(Photo edit by: Star Wars Skynobi | DYAD necklace: Jo & Company)
Today marks 19 years since one of my most favorite days ever, the day that Jason and I met! Typically, I share the very basic details of our story every year but I don't think I've actually written about the day we became a Dyad in the Force, and since so many of you have asked, I thought this year would be the right time to do it since this time next year I'll actually be super busy getting ready for Star Wars Celebration Anaheim (May 26th-29th). We are really excited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the day we met as well as Attack of the Clones with all of you!
Before I get into our story, I do want to point out the amazing DYAD necklace by Jo & Company that I'm wearing that inspired these photos above. I love it so much! They have a beautiful Star-Crossed Love collection of jewelry as well as some other Star Wars necklaces unlike any others you'll find available to purchase. If you love Star Wars and dainty jewelry, I'd highly recommend checking out their shop! Many of their pieces are gold/silver filled, which is more durable than gold/silver plated since there is a thicker layer of gold/silver alloy applied. Even with daily wear, these pieces can last 10 years - a lifetime as long as you're taking care of it properly (care instructions are included with each purchase). I can't wait to share the other pieces that I purchased later!
If you didn't know, Jason and I met in line for the midnight showing of Attack of the Clones on May 15th, 2002. I was 16 years old at the time and Jason was about to turn 19. We were both there with our own group of family and friends. It truly was an all day event where fans shared their excitement together in anticipation of the next installment of the Prequels. Let me tell you, midnight showings are nothing like they used to be. You were allowed to camp outside the movie theater with chairs, coolers, music, etc. Fans dressed up, took photos, and played games. It was like a mini Star Wars Celebration event! I can't complain though because if they still had midnight showings like that now, I would be at home sleeping!
AOTC was my first Star Wars midnight show experience, but Jason had previously been to the one for The Phantom Menace. I was wearing an "Anakin and His Angel" t-shirt I designed along with a Jedi robe my mom made for me. Jason was also dressed up in a Sith outfit his mom made for him. This makes us laugh now because I'm way more Dark Side than he is. Jason's favorite character is Luke Skywalker and mine is Darth Vader. I'm not sure what happened between the years!
Jason says he spotted me in line first but, believe it or not, I made the first move. I approached him and asked if I could take a photo of him for my blog (which was true) as I was documenting the day. He let me take his photo and we then introduced ourselves and chatted about Star Wars. We were instantly smitten with each other! After talking with him, I called my mom, who hadn't arrived yet, and told her about the "amazing guy I just met!"
We visited each other in our groups periodically throughout the day, took more photos, and eventually exchanged email addresses. It sounds so old school, but that's what we did. Phone numbers didn't even come up! I remember being really bummed not seeing Jason after the movie. I wanted to talk to him about it and I also felt like our meeting was of no coincidence. I wanted to get to know him, but I also didn't feel like emailing him first so, I waited. A week had gone by and Jason FINALLY emailed me. I remember asking him many years later why he took so long to email me, and he said that he didn't want to come off as desperate. For me, a week was too long in my book and truthfully, it was for him too! After that first email, we never stopped emailing. We wrote each other long letters every single day for years with only seeing each other periodically for special events and more midnight showings. We were most definitely friends at first but getting to know each other in this way really developed a strong relationship between us and we eventually fell in love.
(Photo by: Mark Edwards)
That's our Star Wars love story! We've been inseparable since day one and happily married since August 30, 2008. We love the way that God used our love of Star Wars to bring us together and we hope for many more years here on this earth to enjoy as husband and wife.
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