Friday, August 9, 2013

8 years...


Many people know our story, but then there's many of you who don't... I thought, what better time to tell it than now as we are celebrating 8 years of ups and downs, goods and bads, but most importantly togetherness as husband and wife in 3 days...

We met in high school... Where did we truly meet/get to know each other? Band camp.... Yep! Band camp... We were both true band geeks, totally into marching band! I noticed that tall, skinny boy who had such a great since of humor and knew I wanted to one day get to know him more... Little did I know that week at band camp would make a difference about a dozen years ago! We talked, we joked, we laughed, we got to know each other a bit and by the end of band camp, I was hoping one day we'd become more than just friends someday...



After marching in a 4-H parade (yes, folks! We grew up in a small farming county. 4-H was huge. And so was band for some of us! Like I said - band geek!), one of my super great friends swapped emails/phone numbers for us (she knew I totally had a crush on that boy!). Just a few weeks later after a couple of emails back and forth, we had our first "official" date. He came to my house for Pizza King pizza and a movie. My mom embarrassed me by setting out Valentine's Day paper plates for us to eat on that had hearts and "love" all over them. If you know my mom, you know she decorates like Martha Stewart for all holidays, so she always had tons of decorations and such. Why she chose Valentine's Day plates of all things, over her plethora of regular white styrofoam plates that she always has for family gatherings, I'll never know... All I knew was how embarrassed I was... Thankfully Michael didn't seem to notice or care! We watched a movie, sitting probably a foot or two apart on the couch. Not sure if he was just nervous or afraid of my dad... Eventually the date was over and he went home (no kiss! That boy didn't kiss me until MONTHS later! Again, nerves? Or my dad?). I was even more smitten than before...

More dates happened and I seriously began to fall in love with him, thinking (probably immaturely) that I'd love to marry him someday! As time/years went on, we began to get closer and closer, began going to Bible studies together, youth groups, family functions... He became not only my boyfriend, but truly, my best friend... At school, I'd frequently find love letters and a bouquet of flowers in my locker - usually multiple times a week! He turned 18 in February of 2004, and signed up for the Marine Corps... Scared me to death, but I knew it was something he'd always wanted to do... He'd be leaving just a few months after our high school graduation. I wasn't sure what was going to happen with us...

Junior Prom
On my family vacation to Texas!
At my church for youth group!
          




Just a few of the love letters from high school...
Sadies Dance - Junior Year





















A summer of fun went by quickly and before we knew it, it was September... We had to say goodbye. That was a hard day because I knew for 13 long weeks, after spending a few years of being together just about every day, I would not get to talk to him at all. Only via letter.... I had no idea what would eventually happen to us...

Michael at his going away party before he left for bootcamp


A week or two after he left, I got my first letter, and then letters came frequently. I'd get letters just about every day, or sometimes a few days would go by and I'd get several at once. Thanksgiving Day I got to talk to him for a total of about 45 seconds. I burst into tears afterward - I'd forgotten how great it was to hear his voice... He didn't say much other than he couldn't wait to see me and that he loved me more than ever before... Just about a week later, my mom and dad, sister and brother-in-law and their daughter,(yep! A family affair!) and Michael's best friend, Sam, all traveled together to San Diego to watch his graduation. I was nervous and excited and couldn't sleep... Family Day was on a Thursday, December 2, and Friday, December 3, was his graduation. We got there early on Thursday and walked around and waited.... Impatiently.... Finally, the moto run began and I got to see Michael for the very first time (although he didn't see me). I again burst into tears and just sobbed..... 13 weeks may not seem like a long time, but for a girl in love, with NO phone calls (besides the mere 45 second one), emails, and such, it seemed like eternity! A few events went by and then it was finally time for them to break out of their platoons and have family time for the rest of the afternoon. I couldn't get to him quick enough to give him the biggest hug... The hours went by quickly and it was soon time to say goodbye. We would see him tomorrow, he would graduate, and we would get to take him home for a few weeks and I was looking forward to that more than ever...
During the Moto Run - Can you see him? This was when I was just bawling!

During graduation

The Marine Corps Portrait

Finally able to leave base after graduation!


Graduation came and went, we all finally went off base and got some lunch and then relaxed for the afternoon with everyone before Michael and I went on a date that evening, just the two of us, to Balboa Park in San Diego... He seemed so nervous/jittery that I thought he was just nervous to be next to me again or something... We walked around, enjoying the Christmas decorations and eventually found a quiet spot to sit under a tree. I sat down and started going through my bag looking for some chapstick.... When I finally found it and looked up, there was Michael, kneeling in front of me. He's always been a goof and done silly jokes or movie impressions and I thought he was going to do something like that... Until I looked in his eyes and saw he was not in his "joking" character. He was dead serious.... He began talking about how he knew we were young, he knew people would think we were crazy, but he didn't care. He loved me and that the distance away from each other was even more confirmation to him that he wanted me to be with him forever... (And lots more sappy stuff) and then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a ring... I had NO idea how he had an engagement ring when he'd just been in bootcamp for 13 weeks! Turns out, that silly boy bought that with all his summer job savings before he went to bootcamp, gave Jeff (my sister's hubby) the ring and asked him to bring it with him to graduation... Anyway, I absolutely said yes with tears streaming down my face in awe and utter surprise...

After he proposed


8 months later, he came back to Indiana and we got married on August 12, 2005 at the young age of 19... The best day of my life...







Now, here we are, 8 years later... It's amazing how much can happen in 8 years...




A few weeks ago, I read a great blog post about when you think your love story is boring and it was based off this quote:

“My love life will never be satisfactory until someone runs through an airport to stop me from getting on a flight.” ~Teenager post of the week via the Huffington Post. 

She talked about how her husband never ran through an airport after her, but told the things he DID do. It made me think so much of Michael and appreciate him even more...

Michael's never ran through an airport for me....

But he loved and respected me enough to wait for me. To wait almost 4 years of dating/engagement until our wedding. We talked about how important that would be for both of us, and while dating, everyone else around us "was doing it", we waited.... And I'm so happy we did.... Knowing that he loved God enough to obey Him and loved me enough to respect us and our future relationship melted me...

He's never ran through an airport for me....

But he held my hand, rubbed my back, and encouraged me through 3 hours of painful pitocin-induced labor with our first baby... I was so determined to do it without an epidural, but halfway through was tempted to give up. He talked me through the rest of my labor encouraging me that I was strong and I could do it. And I did!  Some people get angry with their husbands during the pains of contractions.... I, on the other hand,  fell in love with him all over again... Not your average 20 year old boy can be so mature and serious and amazing during their wife's labor... He went from boy to man that day... Especially when he looked into the eyes of his sweet baby girl with tears streaming down his cheeks... Seeing him hold his first baby for the very first time melted me to the core...


Ilana Eve - just minutes old
Kissing his baby girl for the first time...






He's never ran through an airport for me...

But he sped to the hospital 60 miles away when my water broke at 31 weeks with our second child, because he didn't want me to be there for even just one minute by myself. He BEAT the ambulance! And again, he held my hand through labor and encouraged me, even though I was scared to death to be delivering so early... He was my rock during that 5 weeks of Aydan in the NICU... Driving me to the hospital at 11pm at night if that's what I needed to do because my mommy heart ached at Aydan being an hour away... His caring spirit, knowing just what I needed without me expressing it, melted me...

Aydan Michael - a few hours old

Michael holding Aydan, a few weeks old. 
Michael holding Aydan for the first time - a few days old





















He's never ran through an airport for me...


But he's held my hand through our daughter's first, second, and third surgeries and our son's surgery... Watching him as he cradled his daughter after every single surgery, snuggling her into him, rubbing her hair and wiping the tears away caused by pain and silent crying when she couldn't make a sound due to the surgery, melted me... Watching him as he did the same for our son, melted me all over again...


Michael holding Ilana the day after her first surgery at 10 months old.

Michael holding Ilana after her second surgery 2 years old.
Michael and Ilana BEFORE her 3rd (and final) surgery at 4.
Michael holding Aydan the day after his surgery.





He's never ran through an airport for me....

But he's been there through every. single. up and down. He's always been my spiritual rock and the spiritual leader of our household.... Seeing him read the Bible with the kids and pray with them and tell them about God melts me..



He's never ran through an airport for me...

But he's ran (or walked quickly) through one WITH me as we traveled to Ethiopia to see our two sons... Seeing him with in Ethiopia become a father by adoption to our two boys melted me... While visiting orphanages, seeing him surrounded by orphans, him hugging each and every single one of them, letting them hug him and kiss him... Melted me...

Holding his two newest sons on Father's Day 2012

Surrounded by kids at one of the schools for orphans in Ethiopia. They LOVED him!


He's never ran through an airport for me....

But after the adoption, there have been lots of hard times. Adoption is not for the weak... It's a long, tough, hard journey... Especially for mommas.... There have been more hard days than I can count. And yet, Michael is there every single step of the way. With one look in my eyes when he comes home, he can tell what kind of day it's been. Many times he'll say "I'm home now. I've got it. Go. Go to your mom's. Go to the store. Go to your room for the rest of the night." Despite working a full day and coming home and wanting to relax because he's tired and had stayed up until 12 or even 2 am doing school online full time, he constantly puts my needs before his and takes over. Makes supper for the kids, plays with them, puts them to bed... He's constantly thinking of others over himself... His sweet, God given character of caring for others, melts me...





He's never ran through an airport for me...

But he's been the one who has taken me to the ER or hospital for all of our issues during this pregnancy. Again, holding my hand, reassuring me that all would be okay, despite the look of fear deep in his eyes. Fear for me, fear for Mireya, fear for what would happen... Always trying to be strong for me. For our family... His willingness to pray over me, openly and outloud, in the hospital - melts me... Because of some of the health issues, I have to do weekly progesterone shots. Michael gives them to me... If you really knew him, you'd know that he hates - H.A.T.E.S - needles... He can't be in a room when the kids get shots or when the boys have their blood drawn. He has to look away when him or I get shots. And yet, he's willing to overcome that fear just because he knows I have to have it. So Mireya can possibly stay in there full term... The fact that despite his fear/hate of needles, he's willing to get over it and do it for Mireya and I (and do a pretty good job of it, I'll say!), melts me...

Our Miracle Baby - Mireya Esther

Progesterone shots... No fun!




He's never ran through an airport for me....

But our love is more real and true than many of the movies out there... We've been through more than a lot of people in our "short" 8 years of marriage... 4 moves, 3 states, 4 houses, 2 houses bought, 2 births, 2 adoptions, 3 pregnancies, losing my dad, a plethora of medical issues, and an overabundance of goods and bads... All together. We've gone from being young "kids" getting married at 19 to feeling like we're in our 30's sometimes, despite our still "young" age of 27... We not only grew close together, but we grew UP together... We've beaten all odds... People say most young marriages fail. We thrived. And flourished... We've come out stronger than ever... And I'm so happy to say that my husband is STILL my best friend and someone I love and cherish more than anyone in this world... And I'm so thankful that he chose me... And that God put us together all those years ago in band camp... Happy 8th anniversary (in 3 days), Michael! I LOVE YOU!!!!!