Seventh Anniversary Blog

I thought in honor of Josh and I's wedding anniversary today that I would write a few of my thoughts on marriage.  Now I am in no way an expert.  That title goes to my parents and Josh's parents who have over sixty years of marriage between the two couples.  This title goes to my nanee and papa who were married over 60 years before my papa passed away.  With that said, I have realized, seven years into marriage, that it has very little to do with candle-lit dinners, jewelry, or grand gestures and much more to do with the every day details of life.

Love is a tiny engagement ring that is better than any piece of jewelry, because it is special and was all we could afford at the time.

Love is proposing with a jeweler's business card, because you were so excited to propose, you couldn't wait for the ring that was three weeks late coming into the store.

Love is getting lice from a patient as a medical student, and having your new husband comb through the knits in your hair.  This is theoretical, of course, because that would just be way too embarrassing to write about.

Love is in the beauty and mess of our daughter's delivery.

Love is laundry, cleaning, cooking, and bills, and having fun together amongst it all.

Love is taking care of a sick baby together.

Love is when you know the good, the bad, and the ugly about the other person and love them anyways.

Love is taking the final step towards being old and lame by buying a minivan together... then fighting over who gets to drive it.

Love is choosing patience and kindness when you feel grumpy, and your spouse doesn't deserve it.

Love is hours in the car together driving different places.

Love is often having to say you're sorry (See what I did there?)

Love is all of the memories added together, exciting and mundane.

This is Josh and I on our first date ever together at Erskine.  My, we were babies!

This is our engagement photo.  It is the only one we have, because we got married eight weeks after we got engaged.  We wanted two weeks, my mom asked me for six months, so we compromised on eight weeks.

This is from our wedding day, September 20th 2008.  I wanted to elope, but people talked me into a wedding by saying, Just picture everybody you love in the same room together celebrating. They were right.  It was the best day ever.

We got married on a Saturday, and I was back to school on Monday.  I studied all of the time, and Josh worked for TruTech to pay our bills while I was in school.  This picture was from my medical school graduation and match day when we found out we were moving to Greenwood.

We have had many adventure including time in Macau, mainland China, and Hong Kong at the end of medical school and time in Honduras during my second year of residency.

Now we are in the middle of the adventures of parenting and adoption. Say no more.

I am thankful that the trials that could have torn us apart have only brought us closer.  After ten years together, one break-up, seven years of marriage, one doctorate degree, three homes, five countries, seven jobs, one baby, and, as evidenced by the photos, many different facial-hair stages, we have a wonderful, ordinary, extraordinary, messy, and beautiful life together.

Happy 7h Anniversary!

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. I Peter 4:8