There is something special about a relationship that starts on the soil of a college campus.  Maybe it's because you are just starting to really see the world, see yourself, and you are vulnerable.  Then you stumble upon this person and as you navigate life, find yourself and your path, this person is there too.  This person is growing with you, evolving with you, and can now be your time capsule to this incredibly important time in your life, when you were shaped into the person you are today.

I met my husband when I was 19 and he was 20.  I actually knew of him the year before, he was a member of the Otterbein College (now University) Division III National Championship Basketball team - he was the guy with four three-pointers in the final game.  He stood out to me, as a I was a mere freshman standing in the student section, because he was tall, confident, handsome and had graduated from my rival high school.  It wasn't until the start of the following school year that my dear friend, which whom I looked up to (and still do) advised me to drop the guy I was dating because it wasn't good for me and that she went to high school with this nice guy who I should get to know and that would be Mo (no his real name isn't Mo, but I'll tell you that story at another time).  Mo likes to tell people now that when he first spotted me, he thought to himself, "I want to have five kids with that girl!" Now we know that is far from the truth, but neither of us would change our story, or imagine anyone else being the person to walk alongside in this life.

Mo lived on the main street of our college town, in an old house with 8 other guys, it was known as the "basketball house" and I'm sure you can imagine with that much testosterone what type of environment it was, but it is the place where our romance began and so many fond memories stem from.  The friendships we built together, the hardships that we faced, the lessons we learned are all things that we both treasure and were because of our youth and because of college life.  

I wouldn't change a moment of our story and I'm thankful every day that I met Mo when I did.  I needed him as we traveled through this era in time, to help me navigate rocky waters, push me to pursue my dreams, and show me that I deserve the best.  He still does these things for me and we ease through life together, I think, because of our past, because we have the roots that we do.  Life can be hard, but we have this history together and that brings a sense of comfort.  He knows me and has loved me at my worst and knows the person I can be at my best.  He is there always.

Some of our dear friends are also Cardinal love stories.  One of my favorites though, is my parents.  They too met on Otterbein's campus and have built a legacy together.  They will celebrate 40 years of marriage this fall and I'm blessed to have them as an example of the strength of a relationship when you believe in it.

When you are a college love story, you can dress your children in their gear with no shame.  They look awful cute and it's fun to imagine them following in your footprints and legacy, when in reality you just want them to follow their heart.  Out of five, we might have one Otterbein Cardinal in our future, if I had to guess it would probably be Parker, our oldest and most loyal.  He will probably want to move in right next door to us someday, his future wife better be prepared.

Are you a college love story?  Share your experience!