Nine Years Ago

Nine years ago, I was just an innocent (hahaha!) highschooler hanging out with friends.

I had a girlfriend come over and spend the night one lovely weekend. Being January, it was pretty cold at night, but being Texas, the days were still lovely and warm.

My friend's boyfriend lived in the nicer neighborhood across the cow pasture. He tromped through it, guided by his best friend.

So soon enough, I had four people hanging out on my porch.

The gangly young man my friend's boyfriend brought along proceeded to eat our entire bag of potato chips. I was a bit put out. This was just another person who sat at *my* table, although he didn't quite classify as one of my minions. I didn't even know his name. We all just called him Stitch, for reasons now forgotten.

Dinner came around, and this tall goofball went and downed *eight* of my mom's homemade tacos. We had a laugh at him, and he answered with a huge grin and jokes to match ours. I realized he was a pretty good looking kid, if a bit awkward. He obviously had a sense of humor that could match up to mine.

They left, but come around 2am, were back, at my window. My girlfriend and I snuck out (don't forget, we were just innocent highschoolers...) and met up with them in a patch of woods, where there was an abandoned car we could sit on. It was cold, and "Stitch" lended me his jacket as we all hung around and chatted.

The rest, as they say, is history. We became inseparable.

The picture to the right is from our Highschool days.

We did everything together, although we were hindered by both sets of parents at times. We were hated by a small group, or maybe I was just hated, I'm not sure. I was pretty good at making enemies. We presided as King and Queen in our section of the cafeteria. I learned his real name, of course. Steven.

We had people, even teachers, tell us we did not make a good match up. And in some cases, our personality still clashes and struggles against each other's.

But nine years later, we prevail. We have been through hell and high water. We have suffered things that no one should, let along a young couple. We have made choices that were devastating, and live with them to this day.

We are strong.

Love is strong. It may not be perfect, and any fool who goes into a marriage thinking of unicorns, fairy tales, and a shining castle is in for a nasty surprise. No, you have to enter into it, or any relationship, with the knowledge that it is give and take, and not always equal. Sometimes you have to put aside yourself for another. But you also need to be able to trust the other to put themselves aside for you.

It's a tenuous balance that must be taken seriously. And that is why so many fail.

Nine years ago, a new chapter in my life started, one of the best ever. I look forward to continuing, one step at a time.