Hi friends!
Just so you know, this man is mine. Despite the fact that he, Dylan, leaves dark roast coffee rings on the light colored counter and his dirty, work socks by our bed, I wouldn't trade him for a single, dang thing. We are both goofy as hell (obviously, see above photo). But, man, this guy always has my best interest in his heart. Dylan works twice as hard as he should have to, so that I can follow my dream of being a photographer. He does, however, see my dreams as an eventually success story for himself. Ask him! He believes that I will become big enough, so that he can be a stay-at-home-dad (SAHD) to our fur kids, Ink and Loki (plus the kittens: Crylic, Rue, & Sabel). With his support and belief in me, I have no doubt he will get to do that.
One day.
Maybe...
When we are 75!?
Who knows?
But... Y'all came for the real story. The love story. Here we go:
On my mom's birthday in 2012, Dylan (the man child, boy, wonderful person) picked me up from my house and met my dad. They shook hands and had a staring contest that a fish would approve of... (Fish don't have eyelids, if you missed my joke.) Anyways, I tried to make it as least awkward as humanly possible for my almost-not-quite boyfriend and I, like the weirdo I still am, practically dove into Dylan's truck screaming "bye" all the way out the door like a rabid pterodactyl.
It was magical.
Not.
Men.
I swear.
So, now that the hardest part was over...
He, then, drove me in his obnoxiously loud, well loved, two-toned chevy truck to the Relay For Life event held at Southwestern Oklahoma State University to meet my mom. It was an entirely interesting endeavor as we searched the sea of people for my tall, beautiful momma, following trails of "She went that way," "I just saw her talking to so-n-so," "Hey! Isn't it her birthday?" etc. until we finally found her.
Looking back on it, I'm pretty sure Tiffy, my mom, was serving fajitas with her Burcham Elementary Teacher crew or they were selling balloons and temporary tattoos. Either way, there were fajitas nearby and the smoke & scent were thick. I remember my mom hugging me and I'm actually not 100% sure what happened after they shook hands, were introduced, and said hello, because I was hugged/mobbed by Tiler, my best friend (who supported me like good friends do, yet assumed Dylan was a "bad boy." But, so did the rest of the school and I'm not here to discredit anything you all have held onto for years up until now. So, keep on believing, if you must.) The three of us wished her a happy birthday as she was beginning to be surrounded again by her half-pint, adoration team of kindergarten and first graders. She is the best physical education teacher who has ever and will ever live.
Dylan and I waded back through the crowd and made it out the door as the announcer began speaking. We walked to his truck and I bombarded him with questions. All kinds of questions. That's what I'm good at! I pretty much never shut up. It's a blessing and a curse. I asked him about what he thought and how he felt & I just remember him smiling kindly at me and answering all my questions.
I had known him for all of 2 weeks, maybe 3. So, of course, when we got into his truck, I slid all the way over to sit beside him and put my head on his shoulder. Good old bench seats! I was hoping, since he had met my parents that he would ask me to be his girlfriend.
Spoiler alert, he didn't!
We were headed to the Old Fishing Hole in that truck which didn't have a good latch on the passenger door (another story) and had the exhaust dump out right beneath our feet. I couldn't say a word to him without screaming, so I didn't. (Finally found the antidote for my word vomit issue.) I just thought for a whole 1/2 mile to the Washington and Davis stoplight. I really didn't, and still don't, do small talk very well. As we finally pulled up to the stop light and the engine quit roaring for a half a second, I exclaimed, "Well? Are you going to ask me out yet?"
And that, my friends, began our adventure.
XOXO,
The Trailblazing Tog
Aspynn Tabor
Western Oklahoma Adventure Photographer
P.S. He said yes! & he, also, said that if I could've waited a few more minutes, he was going to ask me out romantically under the stars. Patience is not my best virtue. But, now I have a story to tell.