Meet The Robinsons

The heart wants what it wants. There’s no logic to these things. You meet someone and you fall in love and that’s that. — Woody Allen

At this point in my journey, Tiffany and I had been dating for over a year and a half. We had been officially in relationship for about a year. I knew that this woman was the one that God had made for me, but honestly I was hesitant and afraid to jump back out there in the water “so soon” and get hurt again like before. It took my always blunt Aunt Lottie to put things into perspective for me. She had asked me “when do you plan on marrying her?” I told her “maybe in a couple of years.” Her response (and I mean verbatim) was “boy, you must have lost your mind! Ain’t no good woman gonna wait that damn long on you!” LOL! She did have a valid point. I had brought Tiff around some close friends and both sides of my family several times, which I made the mistake of not doing in the past. Everyone that mattered most (especially the women who are usually good judges of character and intentions) gave me their seal of approval on Tiff. Really, when it all came down to it, it was just my own doubt of failing again standing in my way. Although I enjoyed my trips from Houston to Dallas to see her, the long distance was getting annoying and I wanted to see my lady everyday. It was time to lock down this amazing woman and not let her get away.

Before starting to plan this secret proposal, I had to get Tiff’s dad’s blessing. It was very important to her that I respectfully went to him, as a man, and let him know how serious I was about his daughter. It was also important to me because I want to be a good example for when it comes time for Crystal (many many years from now LOL). Tiff always told me that her dad was old-fashioned in what he looked for in a good husband for his daughter. One weekend that Tiff came to Houston to visit, I suggested that we go spend time with her parents. We rode around Baytown and she gave me a tour. She showed me where she went to high school. She talked about some more of her life experiences living there. We made it to her parent’s house and sat around and talked for a couple of hours. I saw her dad walking into the garage. I got up, followed him and asked him if I could talk to him for a minute. I think Tiff knew what was going on but her mama was curious. It was just he and I in the garage and I asked for his blessing to marry his daughter. He looked me square in the eyes, reached out his hand, and said “you got it Chris.” I shook his hand and a grin of happiness immediately came on his face. I guess it’s safe to say that he was ok with Tiff’s decision to be with me. We walked back into the house and he shared the news with Tiff and her mom. Only he and I knew at this point the exact date when I was planning on proposing.

It was now time for action. I had previously used the help of Sami, Kate, Bre & Will to surprise Tiff on other occasions. This was because I had their contact info saved in my phone for an “in case of an emergency” situation related to Tiff. I had to find a way to be craftier this time. It’s funny how fate aligns though. I was on Snapchat one day and it suggested Heather under the “Quick Add/Someone You May Know” section. I added Heather and that’s when my sinister plan began (insert evil laugh here). Tiff KNEW that I didn’t have Heather’s info so I knew that her built-in private investigator radar would be down and she wouldn’t suspect a thing. Heather, Sami, Kate & Tiff usually met up for Happy Hour at least once a month. I asked Heather to reach out to the ladies and set up HH on Friday, May 5th, Cinco de Mayo. I told her that I was going to propose at 5 PM at Pappadeaux. I chose this date and time because (a) you don’t need an excuse for drinks on Cinco de Mayo and (b) this moment made exactly a year, 19 weeks and 08 hours since the first time that I told her that I was taking her out on our first date at this same restaurant. This was significant because Tiff is an AKA and we met through Greek Life.

Heather set the plan in motion on her end and got creative. She told Tiff that they’d be meeting at Pappasito’s (next door), which really would fly under Tiff’s radar and makes sense because it’s a Mexican restaurant. I reached out to Tiff’s linesisters about the plan so they could govern themselves accordingly as well. I made the reservation with the restaurant so that I could propose at the exact patio spot where we talked all night on our first date. I made sure everything was a go with the jeweler for the ring that I had customized for her in Dallas. I had told my boss, Kody, what I was about to do and he gladly switched his off Friday with me. Tiff had just come to Houston to visit the prior weekend so she assumed that I wouldn’t come to Dallas during the weekend of the proposal, since I’d be coming there the following weekend anyway. I told my mom and my daughter about my plan to propose, since they were the most important ladies in my life. I was able to convince Tiff to get her hair done during the week on Wednesday, instead of waiting on Saturday after AKA Chapter Meeting, because “I knew she would be tired.” Tiff, being herself, even unknowingly helped with her own proposal. She kept messing with Heather about her having a beautiful ring and not having her nails done since her wedding in March. Heather told Tiff that she would get her nails done if Tiff came with her on Thursday and get hers done too. Everything was now in place!

Friday arrived, I drove to Dallas, picked up the ring and went to Tiff’s apartment, since I knew she’d be at work. I had decided to leave my car there at Tiff’s place and Uber to the restaurant because private eye Tiff might recognize my car. It was a hilarious ride because the Uber driver had that “mom aura” about her and she could tell that I was nervous about something, so she asked me. When I told her I was about to propose, she literally stopped the car in the middle of US-75. I had to remind her that she was driving and that I didn’t need to die in a car accident before the proposal. LOL! She laughed at me and then told me that she had been married for over 20 years. She gave me some solid advice, especially since I was about to be the head of our future household. We arrived at the restaurant and she asked if she could pray for me & Tiff. I told her absolutely. She wished me good luck and pulled off. I arrived first and the ladies arrived shortly after. Heather gave us a head’s up that she and Tiff were on the way since they rode together. The ladies told Tiff that the wait time at Pappasito’s was too long so just come next door to Pappadeaux instead. Tiff walked up towards the patio, I came out of hiding to surprise her, told her what she meant to me, dropped to one knee and asked her to spend the rest of her life with me.

Writer: Mr. Robinson
Editor: Mrs. Robinson

Our greatest gift of Christmas 2018 didn’t come under the tree this year. As we’ve mentioned before, we had an amazing year filled with marriage, transitions and new beginnings. Speaking of new beginnings, we’re extremely excited about God’s blessing for us coming in August 2019 (Another Leo🦁). My husband and I will be having our first child ❤️ together. I’m so glad that we can FINALLY share the news because me finding clothes to hide it was getting hard lol. Baby Robinson, we already love you more than words can express. Mommy & Daddy are so excited to meet you and go on the journey with you. We want you to know that you were made out of love, and we will teach you to do the same. We’re still learning in this thing called life, but we promise to be led by God in all that we do. Although we don’t know what you will be, we do know that you will be loved unconditionally. We can’t wait to meet you Baby Robinson💙💗!

#MeetTheRobinson0608 #Ly1eLove #TXvsLALoveWins #BabyRobinson #BabyLy1e #PrayerWorks #OurFirstChildTogether #PartyOfFour #AfterTheAisle

Real love cannot be selfish under no circumstances. If you want to have a real love, be ready to sacrifice! — Anonymous

After that relationship, I wanted to be single for a while lol. I needed time to get back on track because I had totally lost my damn mind. I beat myself up daily thinking, “why did I allow that kind of behavior? You know you were raised better than that!” After several years of rebuilding and reflection, I started dating and made a HUGE decision to not get intimate with another man other than my husband. I was tired of giving away my goods to men who eventually told me they weren’t ready for a serious relationship. It became exhausting and I was losing more of myself every time that they received a piece of me. I was hoping that they would respect my decision and appreciate my journey. At this moment, I began to even think about the possibility of being alone. I thought the Lord was trying to tell me something lol! I needed a detox and to focus on me. For once, I was ok with being single, if that was what God wanted. I wasn’t thinking about being in a relationship, and I paid attention to the signs.

When I wasn’t looking and least expected it, Chris came into my life. I originally even put him in the friend zone. He helped me a lot with dating tips about the guys that I was dating. I was just having conversations with these guys, nothing too serious because they made it known that they were not looking for relationships. Although I have done it before, I was serious this time about the vow that I made that the next man I would share my body with, would be my husband! I discussed this decision with the guys that I was talking to, and slowing, but surely, they started dropping like flies (SN: Chris had no idea that I was telling the guys this because we didn’t have that type of relationship yet). By holding out, I was able to see the red flags without a cloudy mind. After the guys made it clear that they weren’t going to wait on me, I was back at square one, alone lol.

Chris finally took the initiative and expressed how I deserved a nice date after what I’ve been through. It wasn’t going to be anything romantic, just two people needing to go on a date and have a good time without any strings attached. As I mentioned before, I had put Chris in the friend zone because he had things on my list that I said I didn’t want lol. “Being married before” and “having a child” were both things that I knew that I didn’t deserve. I hope you caught that “I”. I thought I had MY life planned out, and wasn’t going to bend on it. I mean, I was never married or didn’t have any kids, so why should I settle? That was my mindset before the date, so it was easy not to look at Chris as a guy I would date.

The day had come for us to have our dinner date. He walked in with a big smile and I returned the smile. He walked over to me, I got up and we hugged. We sat down and had dinner. It felt so natural and flowed very well. We laughed and talked and before we knew it, it was closing time. We were the only people in the restaurant. We didn’t want the night to end. We always laugh now as we reminisce about the date because we both weren’t looking for anything serious or more than a friendship, but we ended up falling in love shortly after. He eventually told me that he had spent his last on that dinner date. He wasn’t back on his feet yet, but he would do what he could. When we got together, I did a lot for him because I knew that he didn’t have it at that moment. I didn’t mind, remember I am a giver. I felt that his openness with me deserved it.

Since our first date, Chris and I have been inseparable. Our communication changed and we did the old fashion dating thing. We didn’t get into a relationship right away. This journey has worked for us and we are excited to see what each day will entail. Our foundation was based on transparency and the ugly truth. We both were in a place of brokenness and bitterness, and needed to finally be replanted. I tell everyone that I think “we” worked because we were not looking for anything serious, just someone to tackle life together.

Writer: Mrs. Robinson
Editor: Mr. Robinson

A broken heart is just the growing pains necessary so that you can love more completely when the real thing comes along. — J.S.B. Morse

Before meeting Chris, I was in a “not sure if we’re dating or just talking” phase in my dating life. I was talking to several guys but nothing got serious. The older I got, the more I dreaded going home to see my family. They would always ask, “when are you getting married” and “when are you going to give your parents some grandkids?” My last serious relationship before moving to Dallas ended badly and I was in the stage of trying to find out who I was. He really broke me down and made me feel like I wasn’t good enough to receive love. I think the breakup happened at a great time because I soon would be moving to a new city with a new start. I started grad school, was working and was preparing to join the greatest Sorority on this side of heaven. Things were looking up for me! I was making new friends in my new city. My professional and social lives were blossoming but my love life was up in the air. I thought that I was a decent catch; an independent woman with no kids, so finding someone to match my vibe should be easy, right?!?! Ha! The joke was on me because it didn’t happen as I had imagined it. I had all of these plans and thought that I had my life figured out.

I ended up getting into another relationship that attacked my worth. However, many didn’t know that it was an ABUSIVE one. I thought that I would marry this guy, but he continued to show me that he wasn’t the one for me. I’m naturally a nurturer and try to help anyone that I can. I can honestly say that my problem was trying to make everyone “my forever,” when I think they were sent to be “my right now.” I often dated the potential of people and didn’t pay attention to who they were actually showing themselves to be. WHY DIDN’T I PAY ATTENTION TO THE SIGNS?!?? Well, this person took advantage of my kind heart and I began to take care of him like he was my child. Looking back at it now, I don’t know who THAT Woman was. I used to look in the mirror trying to figure out where I went wrong. Why do I love this person when all he does is take, take, take? Why am I so easily giving of myself, and not fighting for it in return? Lord, I think that was my lowest point and when I was the heaviest (I didn’t have any real friends to tell me about my weight lol). The funny thing is, I didn’t feel like I was at my lowest and that I wasn’t attractive. He had a way of making me feel like I was the only woman in the room.

Things shifted when I got tired of struggling and being the only one trying to make it work. When that happened, the abuse became his only weapon. I will never forget the day that he put my car keys in the freezer (to hide them) because he didn’t want me to leave. That was the day that my ankle was broken and I lied to my mom (sorry mom), telling her that I fell on the treadmill. I was still trying to protect the person that continued to drag me and made me feel empty. This is so hard to write because the emotions feel so fresh. I don’t know who was praying for me around that time (probably my mommi), but I thank you because I left that situation and never turned back! After changing the locks and threatening to call the cops, my abuser slowly disappeared out of my life. No one knew about this and many will be shocked to learn that I went through both mental and physical abuse. I was the Queen of putting on a mask and hiding my emotions.

Writer: Mrs. Robinson
Editor: Mr. Robinson

Let’s forget the baggages of the past and make a new beginning. — Shehbaz Sharif

Although I am healing and have healed, I will be labeled and remembered as a man that got a divorced for the rest of my life. Now that I’ve put it out there and told y’all my “bitness” in Part 1 of my blog, let me slightly fast forward and get back on track. My honesty to Tiff was different for her. We got to know more about each other, we just really clicked and bonded as friends. She was dating, needed advice and I didn’t mind helping from a guy’s perspective. If I could help someone from having their time wasted, I felt obligated to do so. She was dating like 4 or 5 guys and they were all falling off one by one, probably because she was waiting on the right guy to be intimate with, not just giving herself to unworthy people. She had gotten down to ONE guy and I was really pulling for him. He fell off too because he wouldn’t be open and honest with her. I just couldn’t understand why these dudes were passing up on such an amazing woman. A few days pass and I had decided to go to Dallas to surprise my dad and stepmom, since I was going to Tyler, TX (only an hour away) to have a catch-up lunch with an old friend. I text Tiff and told her that I was going to take her on a date that evening and finally meet her in person. I told her to pick something that she wanted to do by 5 PM or I was making plans for us. She thought it was a joke, so I text her at 5:15 & told her that we were going to the movies. She asked if we could go to dinner instead so that we could talk (which is obviously hard to do in the movies). I agreed and we decided on seafood at Pappadeaux’s. I get there and it was crazy. The conversation was even more amazing in person and I didn’t want it to end. She suggested that we take the convo outside to the patio. I asked the staff and they said it was cool. We sat down and talked for even more hours. We eventually left and she was all I could think about.

We started talking daily. She constantly prayed for me and encouraged me. That bitterness that I had towards women and relationships started to go away. Finally, we agreed to just date each other and simply enjoy the idea of dating, since people don’t do that anymore. Months of just dating passed. She helped me get back solid in my walk with Christ, since I had backslid and hadn’t been consistently to church in YEARS (way back when the pastor tried to help my ex and I). I wanted to see how far Tiff and I could go. I had to take a chance and make her my girlfriend. It’s not often you meet someone who prays with and for you daily, who knows her purpose in life, and who is as loving and caring as she is. Although it was hard, I got out of my own way and let God’s will for my life be done.

Writer: Mr. Robinson
Editor: Mrs. Robinson

A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity. – Dalai Lama