LOVE

Sometimes I just can't believe where life has taken me.  Never in my wildest southern girl dreams would I have guessed this outcome.  Traveling the world with a Colorado boy.  My parents were wonderful role models, and they never pushed the idea that I had to get married one day, so I grew up with an indifferent attitude. 

I remember starting nursing school and being a nervous wreck on the very first day.  It was hard to believe that just about every student in the nursing class was in a relationship or already married.  We all made introductions and most classmates talked about their significant others.  I nervously talked about my ability to juggle.  It was a quality moment for sure.  I do remember seeing Aaron during the free breakfast hour.  I didn't dare eat a single bite for fear of stomach cramps, but thought the boy in the corner stuffing his mouth and his bag full of bagels was pretty shady.  How could anyone at Duke University lack such class?  That is what I thought.  Little did I know that I would fall madly in love with this bagel-stealing boy and that together we would journey the world.  Wow! 

We became friends early during the fall semester.  I got to know him through our good pal Amna.  I still thought he was quite shady sitting in the back of the classroom playing video games while I took impeccable notes.  We spent Thursday nights together filling our poor hungry bellies with wings and beer.  He would have us over to his house for dinner and really cheap wine parties.  Oh, he was such a nice guy, and I felt like I could tell him just about anything.   I loved hearing of his travel stories and being amazed that anyone could journey the world with a backpack and stay in hostels for more than a week.  During Christmas break he went to Finland, and I remember telling my Mom how much he meant to me as a friend.  When we met up again for winter semester he brought me the nicest gift of a bird themed wall hanging from Finland.  He didn't even mind that I had bird nerd tendencies.  Amazing!  I didn't know there were such men out there! 

And then Valentine's Day came around, which was always a little tough.  We had decided to get together as friends since everyone already had plans.  He wore his leather coat and I was in my best Mary Jane's, and he took me to a nice restaurant.  We sat down and the waiter explained the menu options.  Due to the special occasion there was a set menu with a price of seventy five dollars per person that included several courses and wine.  Poor Aaron, he just wasn't planning on spending this kind of money as a poor student.  He started thinking about Taco Bell as he gathered his belongings and put his suave leather coat back on.  That's when I immediately told the waiter that I would have the white wine.  Aaron was stuck and paid the bill, and that was the beginning of our relationship.  We discussed our feelings and decided to start dating.  The meal was superb.

Now, almost seven years later we are happily married and going strong.  Since that first date we have done so much together.  We graduated nursing school and struggled as new nurses together.  We journeyed to Kenya to volunteer and he proposed on an amazing evening in the African jungle.  Of course I said yes.  Since marrying we have become travel nurses and have followed each other across the United States.  We journeyed for six months across the world without killing one another, and we actually came home even stronger than before.  We have witnessed some of the most disgusting toilets around the globe, and he always eagerly listens to my horrifying squatting experiences with a smile.  We love to dine together and eat funky foods and drink fine wines as we talk about politics and world issues.  We adore beer.  I can't wait to see him when he comes home from work, and I love to hear about his day.  It breaks my heart to leave him in the mornings when he doesn't have to work and I do.  And at the same time we are fiercely independent.  We both know how important our alone time is to one another.  He loves his days to himself, and he never flinches when I have a girl day planned. 

Now I know that I make my marriage sound absolutely perfect, and it is far from that!  We are both stubborn and have quick tempers, which makes for some interesting times.  We can get awful mad at one another, and we both love to stomp around a bit.  But in the end we usually end up laughing about our disagreements and promising to remain pals.  Not sure why I wrote this post, but it just seems important to jot down.  I can't believe that our four year wedding anniversary will be this month.  Where has the time gone?  I guess that means we're having some wonderful times together!