The Story

"I met Seth when I transferred to Dow's Prairie Elementary School in the 5th grade. We were in the same class, and I was head over heels the first time I saw him. It wasn't long before the whole 5th grade knew... news travels fast between ten-year-olds, and lets just say this "Love at First Sight" only went one way..."


"Hey! I had my mind set on more important things than some girl who thought I was cute."


"What things?"


"I was focusing on bike riding, video games and wall ball. Priorities."


"Seth was the wall ball champ at Dow's Prairie, easily being the strongest kid at school, and I liked to stand in line and watch him play but I was always too scared to get to the front. One day, I bucked up the courage and made it to the front of the line and stepped on the court, and guess what Seth said: "


"No girls allowed."


"I thought it was, "I don't play with girls!" but either way, yours truly ran off the court crying. It wasn't our best moment but it was the beginning."


"It took me a while, but a few years later in the 8th grade, I realized just how cool Tessa is."


"a.k.a. I was one of the first 8th graders with ta-tas." ;)


"Well that was part of it, but really, I really admired how smart she was, and I thought she was very pretty. One day my mom asked me who 'that pretty girl was' at the bus stop with me. I told her it was Tessa, and she told me that I should ask her to be my girlfriend."


"But that was in 8th grade! You didn't ask me out until freshman year... what took you so long?"


"I was waiting for the right time: October 3, 2003 Homecoming Dance, last song of the night, 11:55p.m."


"Alright, I'll tell the story. So, over the summer between 8th grade and high school, Seth and I started talking on AIM (yes we are in the IM generation). When school started, he asked me (via AIM) to the homecoming carnival. Kate was there reading over my shoulder, and we both started jumping up and down when he finally asked, and of course I said yes! So that Wednesday night, October 1st, at the homecoming carnival, we had our first date. We walked around to all the booths, he bought me carnival tickets, and we stood really close by the bonfire. Unfortunately, while we were there, Seth let some other girl wear the necklace he had on..."


"All you had to do was ask!!"


"Well.... I was really shy. Anyways, I got jealous, but it didn't ruin our night at all. We made plans to go to the football game and dance together, and I left the field as happy as could be!"


"So I had plans to ask Tessa out during the homecoming dance. And I really wanted it to be a surprise. Unfortunately, she definitely knew by the time I asked her."


"Yeah... Seth wasn't the only person I talked to on AIM."


"Let's say, word travels fast between thirteen-year-olds too. I picked her up that night. My parents picked her up, and we got dropped off at the football game. I was really excited at the game, I couldn't believe that I had such a beautiful date."


"He bought me nachos and sprite, it was cute. My favorite part was when the fireworks were shot off. I felt like I was in the movie, and I couldn't keep my eyes off of Seth - I really was the happiest I had ever been."


"We went inside to the dance. And that's when I got a little nervous. Luckily, during the fast songs the freshmen boys and girls pretty much kept to themselves. It was the slow songs that got my heart racing. Especially since everyone was asking me: 'are you going to do it now?' 'have you done it yet?' 'what are you going to say?' The first slow song came on, she was pretty easy to find being one of the tallest girls in school already, and perhaps due to our difference in height, I started off the dance with my hands on her shoulders..."


"Yes, yes you did. But really - it happened all the time, I was really tall."


"Luckily, she pulled my arms down to her waist and the awkward moment was over. Or so I thought. Even as we were dancing, our friends..."


"...notably Matt Sullivan..."


"wouldn't leave us alone! They were watching us, making hand gestures, telling Seth to ask me out, but basically making it impossible for me to actually do it!"


"I was giggling for most of it, mostly because I was pretty embarrassed too, but it was cute to see Seth so nervous."


"Slow song after slow song went by, and finally it was the last song of the night. I thought to myself, I have to do it now. So I decided in my head, that when the clock struck 11:55 I would ask her."


"In my head, I was thinking: 'Oh my gosh, it's the last song of the night! What if he doesn't ask me? What if he does? What am I going to say?' I was really nervous too."
____________________________
Matt: "Seth, are you going to do it?"

11:55 p.m.

"Tessa... Will you go out with me?"

"sure.............."

____________________________


"Seriously Tessa? sure? What kind of response is that? You've loved me for 5 years, and that's what you come up with?"


"I was really nervous! And I wanted to seem cool. I didn't think jumping up and down and screaming yes would be cool, although in retrospect it would have made a much better ending. Seriously, if I could go back in time I would have changed it. If it matters though, seconds later, I ran, grabbed Kate's hand, pulled her into the girls bathroom and told her everything in the most excited way."


"And so it began..."


"Yep, finally my 'head over heels' love was coming back the other way."


"The next Monday, she didn't know whether or not to sit next to me on the bus. But she did."


"And the next month, he freaked out about kissing me on the cheek. But he did."


"Hey that was a big step! But it was my birthday, so what the heck! I wanted a kiss!"


"No, I'm glad he did. And the next week it was quick kisses and love letters between classes."


"Before you know it, we couldn't keep our lips to ourselves."


"Psshh, you couldn't keep your lips off mine!"


"Who would have thought that seven years later I would be asking her to marry me?"


"I did."


"I did too."

New Years - Freshman Year

Winter Formal - Freshman Year

Freshman Year

Tessa's Birthday - 2004

Mom's Wedding - 2005

Halloween - Sophomore Year

Thailand - Junior Year

Homecoming Candidates - Senior Year

Winter Formal - Senior Year

Prom - Senior Year

High School Graduation

Four Year Anniversary

His #1 Groupie - 2007

Valentines Day, Washington D.C. - 2008

Together Forever - March 3, 2008

Five Year Anniversary

Six Year Anniversary - Regina Spektor Concert

New York, New York - 2010

Seven Year Anniversary