Wednesday, February 23

Once upon a time, Five Years Ago...

There lived a girl. Yes, a girl.

Today Hubby and I are celebrating our five year wedding anniversary. I always see these posts and thought I'd post a tribute to us also. Five years ago today, I married my best friend and we've had three kids, two dogs, a few fish, a snake or two, a turtle, we bought our first home and our first minivan. And we've had 1,825 days of love, laughter and bliss that I would not trade or give away or change or slightly alter or do anything to because each and every moment was perfect and spent with my best friend, soul mate and lover.

Mm-kay. That's it. And they lived happily ever after, the end.

Well, that's nice in theory and kudos to all of you who have experienced marriage and family life in this way. That's fantastic and amazing and you are a great example for others to follow.

In reality, mine and Hubby's story goes a little differently. Well, one part is still the same. He was and still is, my best friend, lover and soul mate. I knew that then, and I know it more today. But the bliss and perfection part is far from the truth.

Five years ago today, I was a girl. A scared girl. A pregnant, scared girl. I was getting ready to marry a man I knew I loved, but I was unsure that I was ready for married and family life. Check out this picture of me at our wedding:

I know, right?! RELAX!
We got married at the MGM Grand in Vegas. I was five months pregnant with daughter. I was just a girl. I wasn't scared to be with Hubby for the rest of my life, I wasn't even scared to make that promise. I was scared to start the rest of my life! I was scared at the endless possibilities of ways that we could totally mess up this whole thing, not to mention our unborn daughter's life! I was scared to meld our families together. I was scared to disappoint. I was scared to miss my goals and dreams. I was scared that I'd never be able to "do life" the way I wanted to. I was scared to be so in love that I was willing to take this leap.

Well, we got married, had a nice dinner and went on with life. Soon, that day in the chapel was just a memory, something that made us smile and laugh. It was our technical beginning, but did not feel that way. Hubby and I had already given our hearts and lives to one another long before that day in Vegas. That day was a marker, a milestone in our lives together. The day that we vowed in front of six people that we would love and support one another forever.


That's why this day is special to me. Not because of the memories that come flooding back when I sit down and look through our wedding album. We have eleven pictures in the album, so really, how much memory flooding can I expect? Not because it was such a picture perfect day and there were doves and violins and rows and rows of loved ones smiling. Not because we danced to our song or spent the next week in Tahiti. No, none of those things happened.

This day is special to me because five years ago today, I showed up to my wedding "slot" (we had twenty minutes and the other couples were already lined up for before and after us), scared and anxious, unsure of my future. I walked down a very short aisle, as a woman played a song that our dog had selected from a list the chapel emailed to us a few weeks earlier. It was barely the length of a hallway in my home and it felt like an eternity. The minister, or whatever he was, was cracking jokes with Hubby and I could barely make eye contact. When I finally did reach Hubby, we turned and faced each other (with instructions from Mr. funny guy aka minister) and he took my hands in his. He looked in my eyes and smiled and a little of my anxiety melted away.

This day is special because it marks five years that Hubby has been holding my hand as I have changed from a scared girl to a woman, wife and mother. I have a life to be envious of, a Hubby that loves me and holds me, protects me and helps me, guides me and calms me. He has calmed my fears and shown me a future together, one that I need not be fearful of. I am so thankful to married to this man, a man that loves me unconditionally, a man that presses on when life seems to come against us.

When I was unsure, he was confident. When I was anxious, he was calm. When I was afraid, he was not. When I felt I was walking this path alone, he took my hand and came beside me. He is my lover, best friend and soul mate, but also my strength and confidence.

Happy Anniversary Hubby

4 comments:

  1. Oh Debran! I had no idea any of that! Wow, thank you for sharing!! You are amazing and your marriage is an inspiration to me! Love you girl! Happy Anniversary!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ok... so... im totally teary eyed now! that was beautiful! happy anniversary to you! <3

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ohhhh De'Bran, I know you were scared. I felt it so clearly. Knowing you had your family to lean on no matter what, I know gave you strength. We are so thankful for Kenny and how well he has taken care of our daughter.. The "minister" at MGM was a goofball huh!

    ReplyDelete
  4. ah I clicked on this icon beneath todays post you did & I've never read this...Very sweet. Thinking of you today! Hope your little one arrives & we'll be seeing photos soon~
    XO

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...