July 22nd, 2002 marked twenty years to the day that I met Mandy.

I remember that day like it was yesterday and if you’ve known either of us for any real length of time, we’ve no doubt told you our ‘how we met story’ with high school sized grins on our faces.

But if you haven’t heard it, here’s the short-ish version of it:

We were both visiting Myrtle Beach, SC for summer vacation. She was with her cousin and I was with two of my best friends.

At the time, we were stationed outside of a hotel waiting on a group of girls we had met at the beach earlier to get their stuff and go out to dinner with us. While waiting… *cue stage left* … Mandy and her cousin just happened to be walking by.

Now, the events that happened next have been a discrepancy for many years. To hear Mandy tell it, it was one of my friends (the loudest of the bunch) that hollered over to the girls. In my introverted head, I remember it as being the one definitive time in my life where I spoke up…when it turned out to matter most!

The five of us spoke for less than two minutes, basically saying that we’d come by their place to hang out later that night. Imagine my surprise when our knocks went unanswered.

But I’m nothing if I’m not persistent, and while she dogged me the first night, we spent the rest of the week nearly inseparable. During our last night in Myrtle Beach, a big group of us enjoyed a delicious feasting extravaganza at the always ornate Olive Garden. It was followed by some mini golf before we parted ways.

Over the next seven months, I tried my best to keep communication channels open: I bought and used a bunch of calling cards (look it up young people) and wrote a few letters. You know the scene in every teen comedy where the guy calls the girls house, the mom or dad picks up and after learning it was the guy calling there is the girl in the background quietly waving her arms and mouthing “I’m not here?” Well, that happens in real life too.

Thankfully this formed a solid foundation for our relationship that exists today – we consistently make time for conversations with one another. And not the passing ‘hey, how was your day’ stuff. That wouldn’t have worked to establish and foster a lasting relationship all those years ago, so we don’t do that today.

I’m just thankful that nowadays I don’t have to type in a 76 digit calling card code every time I want to talk to my girl.