Lovickle

Picture this- it's February 2004.  Travis and I have been dating for 2 months.  We have been together almost every night since our first date.  I get home from school late, Travis is there waiting for me,  and we would hang out for 1-2 hours until Travis, in true travisness would make his standard comment, "well alright."  (that means it's time for him to go)  I wish we could be together longer but am glad he is the kind of guy who knows when to leave.  My mom wonders why every night she hears laughing and screaming from her room.  I say, "Travis is always tickling me."  I love every second of it, but it now becomes a joke around our house the tickling, screaming and laughing.  One particular evening Tmac is relentless.  I say,
        "why do you always tickle me?"
        "I tickle you because I love you."
My heart is frozen, did he really just say I love you?  Did he say he has to tickle me because he LOVES me?  Yes, yes he did.  And there you have it folks sometimes a tickle isn't just a tickle.  Sometimes it is a loveickle!!  I know I love him back.  I love his loyal heart, his quick mind, his face, his voice, his strong work ethic,  his love for children and family.  But I can't respond.  I give him a kiss trying to buy time.  I pull myself together and return the sentiment, "I love you too."  If I knew then how much more I would learn to love him.  How he would become my best friend and guardian, I wouldn't have hesitated.

Today is our 6th anniversary.  I already can't remember a lot of things about our beginnings.  I realized I need to be writing down what I do remember or in 12 years there will be so little remembered.  Although could I really ever forget Travis telling me he loved me for the first time over a tickle fight?  That still makes me laugh!

Here we are 6 years and 3 amazing kids later.