My husband.

J and I met in 2004 when we lived on the same street in our hometown. He was a sophomore in high school, and I was a freshman, and we'd gone to the same school since 7th/8th grade, but I never knew him. I thought he was cute from first glance, but I never thought anything of it.

Thinking back on it, I'm not quite sure when we started "hating" each other. The earliest memories I have are of him and I getting into it over random crap. We called each other names, I slammed doors in his face...it was just random. His sister and my sister were friends, and he was friends with my sister - but he and I were enemies. But, as we grew up, the fighting started disappearing, and we slowly started to become friends. I also slowly started to develop a crush on him.

I watched him date different girls [most of them i personally knew], and it didn't bother me at first. But after a little while, it did. I couldn't figure out why for awhile, but once I admitted to myself that I did like him, I realized I was a little jealous of the other girls. I shook it off though, and by the time I was a senior in high school, he and I were civil towards one another, we were both interested in other people, and we didn't really see each other.

The last few weeks of that year, he started coming around more. It was a really stressful time for me, and he started becoming the shoulder I could lean on when I'd had a bad day. By the time graduation came around, I was REALLY feelin' him...but I didn't want to start anything since I was going to Oklahoma State, so I tried to deny the crush. The last day of my senior year was the first time we took our feelings public. That's when we began.

We spent an incredible summer under the stars, but a big part of me knew it wouldn't last. I wanted that summer to last forever though...we really got to know each other. We spent countless hours being bitten by mosquitos on my driveway, took numerous midnight walks around the block...I remember the spot we had our first kiss, the first time we held hands, our first date, the first time he called me because he wanted to, the day I became his girlfriend. That summer was so special, but it ended too quickly.

The first few months I was at OSU, I was afraid he'd leave me. By that point, I was falling in love with him and didn't look at or want anyone else. For a little while, we did break up...but it took all of two weeks before the feelings were back, and all of eight weeks before we were officially back together. It's been us ever since. We made it through four years of separation, heartache, spats, ignorance and hard times. Being in a long-distance relationship was never easy, but we always made it work because we knew we were meant to be with one another.

In November of my senior year, we got engaged. That March, we found out JJ was on his way. That May, I graduated and moved back to Lawton; that July, I got a job back in Stillwater and moved back to where I'd spent my undergrad years. JJ was born that December; we became Mr. and Mrs. that next March. And now, almost a year later, we're going on our one-year anniversary and preparing to become an Air Force family. He and I have been through so much in the nearly 5.5 years we've been a couple, but I wouldn't change any of it.

My husband is my rock. He's my better half, my patience, my sanity. While we may not see eye to eye all the time, like the same things or have the same background, what we do have is love and devotion to one another. I am so proud of him and all the steps he's taken to make his life - and our life - a better one. He's an amazing father, a fantastic husband and the one I'm glad I'll be with for the rest of my life.

There really isn't a point to this blog...with Valentine's Day just passing and me missing my husband and thinking about what the next few months has in store for us, I felt inspired to praise the man I married almost a year ago. J, thanks for being my everything. ILY.