Tuesday, August 30, 2011

eight years ago


i knew him before facebook.

before the north american blackout. bush's second term. the last season of friends. love actually.

before janet had a wardrobe malfunction, martha went to prison, and ken won millions on jeopardy.

we sang along to stacy's mom and watched mystic river on the couch with my parents.

eight years have passed since that summer. that late august romance. that last first date. eight years of up-all-nights, throw my phone against the wall because i-miss-you-and-high-school-is-hard-without-you -and-why-do-i-hear-girls-in-the-background-are-there-girls-in-your-dorm? eight years of dates in cafeterias, in dining halls, in our kitchen. of bible reading and home brewing. of early morning greetings and front porch goodbyes.

we've climbed a waterfall together in jamaica, and fallen into bed at nine on a wednesday night. i've seen this man cry and i've seen a laugh rise from his gut so deep it cut off his breath. i've seen him on one knee. in a tux and blue collar.

and eight years ago today, i saw him on my doorstep. with a borrowed car and pressed shirt. and three years ago, i saw him at the alter.

and i declare, for all its hardships and trials, being in love is something more than spectacular. worth saving. keeping. remembering.

and on those nights when it seems like the darkness has won, worth calling him back for.

happy anniversary to the boy who always picked up.

41 comments:

Stephanie Shepherd said...

This is so, so sweet. Enjoy your special day together!

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Beautiful. Wishing you a lifetime of laughter and love.

Dee Paulino said...

people in love are adorable!

Happy anniversary, May this be the beginning of a great journey.

Dorothy A. said...

This made me jut out my lower lip and blink furiously. I hope one day I can come up with my own words to describe love as beautifully as you did.

katie [the bright life] said...

Happy three/eight years! What a sweet and heartfelt tribute. Xo, Katie

Yvonne said...

Sweet post :)

Steph said...

How sweet!

Happy Anniversary! Hope it's a great one.

elisabeth said...

happy anniversary!
mine's around the corner too...

i love this post.
so endearing.

♥elisabeth

Candice said...

Aww so beautiful! Happy Anniversary! :)

Lillian C said...

Awww, this is the sweetest post, Courtney! Happy Anniversary to you both :) It sounds like it's been eight wonderful years (minus the phone throwing :) But you need those moments to grow and mature!)
Cheers to many more years of love! :)

Gentri said...

This is the sweetest thing ever! So beautiful! Happy Anniversary!!!

Suz and Allan said...

This is beautifully put!

Off the Cuff said...

I'll add this one to my favorites. Happy Anniversary!

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary! Seeing you both so happy is one of the greatest blessings in our lives. We pray the Lord continues to bless you with a life full of unending joy, abounding peace, and everlasting love. We love you, Susan and Glenn

erika said...

When someone can write about their love and make another person tear up, it must be real. Yours is real.
Happy anniversary.

Janette said...

Love is so sweet! Happy Anniversary!

Anonymous said...

I can definitely relate for the most of it. It is worth it.

Amy @ AGirlCalledBeloved said...

If you wrote a book, I would probably be the first person in my city in line to read it. Your writing is beautiful and frequently makes me tear up. Just beautiful. What an amazing love you guys have!
Happy Anniversary!

Erika Lee @ A Tiny Rocket said...

awww congrats :) me and the hubs just celebrated 6 years of marriage. i always said my hubs is the boy who always chases after me :)

Anonymous said...

This makes me want to cry! I am happy for you guys and your wonderful journey of love!

kimbirdy said...

aw, i love this way of remembering your history together - before facebook, friends, stacy's mom. so funny and sweet! congrats you crazy kids. :)

Emily said...

oh my gosh too cute. Happy Anniversary! How great to remember all those special times and many more to come!

Amber said...

the you have for each other is always evident in your writing and it always puts a smile on my face

Claire said...

i love that you remember the first date. We celebrate our first date more then our wedding anniversary. 22 years ago he took me to the pub where i was too young to drink and he was driving so didnt drink either. Fluffy seat covers in the car and a pink panther hanging from the mirror :)

Blondie's Journal said...

Happy Anniversary to you and Robert. You are the perfect couple! :-)

XO,
Jane

Unknown said...

Happy anniversary girl! I loved that you looked back and mentioned what you met "before." Imagine, meeting someone before facebook! Ha!

Eleanor at Mirror Of My World said...

happy anniversary.... :)love is a truly wonderful powerful beautiful amazing thing and im so happy for you xx

jennifers comment above made me smile. i met my first love way before facebook... i remember creating his facebook lol were not together now though! xx

Michelle said...

So very well said.

sarah nicole said...

I'm all teary! Thank you for this beautiful post and happy anniversary to you two lovely people.

Make me want to pick up the phone and call my first love. : )

xo,

Sarah

Cara-Mia said...

How beautiful.

(By the way, your blog is definitely one of those blogs that makes me look forward to being married. So much.)

the southern hostess said...

So beautiful and so honest. Happy Anniversary you two!

gracelizabeth09 said...

This is the sweetest thing ever ^___^
Genuine romance is the greatest.
Also, I'm wearing one of the dresses I purchased from your etsy in my blog post here! http://mason-jar-memories.blogspot.com/2011/08/treasure-jar-giveaway.html in case you were interested :P

Have a great day!

Unknown said...

Another beautiful post to bring a tear or few to my eyes :)

Happy Anniversary :)

Unknown said...

My goodness, this is incredible! CONGRATULATIONS! And may you have many, many more years of amazingness together.

Stephanie said...

Congratulations. The pair of you seem completely deserving of the very best life has to offer. This was beautiful!

charla beth said...

the perfect amount of romance and raw, real-life honesty; simply perfect. <3

happy anniversary to you two. :) i hope you shared an incredible one.

McKinley {Haolepinos} said...

I love love!!! Congrats you two! PS Love Actually is one of my all time favorite movies. We watch it as a family every Christmas Eve!!! It is the best! I loved this post!

Holli said...

You two are so so perfect .... meant to be!!! Happy belated anniversary!

Unknown said...

Wonderful post. Happy Anniversary :)
The two of you are perfect for each other!

becky said...

That last line is so, so sublime. Oh, this made me teary. There is so much beauty here.

Anonymous said...

My google search of "kitschy motel" returned this picture http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--lT8Jm5ROMg/Tknj8UjjbuI/AAAAAAAAAwE/GgwLzHPNWL0/s640/numberthree.jpg and I browsed your blog for a second. This post brought a tear to my eye; its so beautifully written. Congratulations to both of you, and many more years of happiness!!

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