June 28, 1997

Happy 12th anniversary!

Today is our twelfth wedding anniversary. I can't believe it has been twelve years since the young couple pictured above agreed to love each other for the rest of their lives. Oh, how young we were! I will never forget that day and some of the funny things that happened. Some we have shared, and some we have kept to ourselves.

Drew and I met on August 30, 1995. He was working as a PE assistant and an elementary school. I was a student teacher. My student teaching assignment had been changed that morning at the last minute. I ended up at the school where Drew was working. I'll never forget that first day when I walked in the gym. Later that day, Drew told the teacher I was student teaching with that he was going to marry me. (I found this out later.)

Drew and I became fast friends and got along well. I was dating someone at the time, but Drew kept telling me he could treat me better than I was being treated. I thought that was just his "line."

After I moved on to my next student teaching assignment, Drew kept in touch with me. About once a month he would call and find out how I was doing. He never failed to ask if I was still dating my boyfriend. When I would answer "yes" he would let me go. This went on for about six months. One month he called and asked the same question, "Are you still dating him?" When I answered "no" he said he would be right over. Nothing like taking full advantage of the moment!

Drew has remained by my side ever since. Through the good, the bad and the ugly. (And there was a lot of ugly at times!)

Almost a year from the day we met, I asked Drew if he would marry me. We were in his car going somewhere to spend some quality time together, I'm sure. It was very romantic and went something like this:

Me: Hey, you want to get married?

Drew: Alright.

Me: Alright.

Pretty romantic, huh?

This is kind of the way our relationship has been from the beginning. We do what feel right at the time. We don't really worry about what looks right according to other people. We do what feel right to us. We don't have your typical marriage with defined roles. We do what we need to do to make the other person happy. We work at our marriage and take nothing for granted. We are not perfect. We mess up. But, we know that we are in this forever and nothing will ever change that.

Drew is a wonderful husband. He gives completely. He always thinks about my happiness before making decisions. He cooks. He cleans. He does anything and everything to keep us going. What do I do? I do my part. I help him. He does not "rule the roost" or "wear the pants in the family." We both do. We definitely feel that we are equal partners. We make mistakes and we mess up, but we have learned to apologize and move on. (I sometimes still need work on this!)

Drew and I have been through many good times and trials in the past eleven years:

• Drew completed school after we were married and went on to earn his master's degree. We have gone through a miscarriage together. He was so understanding and caring during that time.
• We bought and fixed up our first house. I loved that little house. We spent so much time together painting, sawing, hammering, caring for each little room.
• We have had three kids together.
• We endured the death of my mother together. Drew was so supportive and understanding during that time. He lost his dad in 1994 and knew what I was going through. Although the circumstances were different, he understood what I was dealing with.
• We bought our current, and hopefully, last house and have begun making it feel like our home.

Those of you who know Drew know what a wonderful person he is. He is the reason we have been happily married for twelve years. He is the reason I can be who I am. Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband. There is so much more I could say, but I won't. I will keep some of it to myself.