I figure there is no better place to start, but at the beginning. This season's premier.
But I don't think I can start at the beginning just yet, I need to fill in some back story.It was April, 2003 when Travis and I first met. He was a 17 year-old senior at Mesilla Valley Christian School in Las Cruces and I was a 19 year-old freshman at New Mexico State University, also in Las Cruces.
It was high school prom season. Back in Lovington, my sister’s best friend forever needed a date to senior prom. So, as fate would have it, Travis was asked by my sister’s then, but now totally ex-boyfriend to come to Lovington and be and my sister’s friend's date for prom.
I was in Lovington that weekend as well to help with prom dinner and take photos of my sister, Shanna, and all her friends for the much anticipated Senior Prom. Mom and Dad took us all out to Pioneer Steak House for dinner. Travis and I instantly had chemistry and struck up a friendship. In fact, he became very close to my entire family. Travis would routinely come to Lovington to buy cattle. After his high school graduation, he too would begin his studies at NMSU. We had many of the same friends and continued our friendship.
I remember often wondering why this 17 year-old kid had so much more going for him than any of my 20-something boyfriends. I wish I could say that I figured it out then and knew that we were meant for each other...but it would take several more years for me to come to my senses. There were however, many times throughout our friendship when I wondered if there could be something more. Most of those times, one or both of us were in a relationship with someone else. And that would be the case for nearly eight years.
After I graduated from NMSU in 2005, I went on to Parker College of Chiropractic to get my doctorate. Travis moved to Dallas about a year later to work with Wells Fargo bank. I was in such an interesting place in my life at that time. I knew then that Travis was the best thing for me, but I was in school from 7am to 7pm and was completely swamped with studying, tests, seminars, boards, etc.
One night when we had a chance to spend some time together, Travis laid everything out on the table. He told me he had loved me since we met. I knew I loved him too, but I didn't tell him. I felt so torn, I knew he was what I needed, but I couldn't bare the thought of putting someone through the schedule that school demanded of me and honestly, I didn't know how to fit him in. So once again, I pushed him away. I was certain that I had ruined everything forever, including our friendship.
I watched him watch me as I drove away. I remember everything about that moment. It was so painful knowing that I hurt him. I remember saying to myself, "I can't date you right now, because if I do I will want to marry you and I'm just not ready for that yet."
I left and that was the last time I saw Travis for a long time. Soon, he left Dallas for Scottsdale, Arizona.
In November 2009, I called Travis to get some financial advice about starting my practice. By January, we seemed to be back to our old selves as we chatted more regularly on the phone. We voiced our apologies to each other for what had happened in Dallas and our friendship felt like new again. It was so good to hear what all he had been doing since I last saw him. He still had the world by the tail. He loved Scottsdale, but had recently been hired to be the Vice President of a bank in Las Cruces. He was ready to move back to his hometown.
On May 28, Travis came to Lovington to spend Memorial Day with my family. I felt myself feeling extremely guarded once again. I asked God to help me find peace and remove the fear of the unknown.
By that evening, I felt at peace and accepted the reality I had always known. Travis had my heart and I had his. This was exactly the way it was always meant to be. God's timing became perfect! Being with him is more than just getting to be with my best friend everyday for the rest of my life. It's like my heart finding its beat, my brain finding its thought, and my hand finding his.
On July 3, Travis took me to his favorite place in the world, located in the wild wilderness of Western New Mexico and approximately 80 miles from a cell phone signal. It's a place known as "The Box". The Box is a canyon with 100 foot walls of granite that has a natural spring running through it. They call it The Box because when a flash flood comes, you are basically boxed in. While hiking The Box, Travis and his best friend Jared (the best man) were trying to pick out the perfect spot to ask me to marry him.
I apparently ruined several attempts when I caught up to them while hiking. But, when I started hiking up in front of them, Travis faked a fall in order to get my undivided attention. I looked back at him thinking, "what a goofball", when he pulled out a little black box. I was totally lost. He was kneeling in the water, opened the box and asked me (totally unsuspecting) to be his forever. The only word I could get out..........YES!
