The Beginning of Us – Laura’s Story {Laura’s Lovely Blog}
Today’s post comes from one of my longest friends on social media – Laura from Laura’s Lovely Blog. I have known Laura on Twitter since before I had a blog, since LP was tiny – like, a tiny baby type tiny. It’s a pleasure to have her sharing her story today and make sure you go and follow her and her gorgeous children over on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
Over to Laura…
My husband (Ben) and I were not a love at first sight couple. Although I remember distinctly the first day I met him. I had joined an amateur dramatic group at university on my singing teacher’s recommendation as a great way to do more singing. Ben, by his own admission, joined because he was on a course that was 98% male, and wanted to meet girls. I guess you can say it worked. One of the girls in the group commented on that time that she thought he was handsome, and I remember saying oh he’s not my type (how wrong I was!).
Ben, started talking to me because he fancied one of the other girls in the group and wanted my advice on how to talk to her. What a pair we were. What led on from there was the start of a great friendship. During rehearsals and after every show, we’d sit back stage and natter. About the books we were reading, the films we loved and we just clicked and became friends.
I can’t remember the exact moment we both started feeling more for one another. I remember a group trip to Alton Towers, we hadn’t realised each other was going and we were so pleased to see one another (remember this was at a time pre-mobile phones and text messages).
Talking of pre mobile phones, I remember when Ben first called for me at home. My children will never know the embarrassment of their Mum shouting – Laura there’s a man on the phone for you. Yes he heard.
From there, a bit like a cheesy chick flick movie there were a few missed opportunities. I used to love the student union karaoke night and would go religiously. Ben, who actually hates karaoke then went one week to meet me, it happened to be a week it was cancelled. I then invited him to my birthday celebrations and he was away. At the time he was really, really into his motorbikes I then drove over to his place (I had a total thing for Cool Rider ala Grease 2) and got ridiculously lost. Then when we finally went for a night out, after a couple of friends not so tactfully ditching and leaving us to it, Ben was so nervous had a bit too much to drink and it was nearly a disaster.
Then I remember Ben so nervous and somewhat tipsy in the middle of the student union confessing his feelings for me and asking if I felt the same, me saying I did, then him looking at me nervously and asking if he could kiss me. From then on we didn’t look back. I knew it was the start of something special. By this time we had known each other for roughly a year, so I guess things got pretty serious pretty quick, but we did know each other quite well. Other than the first summer where Ben went home and we only saw each other at the weekends, we barely went a day without seeing each other. That was a week before my nineteenth birthday, the summer after my graduation, I was 21, we got engaged. We then bought a flat and then a house, so we didn’t have the money to get married sooner and we got married when I was 27. We had our first child when I was 31.
I am now 35, so we have been together 16 years. I won’t say that those years have always been easy, like everyone we have had difficult times. On one occasion I wasn’t sure we were going to make it, but we came through stronger than before. We we have battled illness and infertility issues, but now we have two wonderful children and some truly wonderful times and memories. I can honestly say Ben is my best friend, he makes me a better person and I could not imagine my life without him.
Ah Laura your story is so lovely! You have been together so long and been through so much. I cannot wait to see what the next 16 years have in store for you!
