I've been deciding for a week what I wanted my first post to be about. Since Monday is my 6 year wedding anniversary, I figured I would start with that event. You see, this was the event that made me realize that my life hadn't started until the day I married Josh. (Cliche, right?)
It all started the week before June 25th, 2005. I was working at Arby's and there was this egotistical, arrogant jerk that I started having to work shifts with. I prided myself as an awesome back-line worker. In my silly little 18 year-old mind, I was the shiz-nit. (I later was put in my place, and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.) Anyways, so, back to the jerk... I'm 4'11. (5' when I lie to myself. Once, I actually made the nurse measure me three times before she just decided to lie to me and tell me what I wanted to hear.) This jerk would put the portion trays in the very back of the microwave so I couldn't reach them. He walked around like he owned the place, and he detested me.
For a solid month I complained about him any chance I got. Finally, my dad looked at me and said, "You really like him don't you? I mean, you talk about him all the time." I was floored. He was right! Somehow, this jerk had become a part of my life... and I liked it. "But", I said to myself, "I will NEVER tell him! He's leaving for basic in a week anyways. It's not worth the trouble"
"The jerk" worked night shifts and I was a day-shifter. One night I was getting gas and I happened to see my cousin's BF hanging out with another girl. I drove to Arby's (yes, everyone on God's green earth worked there at some point) to tell her. I was standing in the drive-thru window telling her what I saw, when who shows up at the window? The jerk. He just stared at me like I was an idiot. In his defense, I probably looked like one. I talk with my hands and I'm incredibly animated when telling a good story.
Later that night, I told my cousin I thought he was cute. I decided I was going to give him my address and number so he could keep in touch while he was gone. On the way to work, I got SO sick to my stomach. I couldn't go through with it. My friend ended up giving it to him. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my marriage started with my friend passing my husband a note from me. I love the 3rd-grader in me! So the next day, I asked her what he said when she gave it to him and she said he just said, "Okay."
Ugh. I blew it. I'm a loser. I took a stab and I failed. I will be that old cat-lady and single for forever. (So dramatic, you!) I decided that he was a jerk again, but still worth pursuing, so I invited him to hang out one night after work. He did, and so started the most magical 6 months of my life. (Or so I thought then, our lives gets more magical all the time.) We hung out for a week, notes were left in cars, neither of us slept... it was love.
He left for Basic Training and AIT, a week after we started hanging out. He wrote me amazing letters that our grandchildren will enjoy one day. I wrote him song lyrics while sitting at the top of my Oak tree in the dark. I got to see him for one day in the 5 months he was gone. He came home on December 7th. My Grandad (who you'll hear more about I'm sure because he was just that awesome) died 2 days later. Josh stayed with me through the visitation, funeral, and the holidays.
On Christmas day, he proposed. I was told by a co-worker that he had planned to. So, I decided I was going to help him out by making it easy for him. What can I say? I'm controlling and a planner. Eh. Now remember, we were 18 and BROKE, so I drove us to the most romantic places that I could think of in this small town. He still didn't propose. Midnight was getting close and the romantic side of me REALLY wanted him to do it on our six month anniversary. So, he had about an hour. We finally decided to go walk around the park, but we didn't get too far because a skunk had stunk up the walkway. (SO, romantic) We sat down in a pavillion that was pretty dirty and full of stacked tables and chairs. This, this is where he decided to pop the question... and it was perfect. I didn't know it was perfect at the time, but looking back, it was so us.
We had planned on getting married on our one year anniversary, but on January 6th, we found out he was deploying to Iraq. So, what was the practical thing to do? Get married on the next business day of course! My Grandma made sure we were married in a church and no one would let us wear our hoodies during the wedding. Losers.
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| Our wedding. Young, broke, but so happy! |
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| One of the last hugs we had before he left for Iraq. |
He left for deployment three days later. He was gone until March of 2007. Six weeks after he got back, SURPRISE! We're pregnant! We had our son, Sawyer, in January of the next year. And our daughter, Sofia, in May of 2011.
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| Sawyer and Sofia |
I love you, Josh. I can never tell you that enough, and you will never know how much I mean it.
If this post was hard to read, I'm on my third cup of coffee and I have the brain jitters. I know this was a long post, but it's done a fairly good job of introducing me to those of you who don't know me. Alright, off to go fix my 4th cup.
Laters,
Heather
Loooooove this!!! LOL at brain jitters....
ReplyDeleteGreat first blog!!!