Third Time's a Charm: How I Became a Hillary
- Abby Hillary
- Sep 8, 2017
- 4 min read
I was thinking about what to write about today and although this blog will be a lot about my kids, I wouldn't HAVE kids to write about if it weren't for my amazing husband Dan. So Dan if you read this, this one's about you!
As with any couple, when we meet new people, often times we get asked, "So, how did you two meet?" Well, for us, it's not a simple answer. Settle in, because you're about to get the long version!
I suppose you could say we "met" as babies (though I don't really count that, it makes the story even better). Dan's parents and my dad went to high school together, and we all ended up living on Sylvan Street here in Grand Rapids when we were babies - 7 houses apart no less! We both lived there until we were about 5 years old, when my family moved out of Grand Rapids.
Fast forward 10-ish years to when we were both in High School. We went to Catholic Central, though were a grade apart. After my 9 years of public school out in the boonies, and Dan's 9 years of Catholic schools in Grand Rapids, we had no idea who each other were, as we didn't grow up even remotely close to each other. Those of you that knew me then know I was quite shy, and shall we say, a MAJOR bookworm. Studying was my life (I readily admit now that I was pretty obsessive-compulsive about it). Well, studying and swimming were my life. Dan was a year younger than me, and WAY cooler. He is also wickedly smart, but was not the nerdy type like I was. Think the "She's All That" movie in terms of what I felt was the coolness vs nerdiness factors for the 2 of us. I think the only thing we had in common that made me think that he might know of me was that I was a swimmer and he a diver. I definitely knew who he was, as he was (and still is!) extremely handsome and not the kind of handsome you just miss. I, however, was certain he had no clue who I was.
Just look at this stud!
A few years later, in my senior year at Aquinas College, a few other girls and I were renting a house (what up, 326!!!) and pretending to adult. Kelly, one of my roommates, and Dan were in the same friend group in high school, so a lot of times when people came back to Grand Rapids, or came to visit, they'd swing by our house to hang out, or if we had a party, they'd drop in as well. THIS was actually when Dan and I first talked to each other. We both admit that there were sparks back then, but we didn't really do anything about it at that time. Looking back, I don't think we were ready for any sort of serious relationship then, let alone with each other! That's not to say there wasn't a palpable connection, we just never did anything about it. We both went on to graduate from our respective schools - me from Aquinas, he from Western - and went on to lead our own lives.
Sometime in late 2010, after a good 5ish years, Dan and I reconnected via Facebook. Neither one of us knew what the other had been up to, or even if the other was single. Heck, I didn't even know where he lived at that point or if he was even in Grand Rapids. On a whim, I reached out and asked what he was up to, how he had been. He had just moved back to GR from Chicago (Yes!!!!! I thought), so I suggested we grab drinks to catch up (not thinking in a million years he would say ok) and he agreed. What made either of us do that, we don't really know - God? Fate? Divine intervention? - because that's not something I really did, and he admitted he never would say yes to that kind of thing either. For some reason though, I asked and he said yes. We finally set a date of January 27, 2011 to meet after he got out of work at Booking.com, where I had coincidentally interviewed 2 days prior and one week later got the job!). Without a doubt, that spark that started in college was re-ignited that night when we met up. I had MAJOR butterflies in my stomach and could not stop smiling afterwards as I drove home. Exactly one year later, he proposed (I'll elaborate more on our dating and engagement adventures another time)! Our relationship is not based purely on "spark" though - that first year we learned a lot about each other - our common ground, our differences, and everything in between. My mom said often then, and still now, that she knew we were perfect for each other because although we are both great people individually, we became even BETTER people together. Looking back through pictures of our first year together takes me back for sure!
I love our story. I love that it took a while to get there, because to me, it makes it that much more special. Our paths crossed SO many times, but only when it was right did something actually happen. I wouldn't have it any other way.
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