Marriage

 My mom and I went on a mother/daughter trip back in the early 2000s.  One of those stops included St Marys, GA where my mom met a man named Mike.  They really hit it off and a few years later she moved from the mountains of Georgia to the beaches in Southern Georgia to be with him and eventually marry him.  

I was in a terrible relationship with a guy and we lived together in his house.  He was abusive physically on a few occasions and he was very controlling and also into drugs.  I eventually had had enough and decided to move out and move on.  

I found an apartment and all my plans were coming together to move out, but I really didn’t own any furniture so I drove down to St Marys to get a few pieces from my mom and Mike.

While I was there my mom insisted we go to Dick’s Wings to get these really inappropriate T-shirts!  Lol while we were there, a guy started talking to me.  At the end of our chat, we exchanged numbers.  I had no intention of calling.  However, he did (thank God!).  I had no interest in getting into another relationship; I was trying to get out of one and past it.  

This guy ends up calling me within an hour and asking me on a date that night.  I wanted to say no, but my mom said I had to.  So I went.  And so it happened that by the end of that night I was in love.  And so was he.  I don’t know how we knew we were in love, but it was then that we started making plans to marry and move to California.  My guy was (once always) also a Marine and was getting stationed out in Southern California.  

It was a whirlwind.  We met in July, got engaged in November, married at the lawyer’s office in December, had our wedding on February 12, 2005 and moved to California two days after on Valentine’s Day.  

Then came a year deployment with time spent in Iraq, then getting out of the Marine Corps, a move to Florida to recover from PTSD, buying our first home, having our first child, second child, graduating nursing school, moving to Tennessee, having a third child, graduating from engineering school at UT, having four more children, moving two more times, different jobs, numerous joys and trials, and now finally a move to Illinois where we have been for just over a year, a new job, and a new baby.  

This man of mine.  Our family of 10.  Some days I wonder how we ever made it through some of the things we have endured.  This man of mine. We have so many of the same interests, we love so many of the same things, we believe the same beliefs and hold the same values.  And we love each other (and occasionally fight).  We are comfortable.  Being with him feels like home.  

I don’t know why God allowed our meeting.  It was so by chance.  I’m so glad He did.  Neither of us were saved back then or even really knew God.  

Now, next Sunday, December 20th, we will officially celebrate 16 years together!  We wait until February 12th to claim our “real” anniversary, but there is something very sweet about next Sunday, as well. 

I am so thankful to be married to you, NSM.  143