{Our Love Story} part 1

      Once upon a time two adorable children were born in Las Vegas, at the same hospital, checked out by the same nurse, given almost identical social security numbers, placed in the same onesie, and posed for the same picture… all just 4 months apart.

Can you guess who is who?

Okay the colors kind of give it away, but one time Joe, looking at my baby picture, said, “I look the same as a baby as I do now.” I responded, “Actually that’s me.” …. Whoopsie.

So Joe and I were born and raised in the lovely town of Las Vegas. The longest distance we ever lived from each other, in Vegas, was 8 miles (yes, we calculated).  As wee babies, Joe and I had similar interests…

like sleeping…

bathing with sibs…

going to Disneyland…

posing with Santa…

being weird… (I’m sorry but the twins in those leo’s hugging each other… too good)

and just looking good….

But as we got older our interests changed and our stars didn’t seem so aligned.

Joe became sporty and I became jazz-handy.

He took flexing pictures and I took strange olden time pictures (don’t tell my mom I posted this baha).

 BUT We both wore spandex, does that count as similar interests?…

Okay, okay. So, Joe hung out with the Jocks and I was a Thespian through and through.

We had our differences, but we had our similarities too.

We both were active LDS youth who went to seminary and church, attended and helped with activities, and were pretty happy go lucky people. Joe’s school and area in general had very few LDS youth. Joe’s aunt was in my ward. She had told him about me and so had a couple mutual friends, who knows why… fate I guess. Joe was pretty excited to hear about a normal (so he thought) LDS girl his age. He stalked me on Facebook and decided he wanted to meet me. This is where it got tricky because neither his aunt or friends would set him up with me **at least that’s what he claims.**

So how did he overcome this set back… Facebook. Yes people it began with Facebook.

When he friend requested me, all I knew about him was that when he had played Volleyball again my school, he  spiked a ball so hard that it knocked out a kid in my English baha.

Joe posted on my wall and said “I can’t believe the famous Michele Ringer accepted my friend request.”

I responded “I can’t believe the famous Joe White asked to be my friend you are quite famous around school since knocking out that kid!”

Ya we were lame…. but we thought we were cool and Joe messaged me again.

(this is REAL, copy and pasted from our Facebook hahaha)

 Conversation started April 7, 2008

 

Joe White

I’m Joe

I couldn’t write this on your wall cause I don’t know if the kid is your friend or not but, someone told me the kid is a real weirdo. haha. I do feel bad though, weird or not.

Michele Ringer

um can i just tell you that he is the strangest person i have ever met in my life!!! haha. But don’t worry, i talked to him in english the next day and he’s fine.

 

Joe White

I know this seems kind of forward… but you seem really cool and I was wondering you’d like to get some fried ice cream from Macayo’s, im kinda famous there. Nothin to formal…

 

Michele Ringer

sure lol i love fried ice cream! when would you wanna go? I can’t this weekend, I’m out of town.

 

Joe White

Fun… where you going? It doesn’t even have to be the weekend, just whenever your not busy…

 

Joe White

Oh, and my number is *** that might make talking a little easier.

 So we ditched that whole Facebook thing and started texting. What little flirts. Eventually we did go on a date, but to Outback instead of Macayo’s. Before he left to pick me up for that date, Joe text me and asked if I was ready, when I replied yes he said, “Awesome me and my mom will head over.”

I PANICKED. HE’S BRINGING HIS MOM!

I had never even met the kid… could he even drive? is that why he was bringing his mom?!

I immediately called our mutual friend, Parker, and was freaking out! Parker was only making it worse, but a minute later I got a text from Joe saying, “I’m just kidding.”Joe says he was wondering why I wasn’t responding and then got nervous that I took him seriously lol.

PHEW big relief. So… Joe had a sense of humor. That’s basically all I knew about him

When Joe got to my house he was wearing a black v-neck, with blinged out pants, and a necklace with a shark tooth… I kid you not. **Joe says he was definitely not wearing a shark tooth necklace, but I know what I saw people.**

He also was driving the HUGEST black truck ever. I was wearing a dress and had to like hurdle to get in there.

We went to Outback and kept things short and sweet. We ate an appetizer (Bloomin Onion DUH!) and dessert (Sydney Sinful Sundae- which they now have gotten rid of. Haters.) I mostly just remember where we sat, what he wore, and that he was nervous AND he spilled chocolate on his face and didn’t play it off very well haha.

After that date, Joe Facebook messaged me again:

April 23, 2008

Joe White

Whats up bub? Just thought I’d let ya know how excited I am to play that kid tomorrow, I have heard from a few people that he has harsh feelings towards me, cant wait to give him a big HUG! I dont even want to go to the game, but I was just wondering if you were coming…

Michele Ringer

hey! sorry i didn’t go to the game, i had a school play. How’d it go? did he try to fight you?

Joe White

A school play? How exciting… you came to one of my games so its only fair that I go to one of your plays (and root for the other characters haha jk), just let me know when one is. The game wasn’t all that good and he didn’t try and fight me, I gave him a friendly wink and after that its seemed as if his intentions were different then what he initially came with. jk. but he did get hit it the head by our outside hitter, not as hard though, poor kid.

Michele Ringer

So the play ended already lol sorry. It was really stupid and cheesy though. lol so sorry about kelly, he struggles lol. I’m glad that he didn’t try to fight you though. he probably would have whooped your trash. lol

Joe White

Haha… your struggling, I wanted to see you act… maybe you’ll be in one of those short church clips one day and I could say I knew that girl haha. Those are my favorite movies- right before scary movies!

And no response… burn by me!

Okay okay, but can we just take a moment to talk about these messages… Joe calls me “Bub”. Bub? What does that even mean?! But then I win by saying “whooped his trash”… ewww.

Joe tried to make a smooth transition there by asking about scary movies… He was attempting to smoothly transition to asking me to see a movie with him… did it work?

Find out in {Our Love Story} Part 2!!