My man, my lil’ boo thang!
This story probably isn’t like SO good but - it’s ours and I love it. And if you don’t like it … don’t read it 😂 kidding, but seriously.
I’ve lived in Yankton since the summer of 1999 and I’ve known Mitchell probably since like … 2001-2002, literally🤯. When we moved here from Rapid City we did some jumping around trying to find a good church and ended up at Emmanuel - where Mitchell and his family also attended. He has two older sisters, who are relatively the same age as my older siblings - so they knew each other, were in the same youth groups, etc. And Mitchell and I were in the same children's church, youth groups, etc. but we weren’t ‘friends’.
Our families never … mingled, they weren’t friends - so we grew up and grew apart. Then in middle school one of my gal pals dated Mitchell for … actually a really long time considering we were like 11 😂, and I’d end up at his house from time to time with her, to hang out and watch him and his friends play games or watch football honestly. And he was kind of a boob. He’ll probably kill me for saying this but he was an ornery kiddo, I also feel like I can say this because his family will totally vouch for me! He was the guy who flirted by being a jerk - in my opinion. I mean at this point in time he wasn’t flirting with me because he was dating one of my friends but I remember it with her.
THEN - it was my turn. No, not immediately after her HAHA, we were in high school and I don’t remember how we started talking initially, but we never dated. We had a ‘thing’. We mostly just texted - and he was a boob when we texted. From what I recall from freaking TWENTY YEARS AGO - we only hung out one time … then I ghosted his ass. Dead serious.
I went to his house, pulled the whole ‘I’m staying at so-and-so’s house’ and actually went to Mitchell’s. I think his parents were gone camping or something, and he was home alone. I went over and we hung out - 98% confident that I watched him play a lot of Madden, and he freaking called me a loser! Like … repeatedly! And I totally fell for it. He is older than me so I immediately felt much cooler than I was cause I was talking to someone a grade above me.
I ended up staying the night there, sorry mom. And no, sickos, we did not ‘hook up’ - we kissed, but we didn’t get weird. The next morning, Mitchell left for baseball, and I dipped out as soon as he was gone and then never responded to any messages he sent me. Mitchell likes to tell me that he’s the one that cut it off because I apparently gave him the one and only cold sore he’s ever had in his life. I shit you not, he brings it up still to this day. And for the record - he has not had a single cold sore the entire time we’ve been together during our adult life, so I think he’s being dramatic, plus the story is way better if I’m the one doing the ghosting 🙃.
Then we both went on to live life, he dated other people, I dated other people and we finally got together in 2018.
PRIOR TO 2018… Mitchell tried several times to come back into my life. Persistent little bugger.
His parents moved from Yankton to Kansas City to Elk Point - and he was in school at SDSU and also USD and I followed his life on SnapChat and FaceBook, but we never really talked. Then randomly he would message me something on SnapChat or a couple times he’d seen me out and about and would send a little message - nothing major. But, after some small talk - he would always ask me on a date. Whether it be like an ‘out to dinner’ date or he offered to cook for me, I would agree and 100% of the time bail. And not even in a good way, I would just not show up or the day of he would try to confirm plans and radio silence on my end. Poor guy.
I continued to date - he continued to date but when there was a break Mitchell was always there, literally.
For four years, he and I continued that pattern. If he was single and I was single, he would somehow end up back in these DM’s asking me to hang out. Several times he invited me to Elk Point, or he would try to make plans if something brought him to Yankton, never bothered him that Payton was part of my life, was never weird about it (some people are really weird about stuff) and I did not give him the time of day.
There were a few occasions where I would see him downtown if I went out. I remember one time specifically we were texting and he was downtown and we ended up hanging out. He paid for several of my drinks, we danced together, we were definitely flirty - and then I pulled the drunk Lauren card, decided it was time to go and walked my happy ass home. Alllllll the way across town and didn’t say a word to him about it. Hahaha, it’s not funny, but it’s funny - ya know?
Then in February of 2018, I was invited to a wedding that Mitchell was a groomsman in. I had a boyfriend at the time, and Mitchell messaged me on SnapChat asking me to be his date to this wedding, he also ... knew I had a boyfriend at the time. I was like 'woah man, slow your role.' Come on, we haven't hung out, we haven't talked and he wanted me to be his date to a wedding?! I feel like that's kind of a big deal! So obvi, I said no - because I RSVP'd for two and was going with my boyfriend.
The wedding roles around, I obviously see Mitchell at said wedding - and he didn't say a word to me, literally not even hello. In my head I was like 'okay, what a boob? How do you go from asking me to be your date to seeing me in real life and not even saying hi?; I was actually super annoyed. A few days go by and he tries to message me again, in true Lauren fashion, I had a giant attitude questioning why he could talk to me now, but couldn't even say hi. Typically after a bout of Lauren sass, the conversations stopped - but he kept reaching back out. Persistent little bugger.
He kept asking to hang out, asking for a 'chance', I was not wanting to do ANYTHING with Mitchell - scarred remembering our one interaction from high school that I mentioned earlier. That consisted of a bunch of name calling. ALSO - Mitchell used to be SO quiet, like he was one of those people who was always around, but kind of in the background not saying much or anything at all. In my head, I'm thinking 1. if we actually hang out, he's probably going to be ornery and I'm too old for that or 2. He's going to be so quiet and it's going to be the most awkward hang out of all time.
I went to Florida with my family to spring training, and he continued to reach out. Asking to hang out when we got back, and I started to actually want to see him 😂. So I agreed, but - he had to come to my house, and he couldn't come over until I had put Payton to bed because I really started wanting to be strategic about who got to spend their time with him.
The day I came home from FL, it was a full out blizzard in SD. Travel wasn't advised even in town - we got home later in the evening, after 7pm for sure. He still came over. And this man did not stop talking the entire tie he was at my house, it was unbelievable - like who the hell are you, and what happened to the Mitchell that I used to know 😂. He stayed for an hour or two, and then went home, again ... in the blizzard, that he really had no business driving in.
My boyfriend and I broke up - Mitchell continued to ask to spend time with me, and I literally fell in love with him ... so fast. He is one of the best people I have ever met, in my life. So selfless, caring, genuine, hard working, honest, respectful - a complete 180 from who I remembered from high school.
We went from 0 to 100 pretty quick, we dated for not even a year before we got engaged, and we were married 9 months after our engagement. It took me four years to finally give him a shot but I'm so glad that I did. We're going on 6 years married, 7 years together - and I've grown the most with him by my side in the last 7 years than any year prior to that ... and I did a lot of growing on my own.
I found a man who lets me be my whole authentic self - giant hot mess and all. Through every high and every low he has not once wavered. I fight my darkest battles with him by my side and I have so grateful that he is quite literally the most persistent person I have ever met, I don't know how I would have gotten through some of this dark stuff without him.
Next week, we'll go back into how I've ruined friendships, and cut off communication with people who used to be part of my everyday life.
Until then, we love a love a story.
Xoxo,
Lo
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