10 Years and Counting

Our Wedding
Feb 2003

Ten years ago, James and I were married in a beautiful afternoon ceremony that was shared with a few loved ones. Honestly, most of the day is a blur though a few moments stand out. I recall mom and I hugging and crying and my veil getting caught in her glasses which caused us to laugh. I remember all the dancing, including my parents performing some wild moves. Patricia, James' mom, giving a heart-touching toast about her bachelor son. James and I starving but only managing to eat a slice of cake until after the reception when we snuck away to Red Lobster.

This past week, James and I have been a bit introspective as we looked through our wedding albums. It should come to no surprise that I own three albums. We've had several email discussions about the past ten years and our marriage.

Anniversary in New Zealand
Feb 2007

Most of the time, James does not care to discuss his feelings. When he proposed and in the subsequent years, he has regularly remarked that we work as a couple because of our camaraderie. So it was shocking this week, when he has repeatedly moved me to tears with the emotion and sentimentality in his emails.

Vacation in NYC
Nov 2009

The one that amazed me the most was his recollection of a conversation with my mother:

Your mother told me this on our wedding day, and I knew it was true from the moment she said it.  It was just a fact that hadn't been stated.  "She's more than she realizes and I hope she can see in herself the confidence and beauty I see in her, and I hope you can see it also."

Thanks to James, I've had the chance to accept myself, faults and all, because this amazing guy saw all those faults and accepted me anyways. He's given me the space to take chances and test myself, while providing the loving reassurances to keep me grounded. He's gone so far as to encourage some of my adventures such as moving to Indiana. 

Dinner with friends
 Aug 2011

I can't encompass a decades worth of memories in one blog post but I can unequivocally state that I hope the next ten are as exciting as the first. Though I am amazed by the person that I have become thanks to his love and support, I am surprised daily at the dynamic between us and the life we've built together.