The Story of Us

10 years ago I don't remember much, but I'm sure I was getting ready to marry the man of my dreams. Actually in all likelihood, I was sitting at my Mom's kitchen wrapping little blue ribbons around the ceremony programs and bagging Hershey kisses in blue cellophane with my sister and my bestie.

It had been a crazy 5 months since the day we met back in February at a singles potluck at his house. I remember it like it was yesterday. I walked in to this little shack, and there was a woman getting something out of the oven. I asked where Steve was, knowing that it was his house, and she replied, "in the shower". I thought, what kind of guy is he? But then out he came and I loved the way his hair curled up from under his Rider hat instantly. He looked rugged. I like rugged.

That night he opened up and said more about himself than I had to anyone in over a year. I liked his openness. I loved the relationship he had with God. I liked his Landcruiser.

I couldn't stop thinking about him. I'd drive by his house and offer to walk his dog. We'd talk on the phone (I hate talking on the phone). We'd play endless games of Rummy while listening to our favourite band (which we just happened to have in common - Third Day!) We'd go for hikes, where he'd easily traverse logs suspended across rivers, while I blankly stared after him...for numerous reasons.

Those first few weeks of hanging out, I had never felt so content in my life.

Then comes March, and we're sitting on the side of a hill having a weiner roast and I honestly forget who asked who, but it was basically a question of: so you wanna get married?

His best friend came up to interview me and make sure I was "safe". We met each other's parents in April and away we went, planning a simple, cozy and warm wedding surrounded by our closest friends and family.

I'll admit that first year was really rough. Meeting and getting married in 5 months is not for everyone. But somehow, with God's help, we've managed to get thru the last 10 years wearing flying colours. And I love him way more today then I did back then. To quote the corny line from Jerry McGuire, he completes me. And I couldn't imagine anyone else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with.

So here's to the last 10 years, and many more to come!

I love you babe. Happy 10th Anniversary.

far away, yet too close

Sometimes I wonder if we had been posted further away, would we still feel the pressure to always go back and visit family and friends? And why do we always do the visiting?

A few months ago when the weather was still really bad, I was planning a trip back to Sk to visit family. The day before I remember it snowing and phoning my folks and saying, 'ya know...I just don't know if we should still come?' To which I remember my Mother saying something like, 'you can do it. Just take your time.' And then I think back to around Christmas when they were all s'posed to come here and the weather was bad again, and she was ready to call the whole trip off. What? 3 adults in a vehicle and you're ready to call the trip off, but when it's me, JUST ME, and my 4 kids, I'm s'posed to just drive slow!?! Does that even make sense?

Fast forward now to the present and we're planning our summer holidays. Who knew they could be so stressful. Everyone wants a piece of us, or I should say Steve (apparently his family thinks I'm a bee-atch) and so we're looking at 4 or more trips back to Sk. And with gas prices as high as they are, each one of those trips will avg $200. That's not even including doing stuff while we're there!

But what infuriates me (and this bugged me when we lived 1.5 hrs and 4 hrs away) is that no-one will come visit us b'cos there's "nothing here". Excuse me? WE ARE HERE! Is it not good enough that we are here? Must there be something else to see and do?

So at this point, Steve and I are both getting headaches whenever we even think of summer. Which I'm pretty sure is NOT s'posed to happen. And we just want to stay home. Which at this point, sounds like a pretty good idea.