Let's just say, I cannot believe we are already celebrating 2 years of marriage!! Where did the time go - it's moving fast I tell ya! Jack and I have been together (dating, engaged, and married) for a total of 7.5 years already...can you believe it?! It's fun to think back to when we first started dating (senior year of high school in Nov.) and see how much we've grown, changed, and learned from and about each other over the years. When we started dating I was sure I wouldn't go to college with a boyfriend and if you asked me about marry Jack...the answer would have been "the class clown?! I don't think so!" haha....oh how he quickly won my heart over and changed my life! I went from someone who started looking at colleges their freshman year of high school, excited to go away and start that chapter, to a graduating senior who didn't want to leave at all and be away from the love of my life. It really is amazing how certain people are brought into your lives and make such a huge impact, and this is one that I will always be thankful for!!!
Downtown - Summer '04
After Graduation (when it was still at our high school)
Prom Senior Year
Just being silly!!! :)
We did college all 4 years away at different schools - one of the hardest, but best things we've ever done in our lives. At the time (freshman year mainly), yes, I totally wished we were at the same college but after my first year and more so now for sure I know it made our relationship even stronger and we still got to be our "own selves" for 4 years. I think that was so important for us, especially because we were young when we started dating, young in college (and naive), and got married, for what is considered these days, fairly young. Having those college years to be on your own gives you that time to grow and learn more about yourself and have that "guy time" or "girl time" which each of us totally got. It was also really neat to have friends and "2nd colleges" between both of our schools, and we are still close with so many of those 2 sets of friends!
Every year before I drove away to EIU, we took a traditional "garage shot" picture:
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Now here we are - 2 years in and still going strong!! Yes, when they say that first year is the hardest...I'll completely agree!! We both had new jobs, mine being the dramatic and draining life of a 1st year teacher, we had a new house, we had never lived together before, and we got Sadie. If you ask me that's a lot of change, stress, balancing, adjusting, and crying (me - being stressed on school, ha!)!! But there was so much good that came from that 1st year - we learned new ways (trail and error) to communicate with each other, we learned more about each other, we learned the balance of having married and unmarried friends, we grew closer because we went through that year of so many "firsts" and "new" things TOGETHER!! I might even compare the first year of marriage to the first year of teaching (lucky me I got to do them at the same time ...) - stressful, rewarding but challenging, not something you'll have to do again, and TOTALLY WORTH IT IN THE END!!!
Second year...even better! We worked out "kinks" and new ones that came along, grew closer, found Friday nights with Lou Malnati's take-out and a movie at home were just what we needed after a long week, we understood each other more, balanced "jobs" at home better (I mean c'mon...this summer I even helped pick weeds outside! lol), supported each other with big changes and new beginnings that took place, and overall had a FUN year together...which is most important!! :)
I love you Jack, more than you'll ever know!! That senior year boy I started dating swept me off my feet, changed my world for the better, and has turned into the best husband I could have dreamed of!!! Thank you for a wonderful, adventurous 2 years!! Cheers to us and many, many, many, many more Happy Anniversary's!!!!
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