Twelve years.

It’s about to get mushy, but real.
Because we have been married for 12 years.
TWELVE.

Feels like just yesterday...
but also like forever.
​
When Michael and I started our relationship, at 16 and 17 years old, we knew. There was no question. We had both actually known for a while, even though I tried to ignore it. Because at 13, knowing that someone is your soul mate is a little overwhelming.
And he wasn’t my type...
tall, handsome, good hair, muscle-y...
he was more tall, awkward, bowl-cut, scrawny.

But while he wasn’t my physical “type”, he was the only type there was for me. We were best friends and we knew we wanted to be together for the rest of our lives.
Dating was simply a formality. ​

We were supposed to get married in July of 2006. When Efton was born the August before, it was obvious that we were ready to just do this already. So we bumped things up by 7.5 months to December 30th. We would begin 2006 married, with all the toxicity of the previous year behind us.

I have this thing about the New Year. January 1st is a clean slate. It’s a fresh start. All negativity, all toxic relationships, anything that doesn’t serve us... it’s done. It doesn’t get to come into my new year.


So here we are 12 years later, about to start another new year!
We spent our anniversary together yesterday reminiscent of the dates we used to go on- good food, movie, etc. But the conversation has changed. Instead of cheer camp and youth group gossip over Jack In The Box and Mountain Dew at midnight, we talked about business plans and how we’re bringing him home from his 9-5 job this year over mimosas and brunch at Prasinos. Then we came home to let the dogs out and rearrange furniture before picking the kids up. Ha!

I’m not sure how we got to this strangely adult place or how in the world we’re sitting here on our couch with our SEVEN children. It’s NOTHING like the life I thought we’d have, the day we got married twelve years ago. However, I can promise you, there’s no where else I’d rather be right now... meal planning, in the middle of a reorganization/rearranging project, pushing hard on the last day of the month/year for our business, drinking coffee, watching our little ones play, cat piano music & Mario Cart serenading us in the background... unless I could do this on the beach.
That’s literally the only thing that could make this life better.
​More beach! #2018goals
#twelveyears