Time line continued...

May 2008 Jesse started a new job @ RedBook Soultions which he seems to be enjoying. He works with a couple of his friends, he gets paid well, and he gets to listen to music all day. He does have busy times at work, so for 6 weeks he works 50-60hours a week and the next 6 weeks he works the normal 40hours. Jesse gets his first experience on Amtrak when he comes to Iowa to meet my family. In Iowa we help celebrate Cody's (my cousin Jeff's son, who I babysat for for years) graduation, we get professional photos done with my parents, Dave (my brother), and Chelsey (his girlfriend). Jesse also gets his first taste of ROCK BAND the video game with the Sherman (my cousin & his family) Clan. My parents took us to the grotto in West Bend, IA. It was really beautiful and interesting to see. I pack my stuff into a storage unit and move in to Jesse's apartment.

June/July 2008 I take a trip back to Iowa alone to visit my grandpa in the hospital. I get to spend my dad's birthday with him (which I haven't done since before I moved to Denver). Jesse and I celebrate 1 year together. Jesse's band has lots of great shows. More to come in a future post about his band. In June I went to Taos, NM to visit Moe and Ben (our couple friend who moved down there in Feb & we miss them greatly). In July we went to Farmington, NM for his new neice London's baby blessing. Here I met his sister Brendon and her lovely family and his grandparents and his neice Nasia and nephew Kyle. We celebrated 4th of July with them and had a great visit.

Photos top to bottom:
1. Jesse, Grandma Rita (my dad's mom), Grandpa Bob (my dad's dad), Erin
2. Erin, Jesse visiting the Grotto in Westbend, IA
3. (L-R) Jeff (my cousin) & Ella (his dog) in the chair, Cody (my cousin's son), Jesse, Megan (my cousin's daughter) Rocking out to Rock Band
4. Monique (my long time friend & former roommate), Erin, Brittany (Monique's friend from beauty school) checking out the gorge outside of Taos, NM
5. Jesse, Erin, Brendon (Jesse's sister) sitting in the chair holding, baby London (her daughter/Jesse's niece), and Israel (her son/Jesse's nephew)

Over the last year we...

Sept 2007 We celebrated Jesse's 25th B-day by going to a karaoke bar with friends. Jesse was supposed to come to Iowa with me for my cousin Rhea's wedding, but he switched jobs and wasn't able to get the time off.

Oct 2007 Just before Halloween my great grandma passes away, my uncle has a heart attack, my parent's basment floods, and my father has a heart attack. I'm a wreck and I go back to Iowa last minute. Jesse was very supportive while I had several melt downs. For Halloween Jesse volunteers to help out @ The Children's Museum's Celebration with me. http://www.cmdenver.org/ We make costumes together and along with a couple co-workers we go as the Wizard of Oz Crew. At our friends Halloween Party I was as a Harlequin Clown and Jesse went as his friend Phil (who is a real character and was the one throwing the party). Jesse meets the first member of my family when my aunt Kelly comes to town for business. She hass since come several times and we love having her visit.

Nov 2007 We celebrate Thanksgiving together with some of my co-workers and friends. After Thanksgiving we fly to Kansas with his family (who I was meeting for the first time) where his brother was getting married. I was nervous to meet his Big family, but things went really well. I really enjoyed meeting them and we had a great trip, plus it was a beautiful wedding.

Dec 2007 We celebrate Christmas seperate. I head back to Iowa and Jesse stays in Denver alone. We exchange gifts and have our own celebration when I get back to town. We attend the Children's Museum Christmas party and get ridiculous White Elephant gifts.

Jan 2008 We celebrate my 25th birthday by going to brunch with a group of friends and going to the Vance Kirkland museum (which I had been wanting to do ever since I moved to Denver) with Moe and Ben. http://www.vancekirkland.org/

Feb 2008 A week after my b-day we went to a dinner theater to see Little Shop of Horrors with friends. I get miserably sick for over a week and Jesse is forced to take care of me. On Valentine's day we make a nice dinner together.

March/April 2008 Jesse helps me by drawing up coloring sheets for the kids @ the mueum and he draws up the design for our new birthday t-shirts @ the museum. My dad comes to stay with me over Easter Weekend. Jesse gets to meet my dad, my Uncle Steve, and our family friend Janie for the first time. Later that month my grandpa Ron and his wife Ginnie come to visit too.

Photos from top to bottom:
1. Jesse, Erin @ the Karaoke bar for Jesse's 25th b-day
2. (L-R) Rachel (my former co-worker) as the Lion, Tenille (my co-worker & our friend) as the Tinman, Erin as Dorothy (Toto in tow, check the basket), Jesse as the Scarecrow. I bought my dress and we made the rest of the costumes ourselves.
3. Jesse as Yoga Phil, Erin as Harlequin Clown
4. Erin, Jesse @ Jared's (Jesse's brother) Wedding
5. Erin, Jesse @ the Children's Museum Christmas Party

Where it all began...

May 31st 2007 The Children's Museum's Birthday Bash Fundraiser

I was working to support my non-profit job. Jesse was suckered into wearing a Wild Thing costume by his friend and my co-worker Tenille. During the party I thought I saw Tenille and the monster pointing in my direction talking about me, but I dismissed it and went about my business. A few days later at work...

Tenille: My friend Jesse likes you.
Me: Who is Jesse? Oh the guy in the Wild Thing costume?
Tenille: Yes!
Me: I don't think I saw him outside the suit and I definitely didn't talk to him. How does he know he likes me? He doesn't even know me and I don't know him.
Tenille: So get to know him. He's a great guy. He's cute and funny and I know lots of girls who would love to date him. He's a good catch.

For the next month I endure constant pestering from my coworkers about Jesse (whom I still haven't met). Then on June 27th Monique (my good friend and former roommate) went with me to an Ideal Father's (Jesse's band) show where we met up with Tenille. Finally Jesse and I meet and talk and his band has one of their best shows to date. From that point on Jesse kept randomly showing up @ outings my co-workers and I were going on. Hmm... I wonder if Tenille was calling and inviting him? From there Jesse and I began to become friends and eventually started hanging out just the two of us.

Jesse: I've been referring to you as my Lady Friend.
Me: Oh
Jesse: Is that okay with you?
Me: Of course. (while I try to keep myself composed and not to grin like a giddy school girl)

Neither one of us is sure of the exact date of our first date, but we believe it may have been July 14, 2007. The rest is History!

Photos from top to Bottom:
1. Jesse, Erin @ Double Daughters Bar having drinks with friends in the first few months of our relationship
2. Wild Thing costume Jesse wore @ the museum.