We have been side by side through the major transition from young adult to adult – summer jobs, graduation, leaving home, career selections, first “real world” jobs, buying a car, home ownership, and, most importantly, parenthood. There is a deep joy in that shared history. We have certainly experienced serious challenges as well – infertility, the loss of two tiny babies, financial strain, and improperly prioritizing home and work life. However, God in His grace has allowed us to see Him and one another through those darker days.
I’ve had quite a bit of fun digging through stacks of pictures from the early years. (I won’t even to begin to go into all of the technological advances in the last decade and a half, but the digital camera certainly stands out as one of them!) Here’s a little walk down memory lane.
Paul and I were seated beside each other on a flight from Amsterdam to Paris. I was still the “new girl” at Carolina Day School, and our social circles had never really crossed before. We spent the rest of the trip getting to know one another and began dating officially shortly after we returned (March 24th to be exact!). We didn’t have a single breakup.
First prom (April 1994)
Junior year (1995)
High school graduation (May 1996)
In college (junior year?), dressed for a Mardi Gras themed sorority party
One of the best decisions Paul and I made was to attend separate colleges within driving distance of one another. Paul went to Alma College in Alma, MI, and I went to Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI. We were 2.5 hours apart, which allowed us to see one another an average of twice a month. Instead of being glued at the hip, we were able to focus on our studies, friendships, and the full realm of campus life.
Paul proposed on November 28, 1998 when we were home in Asheville over Thanksgiving break. We were married on June 17, 2000. (I couldn’t find any pictures from college graduation or our engagement, but I know they exist!)
Wedding day!
Honeymoon in the Bahamas
As cat lovers, we lasted exactly 5 weeks after the wedding before heading to the animal shelter to adopt two kittens. That means they’re ten years old now, too!
Cleo (gray) and Isis (black)
Building our first house (Fall 2001)
I LOVE to travel, while Paul is definitely a homebody. However, he has patiently listened to my pitches for a variety of trip itineraries. I think I have finally convinced him that leaving home can be a lot of fun!
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Italy (2005)
Hawaii (2006)
Nothing has changed or challenged us more than becoming parents! I have been so grateful to have my best friend walking beside me each step of the wildly unpredictable way.
6 months pregnant with baby boy #1 (October 2007)
Welcoming Ryan James (February 5, 2008)
The family (Christmas 2009)
7 months pregnant with baby boy #2 (May 2010)
Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being in love, which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.
Louis de Bernieres
1 comment:
That post was amazing fun to read. Thanks for sharing those times. I wish I could have known those 16 year old kids. Do you think we would have been friends? Maybe youth group friends?
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