8 years ago today, Jim asked me to marry him. I'd never been so sure of anything in my life. When we went through premarital counseling, Jim's pastor told us that even though we couldn't imagine ourselves more in love, and we wondered how we could love each other more than we did... give it another day, somehow you discover you love each other just a little bit more.
True words.
We had a difficult relationship. Strict parents, with different ideas on how things should be done. He lived in Ohio, I lived in California. We both got semi kicked out of college, where we had school faculty trying to forbid or destroy our relationship. Lies, separation, lots of rules. We used to fantasize about how amazing it would be to just lay intertwined and watch a movie. How awesome it would be to talk for hours without someone telling us it was inappropriate. Living under a bridge somewhere, sounded like a happy ever after.
Everyone told us that marriage was hard work, but I secretly thought that marriage sounded a whole lot better than whatever the heck you could call our strange dating experience.
I know eight years isn't a lot of time, but so far I've been right. Marriage is so so so much easier... and amazing... and romantic. Everything I thought it would be. We still cling to each other and think, we belong to each other. And it gives us shivers.
I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at 19 (still don't), but somehow I got the perfect person for life.
Although clearly I knew nothing about exposure or white balance back then.
