girl. We'd fight like crazy. It was so unhealthy. We eventually had to stop talking... We ended our "relationship." Just like bootcamp, I learned to let go, I went on with life.. I tried to not think about him.. my heart was broken. It was crazy to go from shock of us even happening, to disbelief of us ending. But I was okay. I had to be strong.

One day, my phone rang. I didn't know the number, but I picked it up anyway. It was a man, I had to ask who it was.. and that's when he was defeated... trying to hang up with me, but I refused to let him go. I wanted to know what he wanted..  He just missed me. We became friends again. Talking on the phone every now and then. It made me happy. I would set a special ringtone for him. It was nice to talk to him again. See how he was doing. It was nice to know he cared about me. 


Soon enough, he bought my flight to California. He had a long weekend... I was heading up to visit him. (: Since being with him, I've traveled to California and Okinawa, Japan 3 times. We'd always butt heads. Argue over little things.. but as time went on, the fighting stopped. Call it insecurities of long distance, but at the end of each day.. we always came back to each other.. If I wasn't calling him, he was calling me. We were unhealthy, but we were in love. The way I felt about him was something I've never felt before. So cliche, but I remember the feeling of my first love. Really thinking that I'd never feel that way again.. and to be honest, I never did.. what I felt for this man was so much more. I felt he needed me, and I wanted to be there for him. I never wanted him to feel alone, or unloved... I wanted to give him all I could. And I did. August 13, 2009 -- I was officially his girlfriend. "Savannah, can I be your man." --- "Sure." HA!


From 2009 - 2011, we continued this, falling deeper. Getting to understand eachother more and more. 
He'd surprised me in July 2011.. coming home for my birthday. I went up to Okinawa in November for his Marine Corps Ball. I remember leaving Japan, just feeling this wave of happiness. Really feeling good about that trip. Feeling like it's the best time we've had together... No fights, just quality time. (: I was so happy with him. He must have felt the same.. December 25, 2011 -- Christmas Day. I went over to my mom's house, just to hang out. Spazzing out in the kitchen, until something caught my eye. He was home. He was on the porch. He disappeared, and when I went outside to look for him, he was down on one knee, ring in hand, tears in his eyes.... I couldn't believe my eyes, I couldn't stop my heart... Omygoodness, I was getting married. I still can't believe I'm married. I love it. 

January 2, 2012 -- We got married. It was a small ceremony... short notice, but he wanted to get married before he went back to Japan. After all these years of being away from him, here we are, building a future together. (: I've never felt so good about us, and the love I feel for this man does grow stronger every day. He was the man who showed me it's okay to let my guard-down. It's okay to cry. He's accepted me through the good, and the ugly. He is my definition of a "Soul-Mate", of true love. I stop and think about our journey. We've come a long way, I'm happy we traveled it all together.


Every girl dreams of their fairytale coming true. Every girl wants that one man to sweep her off her feet... I'm living in my "Pinch Me" moment. Disbelief that I'm that girl, living her fairytale come true. The girl who found her Prince Charming, the girl, who's blossomed into a woman, because of this love she has found.... I'm the woman in love, with a wonderful man, and I plan to keep this fairytale alive, as long as we shall live.



Every love story is different, yet every love story contains one important factor; love. Our story isn't your typical love story, but what it is, is ours. A tale of two kids, that found themselves in the "I can't live without you" type of love.