Today is the my 3rd wedding anniversary and my 9th year with my husband. Sometimes it's really hard to believe that it has been that long. I'd like to take a chance to tell y'all a little bit about the two of us. I'll try to keep it as short as possible, so to not bore anyone to terribly bad.
We met when he came in for lunch at the restaurant where I worked. I didn't see him the first time he came, but my friend who also worked there, did. I should preface this by saying, I have and always have had, a very specific 'type'. I like skinny boys with big noses and black rimmed glasses or chubby dudes with paunches. Nathan was the first type. Well, the day she spoke with him, she told me, and I quote, "This skinny guy with black glasses came in today and was weird as fuck. Y'all are perfect for each other". I'll never forget that little comment because, she was right! Hahaha!
I was a junior in high school at the time and was driving a 1973, bright orange, convertible, Super Beetle. This is important, because the first time I met him, he came into the shop and asked me who was driving the 'Ted Bundy Mobile" outside. Cute and knowledgeable about serial killers? Hmmm, this could work. He was 6 years older than me, so instead of dating we became best friends. He came into the restaurant almost everyday and when I didn't see him he'd call me at exactly 8:30pm every night. I graduated from high school a semester early and moved out of my parent's house about 3 months later. He came over to help me move and never left. Until I moved to London 3 years later, we had never spent a night apart.
In the 9 years we've been together we have gone through many difficult hardships such as living 5,000 miles apart and the death of his father. The hardest came my junior year of college when we were married. We decided we would get married when I came back for my 3 week spring break, which only left me 2 weeks to plan a wedding. We pulled it off for less than $1,000 (dress, venue, and all). We were married at a small local museum by a pastor we found in the phone book (the judge wouldn't conduct ceremonies after business hours). It was simple and very sweet. A couple of days later Nathan was diagnosed with cancer. It was terrifying. All of my dreams of our future were gone and I couldn't stand the thought of losing him. He went in for emergency surgery a week after we were married and I took the next 4 weeks off from school to help him recover. He begged me to go back to London to finish college, which I did. It was horrible to be away from him, but my parents made sure to stand in for me, going to all of his doctors appointments and radiation treatments. Leaving him during this time is something I have never forgiven myself for, even though it is what he wanted. He's now in his 3rd year of remission, for which I am incredibly grateful. We never got that "honeymoon phase" or honeymoon at all, which has always made me sad, but I have him, so I cannot complain.
From the moment we were married until now, it has been very, very hard, with one thing after another. If when it rains it pours, then we've been flooded for years. Jobs have been lost and dreams have been shattered, but we still have each other. We're hoping one day it will all even out, but as of right now, we're still weathering the storm. But, I would rather do it with Nathan that anyone else.
Here are a few photos of our life together...
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| Nathan's first visit to London |
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| My folks and I on my wedding day. |
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| Getting Married |
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| My Graduation |
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| Prague |
