A True Love Story: The Covingtons

We went to Galveston with the fam for Thanksgiving this year and it reminded me of how Cov and I got together...

My husband, Cov and I have known each other for years. We went to high school together.  When we tell strangers or new friends they all say, "Ahhh, that is so sweet!!!"  It was anything but sweet. I can't have "sweet" ruining my hard core image. Here is our unsweetened story.

We met in High School. "Ahhhhh!!!" Shut it. We ran in the same circle. I had a massive crush on him for a while but he was ALWAYS dating someone else. He was a serial dater- was until the we started dating. Shit, maybe he still is.

However, we managed to be "friends with benefits" from about 1997- 2007. On and off, of course. We lived in different cities, went to different schools, were in relationships, started our careers, etc. Some how through all of that we always found a (drunken) way to each other*. Consistency people, consistency. (*I remain my innocence of not knowing he was ever in a relationship at the time. times. multiple times.)

Then it was October of 2007 and we had driven down to Galveston, TX together for a friend's wedding. We got into town late and were waiting for our friends to wrap it up at an event. We did what anyone would do...drink.  We were sitting on the beach with a case of beer and a bottle of cheap tequila when I said "Why haven't we ever actually tried to date?"  (We had never dated or tried to date in the ten plus years of our history.) And to this day, Cov said the only sweet thing he has ever said "Cause we are afraid it might work."  Vomm.

We laughed it off, met up with our friends and told them our new plan to try dating. Everyone shrugged it off, I mean, it was Shelby & Cov. It made no sense and so much sense all at the same time.

So, we tried. It worked. 6 years later we are still together.

Damn you, cheap tequila.

Life Before Kids

My favorite parenting question is: "Ohhhhh, do you even remember life before kids?"

Yes.

Fuck yes.

Very fondly.

Who are these people kidding? They are going to sit there and tell me that they don't remember the days when they talked to their partner about something other than whether the baby shit today or not?  And speaking of shit, they can't remember when they use to be able to take a shit alone? That they can't remember sleeping in and eating lunch in bed? They can't remember a random mid-afternoon make-out session on a lazy Sunday? Or when they actually got to go out and eat sushi and not just talk about eating sushi?

After 3 1/2 years of pondering this stupid question I have come to the conclusion that these people- the "I don't remember life before kids" people never a had a life to begin with and that is why they can't remember it. I, for one, had a life. A great one. I remember going over to my girlfriend's house weekly and drinking the BIG bottles of wine. I remember meeting our friends for happy hour. I remember not having to run to the grocery store at night because we are out of milk. I remember shopping all day Saturday. I remember being able to work late with no guilt.  And, I remember when my stomach didn't look like a feral cat boxing match happened on it. Oh, I remember...

I love my kids and my new life. With that said, having kids didn't cause brain damage resulting in a memory lapse of my kid-free life. Get real, people. Life can be good then and now....as long as there are still BIG bottles of wine to be had.