5 Years Ago Today, Leslie Discovered How Country Feels

I had been working as a radio personality doing middays on WOGY in Jackson, TN for about a year. During that time, I had joined Match.com. Being new to the area and not knowing a soul, my friend had suggested Match as a way of meeting new (men) people. I must say, I made a few really good friends while on the dating website, but no love connection. When I found out I would be moving back home to Indiana, I made a last ditch effort to find love, by doing a search for a match close to Evansville. What happened next changed my life forever.

I had just moved back to Evansville from Tennessee and started my new job at WKDQ. After talking/texting a guy that I found on Match from Whitesville, Kentucky for about two weeks, it was time to meet him.

I can't tell you how scared I was. I know, fearless me. But, I DID have my reasons. First of all, I was burnt out on dating and didn't really want to start another relationship that would end with us just being friends. Secondly, he was 11 years younger than me. OMG!! I had NEVER dated anybody younger than me. He was younger than my little sister. Thirdly, there was just something about his voice. It was deep and masculine. When I talked to him, I got butterflies at the sound of his voice. And it seemed we had so much in common that we could talk for hours. He was funny, intelligent, witty, opinionated, an out-of-the-box thinker and that VOICE!! It was country, strong and sexy. It just seemed too good to be true. Something like this had never happened before. And lastly, I had never seen a picture of him that was close up. All of his pics were from a distance. I really had only a vague idea of what he looked like.

What had struck me about his profile was that he, too, was looking for a new beginning. He was also looking for a 'sophisticated country girl'. It's funny, after I had left my home in the country at the age of 18, THAT is exactly who I became. When I read his description of what he wanted, I was reading about ME! The funny thing is, I had forgotten about the 'country' part of me. Even the men I dated weren't even remotely 'country'. My ex-husband was about the farthest from 'country' has you can get.

After blowing him off for about a week because of my fears, I agreed to go out with him. I even gave him my address, which is a NO NO!! You NEVER give someone you meet online your address!! But I DID!! What was I thinking?!?!?! It was that voice!! CRAP!! What if he turned out to be a serial killer?!?!?!?! I panicked! It's all I could think about. DAMN that voice! I had to figure out what I was going to do when he arrived......what to do? I got it; I wouldn't answer the door. THAT'S IT!! I would just sit quietly, with 911 on speed dial, and hope he didn't break down the door.

I then heard him pull into my drive. Looking out the window I saw he was driving a van. OMG!!!! He WAS a serial killer!!! I then ran to my kitchen window to get a good look at him; he was already walking down the driveway to the front of the house and my front door. I ran to every window along the driveway to see if he looked like a deranged maniac, but every time I arrived at a window, he had already moved past it!

Alright, it was time to face the crazy! He knocked at the door. I waited, debating in my mind whether I was going to open the door or not. I stood there with my back against the door, barely breathing, heart and mind racing, and debated my next move. After several knocks, I decided to open the door. I HAD to. I had to see the man, in person, who had that voice. A voice that made me throw all caution to the wind. So, I began slowly opening the door....WAIT! What if he didn't even remotely look like the vague image I had of him in my mind? Got it! I will fake sick! That's it! I then quickly opened the door.

There he was, standing before me, the man with the voice. The first thing I saw was his amazing smile and incredible blue eyes. I couldn't breath. My heart was racing now for reasons other than fear. He was everything I had been looking for both personality AND looks. If I would have sent a list of the things I wanted in a man to God, he would have sent me this man. He walked past me, into the room. I shut the door, turned to him and he said, "Hi, I'm Quenton." I will never forget that moment.

Every day, since he walked into my life on September 3rd, 2009, he has brought me back to life. He has opened me up to new things and reminded me of things I had forgotten. He took me to his grandparents farm in Kentucky. As I looked around and smelled the air, it reminded me of home. Life had taken me in many different directions where I had sometimes pretended to be something I wasn't. I lived according to the expectations of others. I had been living against my grain, lost myself and forgotten the things that really made me happy. Being with him IS home....home in the country. It's where I started and where I will end. He reminded me how country feels and it feels GOOD!!

It's as if this song was written about us.....

Some pics of us having fun over the years!