The Fiance

The sewing has begun! In the Phase 2 post coming soon I'll share pictures and details on how it is all coming together but this week I wanted to talk about the man that is the reason all of this dress madness is happening. 

I'm not typically one to gush about my man but I am going to take this opportunity to do just that and disguise it as an introduction to the one that is making me a Luce woman...

I met Ben in August of 2007. At the time I wasn't looking for a relationship. I had just gotten out of one and was about to graduate college and  was a finalist for an International Radio and Television Society Fellowship in New York City. I had big plans for 3 months in NYC and settling down was the last thing on my mind. I love the process of meeting new people though and perused a dating site that I won't name because it is good for he and I to be the only ones that know that detail of our relationship. I will tell you it wasn't Tinder as that hadn't been invented yet... 

Engagement Shot by Andrew Foster

I don't know if everyone does this, but from a pretty young age I knew what I was looking for in the "man of my dreams." I even went so far as to name this theoretical dream man "Adam." I knew he would have dark hair, light eyes, and would wear a leather jacket. I can't remember exactly where the jacket detail came from but I think it came from a dream I had about meeting him for the first time in a dorm room. It was always kind of a joke between me and my close friends and there are many entries in old journals about my search for him. As I looked at the profile pics on the dating site I came across a dark haired, green-eyed guy standing on a BART platform in San Francisco. He was a dead ringer for "Adam" and how I imagined him. I saw this handsome guy was from California and thought "no harm in starting a conversation with a guy so far away because it can't land me in a relationship when I'm just exploring what's out there, right?!" I sent him a message and we began to chat regularly. 

In one of our first conversations he mentioned that he was about to end his service in the Air Force and would be leaving California to return to his home state.... of Maine... I thought he was kidding... what are the odds? We continued to chat and realized we had so much in common. When his service was up he drove home from California with his Dad and would call me at night and tell me about their road trip. I was slowly falling madly in love with him and I had never even met him. I knew how dangerous that was and kept dismissing it. 

When he was finally back in Maine and was settling back into life as a civilian we agreed to meet. We tried to meet 3 different times but each time something came up and he had to cancel at the last minute. I was convinced he just wasn't interested but somehow he convinced me to meet a 4th time. In October 2007 we met in the parking lot of the Bangor Cinemas. He stepped out of his car wearing a leather jacket and I about peed myself. There were so many coincidences I just couldn't ignore anymore.By January 2008 we were officially a couple and by that May we were living together. 

I wasn't ultimately accepted to the IRTS Fellowship and when I found out I wasn't as devastated as I thought I would be. I felt, instead, like everything was happening just the way it should. Moving to a big city had always been my dream and what I thought I was working towards but when I met Ben and fell in love with him, my world view began to change. 

Since then I like to say we have been growing up together because I feel like we have (more or less) become the adults we will be for the rest of our lives.  We bought a house in 2013 and adopted our first dog together in 2014. When we get married in August I will feel 100% sure that I'm marrying the man I was meant for. 

He is everything I could ever want in a partner. He makes me feel great about myself. He treats me with respect, kindness, and support. He makes me laugh... hard... all the time. He works hard and has more patience than anyone I've ever known. He is curious and is always finding new things to tell me about because he reads all the time. He is almost always level headed. It takes a lot to make him angry and when we do have arguments he doesn't put me down or try to make me feel inferior. He would do just about anything I asked of him and he never complains about anything. When new people come to our house he likes to give them a tour and point out all of the photographs I've taken and brags about how great of a job he thinks I've done to decorate and make our home beautiful. I feel so lucky that we found each other. 

He has made me feel like a part of his family for years and to make it official is the best honor I've ever received. I can't wait to grow old together. He's my best friend and I know my life is better than the life I dreamed about because he's in it. Now all I want is to build a house on Bigelow Hill and spend the rest of our days creating happiness for each other. I love him with all my heart and when I get to call myself his wife I'll take so much pride in my new name with every signature I write. 

<3 The Future Mrs. Luce

Week 4