“Barack didn’t pledge riches, only a life that would be interesting. On that promise he delivered," said Michelle.
As former president of the United States of America, Barack Obama certainly had his popularity. But perhaps what had gained as much fame as his presidential speeches and oratory skills is the wonderful relationship he shares with his wife of 27 years, Michelle Obama. And their love story continues on today, with both of them looking as adoringly at each other as they did when they first got together.
At the time that the two first laid eyes on each other, they were both working in the law firm, Sidley Austin LLP. Michelle Robinson, then 25 years old, was assigned to mentor Barack Obama, who was 28 at the time. "Because I went to Harvard and he went to Harvard, and the firm thought, 'Oh, we'll hook these two people up,'" Michelle told ABC News.
But before the two even went on their first date, the now mother-of-two was quite particular about the kind of man she would be with. Having grown up poor but with parents who raised their kids to have high standards, respect for others and for themselves, Michelle and her brother Craig had good role models to look up to. Which was why she waiting guy as good as her dad.
And then came Barack, who was instantly smitten with her. "I remember being struck by how tall and beautiful she was," he said in O Magazine. "She, I have since learned, was pleasantly surprised to see that my nose and ears weren't quite as enormous as they looked in the photo I'd submitted for the firm directory."
Though she was his mentor, the future President didn't hesitate to ask her out on a date, something that neither of them knew would lead them on an amazing journey together. But as Michelle told ABC News, she wasn't really up for it at first. "Barack, about a month in, asked me out, and I thought 'No way. This is completely tacky,'" she told the news outlet.
They had their first date having lunch at the Art Institute of Chicago, before taking a stroll, then ending up going to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing, according to Insider. "He showed all the sides – he was hip, cutting edge, cultural, sensitive. The fountain – nice touch. The walk – patient," Michelle later told The Telegraph. And though they had to go through a long-distance relationship once Barack returned to Harvard, the couple managed to make it work. "Before I met Michelle, I was too immature to hold something like that together," he said, according to EOnline.
After three years of dating, the two got engaged at a dinner that was meant to celebrate Obama passing the bar exam. "And then the waiter came over with the dessert and a tray. And there was the ring," Michelle later said to ABC. "And I was completely shocked." But when he got down on one knee and proposed, she said yes.
The following year, the two were married. And Barack's vows were just as sweet as one might imagine.
“Barack didn’t pledge riches, only a life that would be interesting. On that promise he delivered," the 55-year-old later recalled in the Obama Foundation.
In 1998 and 2001, the two welcomed their daughters, Sasha and Malia into their world of love. And the 58-year-old former president has nothing but praises for his wife as a mother. "The great thing about the girls is they've got a wonderful role model in their mom," he told Essence.
"They've seen how Michelle and I interact — not only the love but also the respect that I show to their mom. So I think they have pretty high expectations about how relationships should be, and that gives me some confidence about the future. I joke about this stuff sometimes, but the truth is they are smart, steady young women."
If anything, when Barack Obama was elected in as the 44th President of the United States, the family became stronger together.
It was a historic moment to watch a person of color hold the highest office of one of the most prominent nations in the world. However, Obama's love for his wife remained unparalled irrespective of everything else. "If you were going to list the 100 most popular things that I have done as president, being married to Michelle Obama is number one," Barack said during a State of the Union address in 2010.
And he didn't forget that she was beside him throughout his entire tenure. "Obviously I couldn't have done anything that I've done without Michelle ... not only has she been a great first lady, she is just my rock," he told Oprah, quoted PopSugar. "I count on her in so many ways every single day."
“Marriage counseling for us was one of those ways where we learned how to talk out our differences,” the former First Lady told Good Morning America. “What I learned about myself was that my happiness was up to me. It's important for me to take care of myself. That's not on Barack.”
"I know Barack is something special," Michelle said in her book, Becoming. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be here." At the same time, she confessed in her book, "I said yes because I loved him and had faith in what he could do. I didn't really think he could win."
"We are finding each other again," Michelle told People, according to EOnline. "We have dinners alone and chunks of time where it's just us—what we were when we started this thing: no kids, no publicity, no nothing. Just us and our dreams."
They even celebrated their anniversaries, posting images on Instagram of the couple just enjoying being with each other. And it seems like if the couple could survive so much together, then 27 years is just a blink of the eye when it comes to their relationship. After all, it seems like there's more to come.
References:
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=5937546&page=1
http://www.oprah.com/world/barack-and-michelle-obamas-first-date-famous-firsts
https://www.insider.com/how-did-barack-and-michelle-obama-meet-2017-10#1989-they-had-their-first-date-2
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/9354742/Barack-Obama-reveals-how-he-swept-Michelle-off-her-feet.html
https://www.eonline.com/ap/news/988446/barack-and-michelle-obama-s-love-story-isn-t-what-you-thought-it-was-it-s-even-better
https://www.obama.org/our-story/#promise-wedding-barack-michelle
https://www.essence.com/news/president-obama-and-first-lady-talk-malias-dating-future/
https://www.popsugar.com/love/Video-Barack-Michelle-Obama-Oprah-16207967
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/michelle-obama-shares-lesson-shes-learned-26-year-59082793
