We first met at the county fair in 1995, Blake was 13 and Jillian was 12. That is when our crushes started but it sure didn’t end there. As we grew up we were always in each other’s lives but Blake was just a cute red-headed friend of Jillian’s brother that teased her whenever he was around and Jillian was the cute blond-haired, blue-eyed little sister.
After high school we found ourselves at home during summers and college breaks. Blake spent a lot of time at Jillian’s parents' house and often we found ourselves as the only ones awake after a movie. We developed more of a friendship during our college years but continued on our separate paths.
After college Blake started his engineering career in Kennewick and Jillian started grad school at WSU in Spokane. This is when the love story starts picking up...
Jillian’s Version:
Blake would call from time to time, but just to check in on me. Blake missed my birthday in 2006 and promised to make it up to me by coming to Spokane and taking me out to dinner (he hadn't missed my birthday since I started doing birthday barbecues). When he visited that weekend I saw a side of him that I’d never seen before. I’d always had a crush on him because of his charm and well... he’s so handsome! However, this weekend visit made me realize that he was a really sweet, nice guy. He was usually such a joker, rarely to be taken seriously. In all those years I’d never really seen his serious side. My family had always joked about us dating but for the first time I could actually see it.
Blake’s Version:
Jill was that girl that I’d always liked but never thought I’d really get to date. I had thought about what it would mean to try to date her over the years, but hadn’t ever been able to take that leap and risk my friendship with her brother or lose my connection with her family. She was the unattainable blue-eyed girl on a pedestal and at the time it was safest to keep her there.
Jillian Continued:
Blake’s serious side had impressed me in Spokane but for reasons unknown to me, he was distant after that. After I graduated and moved to Seattle, Blake started to call and check in on me from time to time. At first it was about once a month... then every couple of weeks... then every week... and then several times a week. I had given up hope of something happening with him long ago but after all of this "checking in" I started to wonder. Through our conversations I’d begun to see that Blake had matured quite a bit since he graduated and he continued to impress me with his character and sweetness.
Blake Continued:
The time came when I realized that if I didn’t want to lose Jill, I’d better try to make a move. It might be too late, but I needed to find out. So I called... and called... and called... I offered to help carry heavy items or move things in my big truck.. and I called some more. Eventually, Jill started to see that I was serious this time and started to let me in, little by little.
Jillian:
As Blake called and we talked, I developed a deeper respect for him. I realized that he was a man of character and integrity; in his career, with his family and with his friends. The closer we got, the more I understood how well he balanced me out and complemented me in a way that I didn’t know was possible. Our history and close families are just icing on the cake... wedding cake!
Blake:
I got up the nerve to ask her on a real date, I got up the nerve to kiss her, and eventually... I happily asked her to marry me.
Jillian:
I said yes :)
Start back at the beginning here
