On Marrying My Best Friend

Before he was "Mr. Stiletto," my personal photographer/paparazzi, or fellow parent to our two kitties, he was "BlueMixes" and I was "tnns82grl." Yes, that's right, match.com did the love connection on this romance. I "winked" at him, the emails flew back and forth, and a week later we were on our first date.

I'd like to state for the record, however, that there was no match right off the bat. Our first date consisted of a dinner at a cute little Italian place in the Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, followed by a couple of drinks at a nearby bar and watching the Illinois basketball game. I spent the dinner struggling to hear what this guy was saying from across the table in the noisy restaurant, smiling and nodding as needed. He, apparently, did the same.

As we watched the basketball game following dinner, we had a little wager over who would win the game. If Illinois was triumphant he won the bet, and he set the stakes of me owing him a kiss. I wondered how cheesey this guy really was, and if he honestly thought I would kiss him. Fortunately for me, Illinois lost and I didn't have to make good on the wager.

But then he started doing sweet little things. Putting his jacket around my shoulders because it was chilly out. Holding great conversation. We finished up the evening and made plans to get together the next week for coffee so he could help me with my NCAA tournament bracket (I ended up losing...miserably).

Again, I in no way, shape or form had anticipated anything more than maybe a second or third date...but as those dates became less stereotypical "dates" and snowballed into us spending all of our free hours together I knew I had met my match, my best friend, my everything.

It's now almost 3 years later. I can't imagine my life without him. We take care of each other, support one another, and share absolutely everything.

I love him for everything he is, not only because...


...he takes fierce self portraits of himself.

....captures me when I'm stuffing my face at lunch.

...and first thing in the morning with my Kashi cereal.

...is my personal photographer for all of my baking projects. He even encouraged me to start up my first blog, a baking blog...Lazy Susin.

...and takes cheesey photos with me in front of monuments on vacation.

...in front of every single monument!

Who would have guessed that a couple of innocent emails shared back and forth and a somewhat lackluster first date would turn into my fairytale ending.