him - justin ryan davis

her - amber nicole abernathy

         where we met 

                                                 Austin #20

   HEB Grocery Company, the largest independent owned retail business in Texas, operates over 300 stores throughout the state of Texas.  Amber & Justin met at the Parmer Lane & McNeil location in May of 1999 where they both were working part time  while still in high school.

They both worked in the service department at the cash registers.  From their initial meeting, they knew each other as acquaintances and it was not until June of 2001 where they became for familiar with one another.  Justin was then a member of management and Amber worked in the bookkeeping office and they met numerous times to deal with store issues and concerns.  Still, neither one had a cupid arrow locked and loaded because they both were involved with other people. 

  Come the end of June, Amber had plans to leave town to move to California to be closer to her now ex- boyfriend.  Amber & Justin exchanged goodbye's with wishful hearts for life to bring the best to both of them, never thinking their paths would cross again. Little did they know that Amber would return back home in mid- November after a rocky relationship breakup.  Justin, then in College Station finishing up his first semester at Texas A&M, returned home in December for Christmas break.  They both continued work back at HEB then and found each other communicating a lot more and catching up on old times. 

  One night when Amber wasn't working, she found herself hovering around the service department trying to round up friends to go see a movie.  As fate would have it, the only available person to go to the movie that night was Justin.* (*Note: it should be stated that the reason Justin was able to leave work and no one else could was because Justin's best friend Joseph was the manager that night.)  Justin and Amber then went to the movie theatre to see "Oceans Eleven". 

      movie  - "Oceans Eleven" (2001)  

      George Clooney - the idea man

      Julia Roberts - the wild card

      Matt Damon - the rookie

      Andy Garcia - the target

      Brad Pitt - the pro

  Justin & Ambers first unofficial date was to see the blockbuster drama "Oceans Eleven" on December 17th, 2001.  The movie was later named "their movie" after they began their relationship as a couple.  Though this flick may not seem to some like a very romantic and worthy movie to represent two people's love, Justin & Amber read between the lines and found a reason. 

  Danny Ocean was dubbed a "thief" in the movie for his actions with his team to rob three Vegas casinos and for stealing the heart back of ex-wife Tess.  Tess played the part of the "liar" because she told Danny she had gotten rid of the wedding ring that represented the love they shared when really she had always had it awaiting the day things would turn around.  In Justin & Ambers 'real world' relationship, Justin is the "thief" because he stole Ambers heart.  Amber is the "liar" simply because, well......someone needs to play the part of the beautiful girl and she is the most beautiful girl in the world. 

(it was because of this movie that 'our' number became 11)

  song -

"Good Morning Beautiful" (2001)  

 Singer - Steve Holy

 CD: Blue Moon

 Writers - Todd Cerney/Zach Lyle

After a New Years Eve party 2001 Justin and Amber awoke the next morning and the first thing Justin said to Amber as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes was "good morning beautiful."  The phrase was taken from the current country music hit by Steve Holy and became the theme to their relationship.  Each morning Justin always ensures Amber is reminded of how beautiful she is and how much she is appreciated.  This is very special song and each time they here it, the world seems to stop and smiles seem to fill their faces. 

ONCE a long time ago in a galaxy, far, far away.......

Two hearts had just found there way out of loves that left them empty and with no where to go.  It was was a cold, gray winter that year, with forecasts calling for heartaches and lonely nights.  As both hearts barely kept a beat, they longed for a change of any kind.  Just so long as they could leave the past behind. 

December 31, of XXXX is always the one day of the year where the winds of change take off with the breeze, in light of bringing new beginnings when the clock strikes midnight.  On this particular day in 2001, Justin found himself surrounded by good friends in an old barn house of off Highway 95 in Elgin, Texas.  He shared laughter with friends old and new, talked about the past and all the old crazy stories that bring boys together. 

In hopes of throwing the biggest party in the history of New Years, friends from all over were invited to join in on the celebration.  Some faces held familiar grins, and some where a book yet to be unopened and read.  One of the particular people invited was a broken heart named Amber, the most beautiful girl in the world.  She and her friends arrived to dance the night away just moments before the ball dropped in New York and we all toasted with glasses held high.  As the countdown started, and a new year began, neither of us new the wonderful changes to come. 

After a few rounds of a wonderful cinnamon flavored "kool-aid" beverage, Justin and Amber began to mingle while playing a deadly game of pool.  (Only deadly because the traditional rules of pool were tossed in the trash can and new rules of consuming vast amounts of "kool-aid" resulted from making a ball in a pocket) We enjoyed talked and laughing with each other and with all the friends around us.  Soon, after time began ticking away all normal masked faces and fake identities, hidden truths and realizations floated to the surface that would change our destiny forever. 

Justin had a weakness for "kool-aid".  After consuming numerous rounds of this particular substance, his image of always saying the right things and never taking chances seemed to fade away.  You see, little did Amber know that Justin had held inside secret and hidden feelings for her that had developed by their working relationship at HEB.  With all the courage in the world and without a fear in his body, Justin approached Amber and wanted to tell her everything he felt inside.  Not even sure of the outcome of his actions, he took a chance and put his heart in the palm of the sweetest girl alive (aside of his mother Charyse of course). 

They moved their conversation upstairs overlooking the the balcony where they could see the party below and all the headaches that would soon fill the room in the morning.  Right then and there as they sat side by side, Justin poured out his heart and told Amber exactly how he felt about her.  He told her how beautiful she was, how she made him feel inside, what a great person she was and on and on.......(this statement cannot be proven unfortunately.  come to find out, after the fact, neither Justin or Amber could remember the exact bits and pieces of the conversation).  After Justin had spilled his heart out,  just hoping Amber would embrace him, she did just that...................she "spilled" all over him, only not with words.  Amber decided to share something else with Justin, what she had for breakfast that morning.  Justin found all the goodies covering his cotton shirt and the floor below.  Though shocked and surprised, immediately attended to the mess with the help of his best friend Joseph.  After attending to the mess and changing shirts Justin returned to Amber hoping for a second chance at sharing her feelings.  Instead, Amber was fast asleep on a nearby bed looking as beautiful as ever off in dreamland.  Justin sat down beside her and touched her cheek and left that moment with a kiss.  Amber had in fact embraced Justin, even if not by words.  With a kiss.  And from that moment on, that kiss sealed their fate and their quest for true love. 

The End.