On this day, I thee wed

Eight years ago was the day Jeremy and I exchanged vows barefooted (me not him) on the beach by the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.  It was just the two of us along with the minister.  Sometimes I feel that I should have shared this huge event in my life with my family and friends, but then I realize it was perfect the way it ended up.  Our wedding day was a reflection of who we are as a couple.  For the most part, our love is private and cherished; just between me, him, and God. 

The first couple of years of marriage had a lot of ups and downs, just as any other marriage.  We became accustomed to living together and sharing a life with one another when he had to deploy to Kuwait for a 6 month rotation.  The preparation for that was exhausting emotionally and mentally, but we had not prepared for the possibility of war.  Yet that is how life ended up for us.  It was a lot to go through at the ages of 19 and 22; it made us grow up way before our time. It also showed us how precious life is.  I lived in fear every day until he came home.  The Iraq tour was different then; it was the invasion, there were no boundaries, everything was unknown, no FOBs were established, communication was extremely rare.  For a long time I had no idea where he was or what he was doing.  When I later found out details, it was best I didn't know back then.  When Jeremy returned home, he was a different person, not in a bad way just a different way.  My love for him during that time had grown deeper and stronger, it built roots in my heart.  Our marriage had to start all over again.  And just as we got into the whole married routine, he left again for a year.  At least that tour was a little easier, but not by much as every day you are apart from your companion is hard.

I feel we had to go through those difficult times to get to the couple we are now. And thankfully our life has become a little more stable over the past few years. There are a lot of things we could easily take for granted, and we do sometimes as we are only human, but we have established our priorities, one of which is family.  It's crazy to look back 8 years to who we were and who we are today.  We've come a long way.  We have 2 beautiful boys who we love dearly.  And those roots in my heart have grown into a sturdy, solid tree and with each new adventure, obstacle, life change, a branch appears.  I love him for the man and father he has become over these years, I love him for loving me, and I love looking forward to the many years still to be shared.