My Valentine

How long have you been together?
Almost five years! It doesn't seem that long, though.

How long did you date?
We dated for about a year-and-a-half before we got married. Our first date was on June 14th, which I remember because it is both my Mom's birthday, and Flag Day. I thought Pete was maybe a couple years older than I was, so I asked if he wanted to go to Coyote Joe's, which was a local haunt my girlfriends and I frequented. He then informed me that he was a mere 20 years old (I was 24) and that he didn't think they would let him in. So, we ended up going to Chuy's because they had karaoke. He brought his friends Bear and Joni, who ended up being our regular karaoke buddies after that. I brought two girlfriends and my sister Katie. I actually originally wanted to set him up with my friend Bree, but after telling her how great he was she asked why I didn't go out with him? That settled it...he was my prey!

I wound up picking an Elton John song to sing, but when the music started it wasn't the song I originally thought it was (it was Benny and the Jets). I didn't know the words and I hardly knew the melody. So, I improvised and just made up words and looked like a total jackass! Apparently Pete thought it was cute, though, because he still talked to me after that and still flirted with me the rest of the night.

How old is he?
25.

How old are you?
29...almost 30! GAH!

Who eats more?
Pete...no competition.

Who said "I love you" first?
I did, but he was begging for it! We'd been dating for a few months, and he had moved to Flagstaff and left me behind in Prescott so he could attend NAU. I was on one of my many trips to visit him in Flag. Right after I said it he said, "Are you sure?" Romantic, right? That's just what a girl wants to hear after spilling her guts to someone. Then he waited about five minutes and said it back. What a shit!

Who is taller?
Pete is! Hooray! Erica had the exact same reaction to Richard's tallness that I had to Pete's. "You mean I can wear any shoes I want!" I am 5'10, and Pete is 6'4.

Who sings better?
Me by a long shot! Pete can't even whistle without being off key. Seriously.

Who's smarter?
I say Pete, and Pete says me. We used to actually compete when we were in college because we took a lot of the same classes. We met sitting next to each other in statistics class, and even then we would compete for the better test grade (they were usually about the same). I say Pete is smarter because he can do a lot of things really effortlessly like fixing my car and installing stuff. Pete says I'm smarter because I could fix my car if I wanted to, I just need to get off my butt and learn. He thinks I could learn everything he knows, but he could never learn the instincts I possess about kids, or the way I notice little things he never would have thought to focus on. I still say he's smarter. I'm just more of a hippie.

Who does the laundry?
Usually it's me, but I detest putting it away. My laundry usually ends up piled up on my dresser because I'm too lazy to put it in the drawer. I love it when Pete does the laundry, but it's not really all that often. Ask him and he'll say different, but please.

Who does the dishes?
Once again, it's usually me, but if Pete does do the dishes he makes sure to point it out to me so he can rack up brownie points. However, he did do a complete install on our dishwasher, including removing cabinetry and installing plumbing. Before that I was doing them all by hand, which was hell on earth. He is exempt from dishes for all time for that.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Pete. I'm on the left with our cat Gaucho. Gaucho's learned that entering Pete's side of the bed is like pulling cord on the ejector seat. He will get tossed.

Who pays the bills?
I send out the money, but Pete brings home the bacon.

Who mows the lawn?
I do! I love doing yard work for some strange reason. Pete didn't even want grass when we landscaped the back yard, but I insisted. I can't wait for spring to get here already so I can get my hands dirty!

Who cooks dinner?
I usually do, but I have to admit that a lot of times that equals throwing something in the microwave or ordering pizza. I probably cook two really good meals a week. I was better when we had Ciera around, but when it's just two adults it's really easy to be lazy. I do always have a meat and a vegetable, though.

Who is more stubborn?
Like Erica, I have more of an attitude, but Pete can really be a stubborn butt-hole sometimes! I'm not stubborn so much as completely sure that my way is right. There's a difference, isn't there?

Who kissed who first?
Pete made the moves on me first. He was pretty manly about it, too. It was definitely a Rhett Butler taking his woman moment. Haha! Pete is all that is man.

Who asked who out?
I'm not really sure. I think our first date was one of those "hey want to go out with me and a bunch of my friends?" moments, but I can't actually remember who suggested we go.

Who proposed?
Pete did. It was another fantastically romantic moment, similar to the "I love you" moment. We were both enrolled in a nine credit hour class called BizBlock. One of our numerous assignments was to create a five-year plan. Because we were not only dating but living together at the time, we decided to do our five-year plans together. I was in the kitchen putting some steaks on, and Pete was in the living room going down the list of things he wanted to accomplish in the next five years. Then out of the blue he asks, "Where should we put kids on here?" I got the "oh no he di'in" look on my face and said, "you aren't going to put any kids on that list until you put a wedding on there first." ....Silence..... About five minutes go by, and just as I was about to open the oven to check on the meat he grabs my hand and gets down on one knee. He asks if I'll marry him, I say yes, and then he gets right back down to business and asks where he should put it on his five-year plan. Unfortunately, Pete doesn't have a romantic bone in his body, and he won't commit to anything until he has at least a good five minutes to mull it over. What a dork. It's a good thing he's so hot!

Who is more sensitive? Well, I've never seen Pete cry, but he's only seen me cry maybe three times in the course of our relationship (twice over jewelry, and once when Ciera moved away). Don't make fun... I lost the stone to my wedding ring! Ever since I got off birth control, though, I've been a roller coaster of emotions! I even caught myself steaming up while watching that Kodak ad where the people are walking through the museum. Hormones are the Devil!

Who has more friends?
Oh, that is definitely me. I am the social butterfly, and Pete is along for the ride. We both are pretty good about keeping the friends we have, even if it's been a while since we've seen them. I can't wait until we're done moving around.

Who has more siblings?
ME! Pete has three older sisters. I have 2 sisters, 1 brother, 1 half-brother, 5 step sisters, and 7 step brothers if you include Wyatt and Eric (from my Mom's previous marriage to Peter who died of cancer). Plus, most of those people are married so I win by a landslide.

Who wears the pants in the relationship?
I think we each have a leg in the pants. Sometimes i get my way (usually), and sometimes Pete gets his. We usually agree, though.