10 Years Ago I Married My Love

10 years ago tomorrow I married my love.

It was a glorious day, a glorious wedding, and perfect in every way. We were young, 19, in love and a little stressed out, maybe a teeny bit scared as well. We were nervous to be in front of everyone (300 people!) and ready to be married. We were, what we thought at the time, as in love as two people could be. We were wrong.

My sweetheart and I met in high school. We didn't have an on and off relationship. We have never had an off. We were in love from the start and just...knew. We had people laugh at us from afar and mutter something about young love and broken hearts, but we knew. It's odd looking back. Now that I'm a mom, I think "What would I do if my daughter came up to me at 18 years old and said she was getting married?". How terrified I would be!

When we married we were both 19. We were so in love, and yet looking back...the love we had seems so small compared to the love we have now. My Brewerman and I have grown up together. Always together. We moved to Dallas and literally knew not a single person. We leaned on each other when we were lonely, we cried on each other's shoulders when we were told we wouldn't be able to get pregnant, and we put up with each other's attitude when we were sick of the world and wanted to be mad at someone. We grew TOGETHER, not apart. It was a conscious decision on our parts. There are lots of little pit stops along the way where you have to stop and regroup.

I experienced adopting two children with him, saw the awe in his eyes holding our sons when they were so small. I saw him sleepily get up at 2am and not wake me up because he secretly loved that snuggle time with the boys. I also saw him lie to me and say he had gotten up twice already when, come to find out, he had in fact not been up once (and I did the same to him).

We went through life, not leisurely, not running, but jumping, skipping, laughing, and all the while holding tight to each other's hand.

We never lost sight of each other. The love I have for my husband today is deeper than any love I could have foreseen 10 years ago. My husband is my partner. He is my life. He is my soul mate, my second half. I miss him when we are apart, I am complete when we are together. This isn't corny, it's a fact. Are we the same? Hell no, there are things we disagree completely about, there are times when we argue, but he is just what I need and just what I want.

I see us and I think...gees...if we would have quit. If we would have given up, said it's too hard, become bored, not changed when you didn't think you had to, not grown up keeping each other as #1...we wouldn't have this. We wouldn't get to be in this great place. This place of calm, content...gloriously happy...but never bored.

My husband has given me more than any person in the world. He is my home, and he gives me a happy life. We are partners in life and accept each other in our strengths and weakness. I don't have to be someone I am not around him. I love that, I love him.

How did I ever get so lucky to find him at such a young age? Some people go half their lives without finding their true love, and I got mine so quick.

So thank you Brewerman. Thank you for being you, for giving me all of you, and for loving me.

Happy 10th Anniversary my love. I love you more now than I ever thought possible and I know that at our 50th when we laugh, surrounded by our great grandchildren, we will be even more in love, even more happy.  Thank you for giving me all that you do, every day.


Here's to celebrating our 20th anniversary in Ireland the year before we turn 40! ;-)