3.21.2012

Three years.

Three years ago yesterday, J and I made our way to the courthouse and had a JOP marry us. Back then, it wasn't what I really wanted, but I wanted to be married, so we did it. I wasn't quite sure where our new life together would take us, but I was ready for the ride.

Three years later, things are...well...better than I thought they'd be. Our first year of marriage was rough [but when you already have a 3-month-old baby boy in your lives when you get married, a lot of things are already difficult to manage], and our second year was just OK. This past year was great though - like, really, really great. We had a lot of random things happen, but I know everything happened for a reason.

My 3rd year of marriage began with a good-bye, as my husband was supposed to deploy to Italy for six months. That deployment fell through, so we breathed easy for a bit. Then, he got put on orders again a couple of months later - and THAT deployment was canceled. When he went BACK on orders early last fall, we knew this one would stick...and it did. The last three months of our marriage have been spent with J in training, but I know this is what he wants to do, so we've made it work. Throughout the year, we had a lot more ups than downs [I honestly don't really remember the downs], which was nice to experience. We grew as a couple and continued to learn more about one another. Marriage is hard work when you live in two separate states, but we made it work with little issue.

As we begin our 4th year of marriage, I can't even imagine what kinds of things we have coming our way. Between deployment, being pregnant again [and raising our son], a possible move...those things alone have already kept me up at night with stress and worry! I will say, though, that I think J and I are better than ever. I've been with him 7.5 years [so pretty much my entire adult life, since we started dating when I was 18], and we've seen it all: deaths, births, fights, accidents, military etc. I never thought we'd go through all the stuff we've gone through in this short of time, but I truly believe it's made us a better couple and better individuals. We've had to work through a lot to get through here, and let's be honest - there were times when I didn't think we'd make it. After all that though, we're still together. It's an awesome feeling.

Even though J is deployed, he still managed to make our anniversary super special. He sent these to my office:


For a moment, I thought he'd forgotten [I hadn't gotten a card or anything up to this point], so I'll admit it - I was a little miffed. But then these came while I was at work, and I cried. I rushed to get the stems cut and put them in water, and they're blooming beautifully on a bookshelf. He did good this year, even though he's thousands of miles away. :)

Ya know, I hear all these people complain about how long-distance relationships don't work, how both people can't possibly be in love if they don't live with each other. J and I are proof that isn't the case. Yes, being long distance isn't easy - and we've struggled a lot with communicating when we have issues. It's easy to push things aside when you don't have to deal with the person face-to-face, but we've gotten better at that. It has definitely been a team effort [sometimes it's more of a one-sided effort than a team effort], but we've pulled through a lot of things and made our relationship work. I can't wait for the day we're all under one roof, but that's still a few months away. For now, we're making it work this way, and we're happy. I'm happy.

Happy Anniversary to the one man who's been able to put up with me for longer than a few months. After 3 years, 1.25 kids and lots of changes, I still love him as much - if not more - as I did when I became his wife. I love you babe.

Our first picture as a couple - July 2004. Time flies!

1 comment:

Kaycie Christine said...

I love this post and I love how happy you are! Great things are ahead for you and your growing family! =] Happy Anniversary, Williamsons!!