What follows is supposed to be the ‘About Us’ origin story of Mike + Sally to tell our friends and family how we met and fell in love. But really, this is a love letter to Sally, and hopefully serves as a pleasant reminder for years to come just how incredible our journey has been.

Dear Sally,

I struggled to write this for several weeks and to your immense credit, you’ve given me more time than I deserve. Where do I start? Which stories do I tell? There’s so much. I couldn’t quite figure out how to concisely describe our 10-year history, but I think I found a way.

When we reconnected just over two years ago, I was not sure where things would go. I wasn’t exactly planning to fall into a long-distance relationship. But, as we’ve done time and again throughout the years, we fluttered back together like little butterflies, almost inevitably. Soon enough, right around the time Carrie Underwood hit the main stage at CMA Fest (and we had our first ‘what are we?’ conversation), I started to realize we were becoming the main characters in an epic love story.

We are living an epic love story and I’m going to prove it. So I spent some time researching ‘what makes a good love story’ and here’s what I learned…

1. Start writing a love story by describing the characters

[I’ll keep this section short]

Sally in four words (according to Mike): resilient, spirited, curious, easygoing

Mike in four words (according to Sally): charismatic, supportive, trustworthy, open-minded

2. Think of an original way the characters meet each other

Okay, so our very first date may not be the most ‘original’ meeting, but parts of that date will always be memorable, comical, and charming – the right ingredients for our love story. I would give just about anything to see those first Tinder conversations! Did I get your number to converse ‘in the real world’? Did we actually speak on the phone before we first met?

Believe it or not, I was a little nervous. I’m sure we have some different interpretations of that first date, but I vividly remember your colorful shorts with the little pom-poms and thankfully you looked even more gorgeous in person than in your profile pictures (shockingly that was not always the case with Tinder dates).

Drinks at Katy Trail Ice House progressed into dinner at Common Table and the date unexpectedly lasted for hours. I think we both lost track of time. Neither of us wanted the date to end so I pulled out my best moves:

“This has been an incredible date but I really need to get home to my dog to let him out. He’s basically the cutest dog ever… here just take a look at this picture of him! He really is the sweetest… you want to meet him?! We can walk him together. I tell you what, how about I make some white Russians as a nightcap and you can say hi to Lopi. My place is just a 5 minute walk.”

Something must’ve worked because back at Villa Rosa we shared our first kiss (and by the way, I’m sorry, not-sorry about my white lie)

What a date. Wow. Excitement. Butterflies.

3. Create obstacles that do not make the characters’ love easier

I wish I could say it was all smooth sailing after that first date but it was not. And that’s what makes an epic love story.

I was the obstacle. At the time, I was simply not ready to commit to you, or anyone else for that matter. You deserved far better than what I was capable of offering. To be fair though, you were working for your ex-boyfriend and that didn’t exactly help either so I’m putting a tiny bit of the blame on you too.

No matter what, I was always honest with you and you were honest with me. I cannot tell you how much your maturity and sincerity touched me during those difficult conversations about our expectations early on. As we walked along Cole Ave one night, you told me “I’m not putting pressure on you to define what we are right now, but I cannot share you with anyone else.”

…

So it didn’t work out the first time. I blew it. But like the Parable of the Chinese Farmer – ‘maybe good, maybe bad’. I dated other people. You dated other people. We stayed friends. There were no harsh feelings or bad blood. We admired each other. We respected each other. And though it went unspoken, we both knew stronger feelings remained deep down.

4. Let “reality” separate the characters

Fast forward about 4 years and once again we fluttered back together. Another memorable date night at Stir in Deep Elum for your birthday followed by ‘accidentally’ spending the entire weekend together. A failed attempt to watch Game of Thrones. Ice cream at Howdy Homemade when you shared some of your deepest truths. But yes, unfortunately there was a ‘reality’ about to separate the main characters. I took a new role in Charlotte so the rekindled romance was once again too short-lived. Who knows what would have happened if you had followed me here at the time to take the

Goosehead corporate role. Who knows if it would have worked out. Who knows. Maybe good, maybe bad.

Once again, we dated other people. Once again, we were forced to move on.

5. Create a grand reunion – a powerful love scene

But once again, we fluttered back together and it all started with a simple “hey, how are you doing?” text that led to a weekend trip to Dallas. If I was a little nervous for our first date 8 years earlier, I was alotta nervous coming to visit you in Dallas. Well, maybe more excited than nervous. The butterflies in my stomach came to life as I got out of my uber at your apartment complex (still can’t believe you made me get an Uber but I’ve gotten over it). Those butterflies vanished as you walked out the door to greet me. Wow. You looked stunning. Goodbye nerves, hello excitement!

We had a phenomenal weekend - a night out on Lower Greenville, brunch at Mercat Bistro, afternoon cocktails on the Rooftop at HG Supply, and a miraculous Kentucky Derby at Skellig. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I’d fallen into a long-distance relationship already. I could go on with stories about an aggressive tan in Nashville, fireworks for 4 th of July, a foam party at Emerald Isle, golf tournaments, football games, the State Fair of Texas, Halloween parties, family introductions, and New Years Eve – and that was all in the first 6 months! – but we can keep those fun stories to ourselves.

The truth is, for a while there, I was worried that you’d always be the one that got away. I think many people have that ‘what if’ person in their lives … you know… ‘what if we gave it a shot’ or ‘what if I told her how I really felt’ or ‘what if the timing had been right”. A lot of people have that person right? And most people never get the answer to ‘what if’. They usually live their whole lives wondering – or maybe even fantasizing – about

‘what if’. Well guess what… I get to marry my ‘what if’ person. I get to spend the rest of my life with my ‘what if’ person. I get to build a home and start a family with my ‘what if’ person. I don’t have to wonder or fantasize because I’m living it every day.

I told you that we are living an epic love story. And the best part is that we are still writing it…

I hope this brought a smile to your face lovebug. Here’s my final thought… As with any relationship, we will have our highs and lows. It won’t always be this easy. It won’t

always be this perfect. If the romance ever wanes, let’s find our spark by remembering these special moments and reliving our epic love story.

I can’t wait to do life with you. I love you babe.