I've been blogging for over 3 years now and I love it. I get emails and questions from Lovelies all the time and last year had an entire Dear Mrs. S. Q&A series that can be read by you. I get a lot of the same questions so this is to help you all get to know a little more about us.
If you and Mr. Superman could vacation anywhere, where would you go?
Oh this one is hard! We have so many dreams and ambitions to travel all over. I think as far as pure bliss vacation full of R&R and being able to just let loose we would both agree on The Bahamas.
Have you ever thought of joining the military?
No. I mean, never seriously. I don’t have the self-restraint and I don’t do well with biting my tongue. Someone yells at me or tells me what to do… Boy you better back up!
What’s one thing you and the Mr. never agree on?
This one’s tough. There isn’t one thing we always disagree on but the thing that comes closest would have to be temperature. I love cold. He loves heat. The way I see it is you can always get warm. Layer clothing, blankets, heat, the like. I can only take off so much clothing before I get in trouble.
What are your favorite sports teams?
I am a basketball girl all the way. I am an Arizona girl all the way. What does that make? A die-hard, true blue, hardcore, Phoenix Suns fan. If we’re talking college basketball, (Mr. Superman is gonna be so mad at me for putting this into cyberspace), I am a Duke fan. Shoot me. Well no, Mr. Superman may. He hates Duke. If I am forced to watch football I wanna be watching The Saints. If it's college football, Mr. Superman will kill me if I don't say Ohio State and Alabama. Really though, I couldn't care less.
What’s your favorite dessert?
Ooh la la! Now we're talking! Cheesecake. All kinds but cheesecake hands down.
Do you crave salty, sweet or spicy?
I can't even explain to you the absurdity of my cravings. I have them all. At random times.
Do you have/want any tattoos?
I do have two tattoos. The one on my shoulder was a "I was 17 and my boyfriend wanted me to get it" kind of thing. Ha ha! When Mr. Superman and I met, I knew I wanted to get that sucker changed. I changed the colors and design a little bit so now I don't think about the idiot I got it for. I have double hearts behind my left ear. Left ear for Mr. Superman. He picked the colors and he really likes double hearts.
Furthest you have ever traveled?
Until I met Mr. Superman I had only been to Utah, California, Nevada, and barely over the New Mexico border. Leave it to the AF to change that real fast. After 9 1/2 weeks of separation due to BMT, I drove from Gilbert, AZ to San Antonio, TX. Yeah I drove 15 1/2 hours straight through. Insane. After graduation I drove back to AZ then loaded up the car again and drove to Wichita Falls, TX. It was something crazy like 21 hours straight through. When he was done with Tech School we drove from Taylorsville, UT to Valdosta, GA. So the furthest was a little over 2,000 miles in 3 days.
Have you ever "experimented" with any other religions?
No. Not seriously. I dated a guy in high school for a few years that wasn't Mormon. I really wanted him to come to church with me but he refused unless I went to church with him. I think I went 6 or 7 times with him but it got to the point where I just stopped caring if he came with me.
What's your favorite store? Your clothes are so cute!
MMM you are too sweet. I haven't purchased new clothes in like two years. My favorite store for tops is Forever 21. They have their boutique section which is a little more sophisticated and no matter what style of shirt or dress, I am always the same size and it ALWAYS fits. Shoes, purses, and accessories are from all over. I get my jeans at Buckle. After eliminating jeans that don't fit my criteria (fit my hips, my butt, and the length that my legs need) its the only place that remains standing.
What's your favorite kind of music?
I listen to literally everything. It kind of matches my mood or the weather. The one thing that never fails to make me happy is country. I grew up on country and I love it all. I mean old school Garth Brooks, George Strait, Clint Black, Tim McGraw, Lonestar, the good stuff :)
Are you political?
You mean do I engage in political discussions? Ha ha I am about as fiery and passionate as they come when it comes to politics.
What's your biggest fear?
It's always been that I would lose Mr. Superman. Now, never having babies comes in to tie for first.
What has been the biggest adjustment you've made since you've been married?
I don't really know. I think the biggest adjustment was when Mr. Superman enlisted. We didn't have any real changes or adjustments that were difficult to deal with until then.
Has your love life gotten better, or worse since you've gotten married?
Ooh la la Ashlee! Are you talkin' about boomboom love life? Well, even if you aren't, that's how I took it. It's really not a surprise. Its gotten BETTER. I mean its incredible. Okay, enough. I apologize.
What is one character trait that you have that you love that you have? And what is one that you hate?
I think I am patient. I also like to think I am strong emotionally and mentally. I hate that I cry when I get angry. When I am passionate about something, and I get angry, instead of being able to state my feelings and opinions gracefully, I cry.
Do you have any recurring dreams or nightmares?
I think I am patient. I also like to think I am strong emotionally and mentally. I hate that I cry when I get angry. When I am passionate about something, and I get angry, instead of being able to state my feelings and opinions gracefully, I cry.
Do you have any recurring dreams or nightmares?
Yes. Some of them are way too in depth to get into but I have two recurring, with slight variations, that never fail to make me even more terrified of my fears. I have at least one a week where I somehow lose Mr. Superman. I also have baby dreams. To some they may seem like dreams but to me they are nightmares. Some are I find out I am pregnant but the baby dies, or we somehow have a child but then they are taken away from me. Some are just simply we have a child. I wake up and realize it was a dream and I fall apart all over again.
If you could write a letter to your future self, what advice would you give?
As cliche as this sounds, I would be very simple and straightforward with, "Listen to your parents. No matter what, listen to them. They are right."
Do you plan out your meals for the week?
I do. I actually plan them out for every 2- 2 1/2 weeks. I didn't used to but it is so much easier doing it this way.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years? 20 years?
Well I know where I want to be but if the last year has taught me anything, its that you can't plan life. If you do, life takes it as a challenge to see how fast it can turn your world upside down. 5 years: Out of debt, Mr. Superman will be an Officer, we will be living somewhere different, and we will hopefully have a beautiful little boy or girl. 10 years: Oh my goodness! I will be 32 years old. Really though, the only thing that's certain is my age. the same goes for 15 years. 20 years: Mr. Superman will have recently retired from the USAF. At least that is the plan for now. We will have several children and will be living in our dream home in Arizona. I hope to have made my dream of being a published writer come true by then.
Where did Mrs. S. come from?
Well our last name is Steele, hence "Man of Steele" turned Mr. Superman. Whether you think of me as Mrs. Superman or Mrs. Steele, its all Mrs. S.
What are all of your female issues? Disease or surgeries or what?
If ya'll are squeemish or easily made uncomfortable, skip this one. My entire life my periods have always been abnormal. Abnormal as in, ridiculously painful. The older I got, the worse they got. I mean so much so that my cramps hurt so bad I vomit and pass out. The passing out is from my anemia as well as the blood disease I was recently diagnosed with. Gross I know, but the bleeding is so bad I couldn't even leave my house. My periods last a good 10-14 days and it made having a "normal life" extraordinarily difficult. I also have endometriosis. I have had several miscarriages. I had an ectopic pregnancy last March. By the time it was discovered, I was 9 1/2 weeks along and had been bleeding internally for over a month and a half. My right fallopian tube was removed but the infection was so bad it caused my left fallopian tube to collapse in on itself. My doctor said to try to imagine a tube that is crushed but filled with concrete at the same time. Without IVF, I cannot get pregnant. Now I know that if God wanted to, he could snap his fingers and I would be able to conceive, carry, and give birth but for some reason it is not in the cards. I guess the answer is disease, surgeries, and God's own reasons.
Would you like to retire as an AMMO wife?
I love being a part of AMMO. It has a whole extra side of camaraderie and family togetherness. Mr. Superman loves being in AMMO and loves his shop. He is really good at it and the job selection goes hand in hand with his major of Mechanical Engineering, however, he wants to be a Captain before retirement. With our "plan" for the next few years, he should be a Commissioned Officer by no later than 2014.
You know I wasn’t sure if I wanted to answer this one or not because I didn’t want my readers, friends, or family (the ones that don’t already know) to view me differently but decided that my honesty is more important to you AND me than keeping my sordid past top secret. When I was a Junior in high school, my best friend committed suicide. I took it pretty hard and took the wrong path in ‘dealing’ with it. I got really angry and depressed and started doing things to my body, inside and out, that were extraordinarily detrimental. I started abusing pills of all sorts. I was abusing prescriptions, over the counter stuff, stealing others’ pills, as well as drinking, smoking, some other ‘hard’ drugs, and cutting myself. Despite knowing better, I broke myself down and damaged my spirit and mental capacities so badly that it took Mr. Superman coming into my life and in turn keeping me alive one fateful night before I realized how far off I had gotten. I still struggle with things but having him in my life and knowing that I need to be the best kind of woman he deserves, helps monumentally.
Were you raised Mormon or were you converted?
I was born and raised Mormon. My mom was born and raised in the Church as well but my dad’s parents converted right before he turned 8 so he was baptized as well. His parents got divorced and fell away but he stayed active.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was little, the only thing I ever wanted to be was an actress. I danced for a long time, I did theater (both musical and non-musical), and I always enjoyed the stage. I wanted to be an actress so badly. When I was fourteen I gave up on the dream but kept dancing and acting for fun.
What's the whole story on how you got together with Mr. Superman?
What's the whole story on how you got together with Mr. Superman?
Oh that is a long story. Stick with me though ladies because it is a good one. I was engaged to another guy. The same guy I dated for a few years in high school. I had the ring, the date, about to buy my dress but I was miserable. It was a really bad situation. I got brave one night and went to my mom for help. After breaking down, she told me her and my dad would do anything for me to keep me safe and make me happy. I broke it off. About a month and a half later I was living three hours away and only my family and a few friends knew where I was. My first week there I met a guy. I forgot about said guy until a few days later when he and another guy just walked through the door of my friends trailer. Yes, trailer. We didn’t know these guys but they just walked in. They introduced themselves and invited us over to their trailer. It was actually the trailer of one of the guys I had met a few days earlier and I recognized him. None of my friends wanted to but I said yes. My friends thought I was crazy. Two strange guys? Yeah well, I have always been a guys’ girl. The one guy who lived there, introduced me to his three roommates. One, I instantly connected with (it was not Mr. Superman), one I seriously thought was a mute, I mean kid you not (this WAS Mr. Superman), and one couldn’t handle my sarcasm and instantly hated me. He actually called me “The Mean Girl” for the first year he knew me. Anyways, after awhile, I noticed that Mr. Superman was the one guy that wouldn’t pay any attention to me. I took it as a personal challenge. I was dating his roommate by this time. You know, the one that picked me up in a trailer park? Definitely one of the most white trash moments of my life. I hung out with the rest of the guys all the time and Mr. Superman would never come along. Finally one night I called him and asked him if he wanted to come over for dinner and a movie. He said sure and asked if he could invite everyone else. I said no. Ha ha! Anyways I made him chicken and pasta and we watched the Interpreter. That’s when we found out we both love Nicole Kidman. We talked a ton that night and I thought it would take off from there. Wrong. It took me being over at his place ALL the time, making ALL the moves before he finally caught on. I asked him out first, I held his hand first, and when I realized he wasn’t in a hurry, I brought up our “status” first. One night I looked at him straight in the eye and asked, “When are you going to finally tell me how much you like me?” He got all embarrassed and said something like, “Well I do.” I said I knew but was wondering when he was gonna man up. After making him feel all awkward and fumbly for a few hours he finally asked me if I thought I could be his girlfriend. I said yes. Ha ha, then the next day I had to break it off completely with his roommate. The rest is history! This really was the shortshort version.
(A few months into dating, one of Mr. Superman's roommates taught me to skateboard. I practiced inside the trailer because I fell a lot so if I was inside, it didn't hurt as bad. Don't mind the nasty trailer, or the snowboarding goggles or the pink fuzzy slippers. The other picture: I tried to depants my man but he was super smart and had another pair of shorts on underneath. Tricky little man.)
Parents supportive of you being a military wifey?
Very. I don’t think anyone in my family really sees me as being any different than I was two years ago though. I mean they know he’s in the military and they know that he could be deployed and such, but I don’t think anyone really thinks of us as being any different. My mama and daddy are a lot more involved though. Always asking about his work and about how things work in the AF and such. My sister and brother-in-law are pretty fabulous about it all too.
What are you most passionate about?
What are you most passionate about?
I am extremely passionate about children. I know I probably am starting to sound like a broken record but babies, children, their education, Pro-Life, children in foster care, adoption… Everything about kids. I get really inflamed about politics and my beliefs. I’m also pretty dang passionate about Mr. Superman. You know… Ooh la la!
What is it that makes you wake up in the morning and tick?
Right now it’s the alarm clock. Just kidding! Not really but I don’t feel like I have anything that makes me tick per say. I am alive because of the life God blessed me with. I am alive because Mr. Superman saved me. I am alive because I have work to do here, I just haven’t quite figured it out yet. Right now, I get up, and I try my best to be the woman Mr. Superman deserves. I try to make myself better and more worthy of motherhood. I think I have a long ways to go and a lot of baggage to sort through and unpack before God is ready to hand over one of his precious children to us.
When are you and Mr. S. planning on starting a family??
We have been trying to have children from day one. We never used BC and both wanted a baby so badly. We have lost three and after surgeries, illness, and disease diagnoses, we have felt our path turned towards adoption but for anyone who knows about adoption, it is a long difficult road.
How do you handle everything? I think you should have the title of superwoman... just sayin’ :]
First off, you’re sweet! I really don’t see myself as “handling” things. I feel like I fall so short of what I should be able to do. I have breakdowns every other day if not daily. The physical pain of everything I have going on is something I have just accepted as a normal part of MY life. All of the emotional baggage I have dragging behind me really gets the better part of me more often than not. The only reason I haven’t lost my sanity yet is because of Mr. Superman.
What's your top choices for boys/girls names?
Oh man I don’t know if I’m allowed to share these. We are very protective over baby names and don’t want to risk someone we’re related to using the name before we can. We chose baby names while dating so we have first claim! Okay Mr. Superman says I cannot share. Sorry! There are way too many duplicate names going on in our families as it is so we are not willing to chance it.
Favorite Harry Potter book?
Warning: Harry Potter nerd-speak coming up. This is a toughie too! I enjoy the fourth, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but I like bits of the fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as well. He’s much too angsty for my liking for the bulk of it though. I can’t really enjoy the sixth, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince because I am dreading the ending the entire time but I do love the developments in the relationship between Harry and Dumbledore. Now I think I’ll sound like a cliché here too but my favorite altogether is the seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
State you most want to live in? (Hint: It starts with a U)
Oh dear. I think Mr. Superman’s family may not like this answer, but we hate Utah. Utah was NOT good to us. We have lots of places we would like to live but our “home” is Arizona for now and who knows where we will end up?
Do you watch TV in the dark with closed caption on?
I don’t know what it is about closed caption but I hate it. I mean like “wanna scratch my eyes and pull my hair out” level of hate. Its like nails on a chalkboard only silent. I hate it. I mean, kid you not, my skin is crawling at the thought right now.
Can you write a whole sentence with your toes holding the pen?
Not neatly, but yes. Mr. Superman hates my toes. Number one reason why? They pick on him. I can single footedly win a wrestle match. My talent with my feet is INCREDIBLE.
Ever share an ice cream cone with a pet?
Bleghch. Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. No.
When are you and Mr. S. planning on starting a family??
We have been trying to have children from day one. We never used BC and both wanted a baby so badly. We have lost three and after surgeries, illness, and disease diagnoses, we have felt our path turned towards adoption but for anyone who knows about adoption, it is a long difficult road.
How do you handle everything? I think you should have the title of superwoman... just sayin’ :]
First off, you’re sweet! I really don’t see myself as “handling” things. I feel like I fall so short of what I should be able to do. I have breakdowns every other day if not daily. The physical pain of everything I have going on is something I have just accepted as a normal part of MY life. All of the emotional baggage I have dragging behind me really gets the better part of me more often than not. The only reason I haven’t lost my sanity yet is because of Mr. Superman.
What's your top choices for boys/girls names?
Oh man I don’t know if I’m allowed to share these. We are very protective over baby names and don’t want to risk someone we’re related to using the name before we can. We chose baby names while dating so we have first claim! Okay Mr. Superman says I cannot share. Sorry! There are way too many duplicate names going on in our families as it is so we are not willing to chance it.
Favorite Harry Potter book?
Warning: Harry Potter nerd-speak coming up. This is a toughie too! I enjoy the fourth, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but I like bits of the fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as well. He’s much too angsty for my liking for the bulk of it though. I can’t really enjoy the sixth, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince because I am dreading the ending the entire time but I do love the developments in the relationship between Harry and Dumbledore. Now I think I’ll sound like a cliché here too but my favorite altogether is the seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
State you most want to live in? (Hint: It starts with a U)
Oh dear. I think Mr. Superman’s family may not like this answer, but we hate Utah. Utah was NOT good to us. We have lots of places we would like to live but our “home” is Arizona for now and who knows where we will end up?
Do you watch TV in the dark with closed caption on?
I don’t know what it is about closed caption but I hate it. I mean like “wanna scratch my eyes and pull my hair out” level of hate. Its like nails on a chalkboard only silent. I hate it. I mean, kid you not, my skin is crawling at the thought right now.
Can you write a whole sentence with your toes holding the pen?
Not neatly, but yes. Mr. Superman hates my toes. Number one reason why? They pick on him. I can single footedly win a wrestle match. My talent with my feet is INCREDIBLE.
Ever share an ice cream cone with a pet?
Bleghch. Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. No.
You mentioned you got an IUD...what kind? I got the Mirena the same day you said you got your IUD. I know you guys have struggled with infertility, do you plan on having it removed and continue TTC?
I got the Mirena. It took me talking to about 10 different OB’s over the last year to find one that would do it for me without me having actually gone to term and given birth. I was also warned that the pain from insertion and pain during the possible 9 month transition period would be A LOT worse than for a woman who has given birth. Let me tell you, she did not lie. I nearly passed out at the, “Okay now when I say 3, cough and I’ll release it” moment. I also had (she called them contractions) cramps so severe I couldn’t move. I mean Mr. Superman was helping me walk for a few days. It was bad. I am praying that if not before, but by my 9 month mark, my body and uterus will have acclimated and that it will be worth all of the pain. The reason I opted for the IUD was because it was the only form of BC I had not yet tried in hopes of regulating and diminishing my period down to a level that not only allowed me to live a somewhat normal life, but even leave my house. Before it was every 14 or so days, lasting 14 days, couldn’t leave the house, vomiting, passing out, trying not to die. I’ve also dealt with all of my endometriosis pain and my countless ovarian cysts and was told that in some cases, the IUD helps to diminish these things as well. If in two years, I am still having really bad pain and such I will be getting it removed and going on my merry way. Why two years? That is our timeline to hopefully be more financially stable, out of major debt, and able to start the adoption process. As far as continuing to try to conceive on our own, I was told that I physically, cannot. That said, I also know that if God wanted to, he could snap his fingers and I’d be able to conceive and carry to term and give birth to a beautiful healthy baby, right now though, those are definitely not the cards that I have been dealt.
Aside from your wonderful husband taking care of you, how do you deal with it when your pain gets bad?
I know its childish but I cry a lot. I mean I do all the time anyway but when there is no way of getting my pain to go down or go away, all I can do is curl up on my heating pads, have my bowl next to me, and cry. I also take a scalding hot bath nearly every night. I always combine lavender oils, salts, or bubble bath too because it helps soothe. Even when the pain is horrible, I do lots of deep breathing and try my hardest to stretch. Yoga stretches have been a lifesaver.
What's your favorite self-care method?
My favorite is allowing myself to cry and my baths. Yes I am a 23 year-old woman who has had this pain since I was 15 but I am not used to it nor do I think I ever will be. Allowing myself to acknowledge the pain and my right to feel miserable and cry may not make me feel better but it does help in a weird way. I could not say enough amazing things about my baths either.
What's your dream house look like? Whereabouts is it, city or country? Tons of rooms, or pretty small? Huge backyard? Garden?
My dream house is a giant, old Victorian style house. Preferably one with lots of history or character that needs work. I would want one that I could salvage a lot of the original wood-work like beams, floors, stairs, molding, paneling, etc. I would like it to be relatively close to the city but far enough out that we have at least an acre. I think maybe when I either have a miracle cure or treatment I’d be able to manage having things like a garden but I’d totally be okay with hiring a gardener too. Ha ha! In reality, we won’t be purchasing a house until Mr. Superman retires or is high ranking enough to request a permanent residence wherever we get stationed way further down the road. We also know we want to end up in AZ. We know we will end up in AZ. Not until he retires of course and since AZ doesn’t have houses like the one we want, we will build it on land and improvise for the things we look for.
I know you wear glasses so I have to ask- when you got married did you wear them or get contacts? Because I cannot stand the idea of wearing glasses with a pretty dress but I'm wondering if I'm weird because of that!
I did NOT. I am so with you on this one girl, I think wearing glasses with your princess dress is a little odd. I actually prefer contacts but haven’t had them for a good two years because they are so dang expensive.
(See, no glasses!)
What is the hardest thing that came with all the changes in your life since you moved with your husband?
The hardest thing since relocating from Arizona to Georgia is not being near family or friends anymore. I am extraordinarily close to my sister and her family (four of my beautiful nieces and nephews) and not being able to see them every day is really hard. We don’t have kids and our nieces and nephews help to fill that void so we are missing them really bad. I also miss being close to my parents as well as my best friends. I feel like I’m missing out on so much. I’ve had friends get married and I couldn’t be there and I have this fear of someone in my family getting injured or killed and not being able to get there in time.
What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
I don’t really feel guilty about it but I take a hot bubble bath nearly every night. I also have TV shows that are ridiculous and just drama but I love them. I also eat a lot of pasta, bread and butter, and loooove French fries with honey mustard.
How did you know you loved Mr. Superman? How did you say it for the first time?
Well as with everything else about mine and Mr. Superman’s early dating relationship, this took what seemed like, FOREVER. There were a few times, where I was on the verge of saying it because I just knew. Now you asked how I knew. I knew I loved him within weeks of meeting him. I knew that I was desperately IN LOVE with him and knew I couldn’t live withOUT him on the day he nearly died. It was about a month and a half after we met and only 3 weeks into us dating. It was raining and I was at my house getting ready because he was supposed to be coming to pick me up to go to the fair. He was really late but so was I so I didn’t care. I was getting closer to being done so I texted him and he didn’t reply which was completely out of character for him. I finally got a text so I jumped for my phone. It read, “I just rolled my Jeep.” Um what the H? That’s all?! So I text him back because I thought he was joking. He wasn’t. After getting directions to where he was, I jumped in the car and went to go pick him up. The entire time I was crying and shaking, and just so sick to my stomach. I finally got there and my heart dropped. I didn’t see him anywhere but I did see his Jeep. There was no way he should’ve survived that. The entire top was flattened and all of the windows were shattered inward. He had been on a really steep and narrow mountain road. It had no railing or shoulder and he had hit a mud pit that made him swerve and go over the edge. I looked over the edge and by God’s good grace, his Jeep had landed on the ONLY shelf. It was about 12 feet down and just big enough to hold the Jeep. Had he landed even two feet over to either side, it would have continued to roll the hundreds of feet down. I finally saw him and ran over to hug and kiss him. I took him and his friend that had been with him home and started cleaning both of them up. Yeah, the small town EMS should’ve taken him to the ER for stitches but instead just put a band aid on him. It took more than three hours of pulling out glass, cleaning up blood, and disinfecting before he looked alive. Poor guy. The entire time I was fixing him up, I just kept having the one thought of, “What if he had died?” going through my head. After fixing him dinner and making sure he didn’t have a concussion, I went to tuck him into bed and lay next to him until he fell asleep. As we were lying there he was holding my hand and tracing the back of it with his finger. I could tell he had something on his mind but I did too. I was trying to figure out how to tell him how much I loved him. Well lovelies, he beat me to it. He said, “There is something I’ve been thinking a lot about and after today I know I can’t wait any longer. When I crashed and I was stuck trying to get out, all I kept think was I had to make it because I needed you to know what you mean to me. I’ve completely fallen in love with you.” Insert my heart trying to claw its way out of my chest and me crying like an idiot. “I love you too. So much.”
What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
I don’t really feel guilty about it but I take a hot bubble bath nearly every night. I also have TV shows that are ridiculous and just drama but I love them. I also eat a lot of pasta, bread and butter, and loooove French fries with honey mustard.
How did you know you loved Mr. Superman? How did you say it for the first time?
Well as with everything else about mine and Mr. Superman’s early dating relationship, this took what seemed like, FOREVER. There were a few times, where I was on the verge of saying it because I just knew. Now you asked how I knew. I knew I loved him within weeks of meeting him. I knew that I was desperately IN LOVE with him and knew I couldn’t live withOUT him on the day he nearly died. It was about a month and a half after we met and only 3 weeks into us dating. It was raining and I was at my house getting ready because he was supposed to be coming to pick me up to go to the fair. He was really late but so was I so I didn’t care. I was getting closer to being done so I texted him and he didn’t reply which was completely out of character for him. I finally got a text so I jumped for my phone. It read, “I just rolled my Jeep.” Um what the H? That’s all?! So I text him back because I thought he was joking. He wasn’t. After getting directions to where he was, I jumped in the car and went to go pick him up. The entire time I was crying and shaking, and just so sick to my stomach. I finally got there and my heart dropped. I didn’t see him anywhere but I did see his Jeep. There was no way he should’ve survived that. The entire top was flattened and all of the windows were shattered inward. He had been on a really steep and narrow mountain road. It had no railing or shoulder and he had hit a mud pit that made him swerve and go over the edge. I looked over the edge and by God’s good grace, his Jeep had landed on the ONLY shelf. It was about 12 feet down and just big enough to hold the Jeep. Had he landed even two feet over to either side, it would have continued to roll the hundreds of feet down. I finally saw him and ran over to hug and kiss him. I took him and his friend that had been with him home and started cleaning both of them up. Yeah, the small town EMS should’ve taken him to the ER for stitches but instead just put a band aid on him. It took more than three hours of pulling out glass, cleaning up blood, and disinfecting before he looked alive. Poor guy. The entire time I was fixing him up, I just kept having the one thought of, “What if he had died?” going through my head. After fixing him dinner and making sure he didn’t have a concussion, I went to tuck him into bed and lay next to him until he fell asleep. As we were lying there he was holding my hand and tracing the back of it with his finger. I could tell he had something on his mind but I did too. I was trying to figure out how to tell him how much I loved him. Well lovelies, he beat me to it. He said, “There is something I’ve been thinking a lot about and after today I know I can’t wait any longer. When I crashed and I was stuck trying to get out, all I kept think was I had to make it because I needed you to know what you mean to me. I’ve completely fallen in love with you.” Insert my heart trying to claw its way out of my chest and me crying like an idiot. “I love you too. So much.”
(Our miracle day)
What is the story of your first kiss?
This was another instance of me nearly throttling him and taking things into my own hands. There were SO many times I thought he was about to kiss me but then he’d chicken out. Later, I did find out that there HAD been so many times but he had chickened out. The magical night was actually a night where neither of us was feeling well. We had just gotten done watching a movie with one of his roommates and a mutual friend. I went back to lay down and about twenty minutes later Mr. Superman wandered back. He came and snuggled next to me. He started up a round of The Question Game. Unbeknownst to me it was all part of his little plan. You see, he knew I would eventually ask, “What are you thinking about?” and when I did, his move would be perfectly set up. That’s exactly what happened too. After I asked the magic question he smoothly responded with, “How easy it would be to do this.” Then leaned in, cupped my face, and kissed me. It was PERFECT. Something really funny about our first kiss, is that Roxeanne (by The Police) was blaring through the whole trailer. His roommate had some playlists saved on Mr. Superman’s xbox hard drive, had selected Roxeanne and put it on repeat. It played over and over again for about an hour and consequently was the background music for our first kiss.
How did he propose?
Duh, on his knee with a ring. What? Not good enough? Okay, okay. We had actually already started planning our wedding and picked the date before I got my “on the knee with a ring” proposal. In August of 2007 we attended my aunt’s surprise 50th birthday party and after a few hours in the Arizona heat (yes it was outside!) we decided to leave and go grab some food. We drove the half hour to my parents’ house where I was living at the time, so I could freshen up a bit. The whole day and evening he had been acting SO weird but anytime I asked what was wrong he replied, “Nothing.” Well I was walking back out of my room and when I got to the entryway I asked where we were going. He told me we were going to The Cheesecake Factory to celebrate. I asked, “Celebrate what?” and he dropped to his knee and said, “This.” while pulling out a ring. He told me he loved me and couldn’t live without me then followed it up with the age old, “Will you marry me?” I was shaking and grinning huge and asked if he was joking (yeah since we were already planning it huh?) and then told him he was crazy and to get up. I said yes, he put it on my finger, we kissed, and then we did indeed go to The Cheesecake factory to celebrate.
(Right after he popped the question)
(Celebrating with cheesecake and daiquiris!)
What was your “first dance” song and what is the story behind it?
Oh I love this one! Again, this was before we were even ‘officially’ together but I already knew I wanted him forever. I was sick and he came over to keep me company. We had gotten done watching a movie and I was trying to go to sleep. I had my iPod on and he was playing with my hair. After a while, he thought I was sleeping, but I wasn’t. Tim McGraw’s, “It’s Your Love” came on and he began singing along. He sang the entire song to me and it wasn’t until six months later that I told him I had been awake. When it came to choosing our first dance song for our wedding we had so many we could’ve gone with but when this one came up to bat, we knew this was perfect.
(First dance)
What does your wedding ring look like and did you pick it out?
We actually looked at rings together and I picked out four different styles I loved. I told him I would be happy with anything he got me. He ended up choosing my favorite out of the four! It’s a 1.5 carat solitaire diamond on a thin, white gold band. Well that is actually my “engagement” ring. My wedding band is a thin, white gold band with 8 little diamonds that goes perfectly with my engagement ring. He’s incredible isn’t he?!
(I adore my ring)
Were you a ‘wild child’?
You know I wasn’t sure if I wanted to answer this one or not because I didn’t want my readers, friends, or family (the ones that don’t already know) to view me differently but decided that my honesty is more important to you AND me than keeping my sordid past top secret. When I was a Junior in high school, my best friend committed suicide. I took it pretty hard and took the wrong path in ‘dealing’ with it. I got really angry and depressed and started doing things to my body, inside and out, that were extraordinarily detrimental. I started abusing pills of all sorts. I was abusing prescriptions, over the counter stuff, stealing others’ pills, as well as drinking, smoking, some other ‘hard’ drugs, and cutting myself. Despite knowing better, I broke myself down and damaged my spirit and mental capacities so badly that it took Mr. Superman coming into my life and in turn keeping me alive one fateful night before I realized how far off I had gotten. I still struggle with things but having him in my life and knowing that I need to be the best kind of woman he deserves, helps monumentally.
