Brian and I met in January 2004. We were taking a political science class at ICC with a Mr. Jim Thomas. He was a real riot of a teacher. I just remember he was really opinionated, but ask Brian what his opinions were because I can't remember. I was just nineteen and Brian was twenty-one and had just returned from serving a two year mission in Brazil for our church the previous October. His family had moved from Virginia Beach to Peoria while he was on his mission because his dad got a job at the airport and his mom has family here. Looking back on everything with the faith I have now, I feel like the decisions that led Brian to come here after his mission were some of the first little divine nudges that brought us to where we are today.
My memory doesn't work chronologically like Brian's does, but I can remember moments independent of their order, and I can honestly remember the first time I saw Brian because I thought he was so good looking. I remember Mr. Thomas would pass around a sign in roster each day and I would try to figure out who Brian was by watching him sign the roster. I always remember, there was this girl called Tammy who sat in between us and we would both be talking to her trying to steal glances at each other. Slowly we started spending breaks together in the library and by the end of the semester we were pretty good friends. We exchanged numbers on the last day of school and I ended up calling him first to see if he would go with me to my friend Ann's high school graduation which he did. That was our first date. From there, we really started falling for each other and soon we were exclusively dating.
We got along really well and enjoyed many of the same things. Brian was such a sweetheart, always doing sweet things for me like baking me pies and driving them all the way to Lacon where I worked just to leave them on my car with a love note for me to find. In the summer of 2005, he took me to Virginia Beach and I saw the ocean for the first time with him.
In the fall of 2005, things changed. We just started not feeling quite right about being together. Several things were going on for me emotionally, and I think he felt the same way. I really just felt like it wasn't fun anymore. Things were very serious as far as our conversations went and we both started to get frustrated. We decided to take a break, which seemed like a good idea at the time. I just felt like we needed some time apart to grow independently of one another. A month later we got together for dinner. Brian was wondering if we had done the right thing after all. At that point, I felt like we had. I told him I didn't think we should be together and I was doing okay. About a month after that, I changed my mind and felt like we had made a terrible mistake, but by this time, Brian felt like we had done the right thing by breaking up and he was ready to move on.
I was pretty devastated and kind of went on an emotional tailspin. My great-gram, who absolutely loved Brian was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer around Christmastime and so at that point I was just focused on her. Brian came to visit her a few times. He had made her some CD's of old music that she loved to listen to and once he brought his guitar and played a little for her. I will never forget, one day I was sitting on the couch with her and holding her hand and she told me that she really wished things would have worked out for me and Brian. She passed away in February 2006 and Brian was with me that day at her funeral.
I have to go to class, but this is a good stopping point. That was Brian and Lindsey chapter 1. Chapter 2 is ever so much better.
A few survivors from the first time we were together.
This must have been June of 2004.
These were obviously taken New Year's Eve 2004. We look so young!
This must have been June of 2004.
These were obviously taken New Year's Eve 2004. We look so young!
Lindsey
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