As a single girl who had been divorced for a couple of years, I had developed the belief that there were no good guys left out there in the world. That the stuff that made movies was nothing more than the romantic fantasizing of a wishful writer and that I would never find that "one" who would make everything bright and bubbly. After a series of rough spots, I was at a very low point in my life and was beyond even wanting to date much less looking for someone to spend a lifetime with.
Until…Cue one Craig Williams, a rice grader from DeWitt, Arkansas, a place that I had never even heard of. In his line of work he traveled a lot, going from one grain elevator to another, grading the rice barges that were being loaded. He would usually be there for one week a month, sometimes more. 
During that time, we got to be pretty good friends. We found that we had a lot of the same interest, the same sarcastic humor and always had a lot of fun talking. But there was never any discussion about dating and when he was away I would never hear anything more than an occasional text asking about river stages, barges or maybe a movie that he had watched at my suggestion.
After one visit, I could tell something was on his mind, but didn't want to pry. A day later, I received a text asking for advice on how to ask a girl out, after a brief discussion he finally said, "Have you not figured this out yet?" Two days later, he drove three hours to meet me for our first date. It was through the week and I had to make it an early night because of my daughter but it was the most I had laughed in a long time.
When I met my Mom that evening to pick up my daughter Micah I said, "Now this one has potential!" Shortly after, we went on our second date, my family reunion!! I told him repeatedly that we could wait and do something another time, but he insisted that it was fine. By the end of the day, I knew that this guy was a keeper. He had been great to Micah and to my family. He had pitched in and helped out and never once did I feel the need to mediate or keep him involved. After that, we started seeing more and more of one another.
Sometimes he'd drive for hours to meet, only to have to turn around and immediately drive back for work. We continued to get closer and I was constantly amazed by all the little things that seemed to fit together so perfectly. The similarities that I had never realized and by how much fun we had trying new things together. I had finally found someone that I could spend hours sitting and talking with, never realizing how quickly time had passed. But still, I was hesitant and insisted that I would never "settle" again. Although somewhere, deep down inside, I knew that this was the guy not only for me, but for my daughter as well. I watched as he melted her heart and mine and we settled into the glow of contentment together.
In the next months, I met some of his family and friends and instantly felt that I had known them for years. The only concern that I had was in meeting his children. I loved listening to Craig talk about them. He always beamed such love and pride when he spoke about his daughter Brittany and son Brittan.
On September 25th, 2010 we joined our families for the first time and all of my worries were forgotten. These two great kids that I had grown to love before I had ever met them were nothing short of the wonderful that I imagined them to be. Beautiful, smart, talented, kind and so accepting.
After the first weekend, Micah, who was 11 at the time, began imitating everything that Brittany, then 16, did from hairstyles and dress to gestures and slang. And Brittan was the perfect compliment to her tomboy side, ready to hunt and race. Little by little, I began to realize that the crazy, fun kind of love from the movies I once cringed at, was very possible.
On October 20th, 2010 in the same spot that Craig and I had spent so many hours lost in conversation, where he had first told me he loved me, he asked me to be with him forever. I said yes, and to my surprise he pulled out a ring that he had been carrying with him for two weeks.
After a lot of laughs, hugs, kisses and tears, he asked if the ring was ok. I laughed and jumped up telling him to wait there. I came back with a ring that I had bought for a Halloween costume a couple years before. The evening I wore it I had told everyone, "I will never marry again unless I am presented with the real version of THIS ring." The ring Craig had bought was almost identical, another sign that things were just as they were supposed to be.
Stay tuned for the rest of my wedding details, planning and stories that you'll enjoy!
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