It's Our Anniversary! Celebrating 8 Years...

It's hard to believe that I've been married for eight years already. Whoa. Time is flying. I don't talk much about marriage or my husband here. Mainly because I feel like we're so incredibly normal (in a good way) that there really isn't much to say that would be overly entertaining. 

You might remember I told you a little bit about how we met in college and got married before I even graduated. (i graduated the following semester) He had already graduated from school and joined the Army. I was 21 and he was 25. Crazy, right?

After our wedding I went back to school for my last semester and he went back to Virginia to finish his training. I remember driving to see him on Thursdays after school. I didn't have class on Fridays so we'd get three days to hang out. I'd stay until Monday morning and I would haul butt to make it back in time for my eight AM class. Very crazy. So many speeding tickets. 

It was all worth it though. Since then we've moved four times and welcomed two beautiful babies into our lives. Here I am below pregnant with Savannah (and newly natural). These years have flown by. We have our fair share of disagreements like most people. However, I think what makes us work is our ability to laugh at everything. I also think that keeping additional people out of your business helps too but I'm really trying to keep this post light…

So. Raise a glass for us tonight. Eight years down. Forever to go...

30 Things: Describe Your Relationship with Your Spouse

Our relationship. My relationship with my husband is very easy. We are friends and we genuinely enjoy each other's company. I think that's very important. We met when I was still in high school. I visited our college (East Carolina University) for minority weekend. It was a very pretty day and I was soaking in the campus and all that college life was going to give me come Fall. My family had already gone back to Charlotte. I stayed behind with my BFF's family to continue hanging out. We decided to visit the bookstore on campus and that is where I met my husband.

Although, I never saw him coming and he kind of popped up out of nowhere that's where we crossed paths for the first time. He had a very confident way about him that I liked. We exchanged email addresses (because that's what people did in 2002 I guess) and our relationship grew from there. Now. Our dating experience in college was very crazy. At times it was nothing like the fairy tales you hear about on TLC's Say Yes to the Dress. But it's our story and I love it. Not to mention it gives us lots to laugh at these days. And we laugh a lot. Another good thing about my relationship with my husband.

our first date

My relationship with my husband has quite possibly been one of the most freeing experiences of my life. I've never had to pretend to be someone that I wasn't. I can always say exactly what I'm thinking or feeling. It's refreshing. In so many other relationships that I have I watch what I say or do. There are limits to what I share and I listen more than I speak. Not with my husband. He listens to me and I listen to him. He humbles me and I keep his confidence from turning into arrogance. 

when he met my family for the first time. it was a surprise visit during a break at school.

During my senior year of college, during my winter break, we got married. My husband had already graduated college and was beginning his career in the Army. Our wedding day was very simple and filled with love. I remember not being nervous about anything. I was positive that even at the age of twenty-one I knew I was making the right decision. We were crazy about each other and we still are. I think that's what keeps us going. There's no one else that I would rather hang out with for the rest of my life. He is one of the smartest and funniest people that I know. I'm so thankful for our love. Deep down I really feel like it was our relationship that turned me into a braver version of myself. I am stronger and I get offended a lot less. My husband gives me a womanly confidence that I appreciate more than he'll ever know. Our relationship is by far my favorite thing about this life I am so blessed to live.

our wedding day. a photo of a photo.