Shoes of Life: Nine Years. Or, We've Come a Long Way Baby.

**In this post I will be waxing poetic about my husband. If you would rather puke, come back another day. Consider yourself warned. :) Oh, and our anniversary is actually tomorrow May 22, but you know, I'm early.**

Well, we've come a long way baby.

I think about us, standing on that stage in that church, and can I be honest? I laugh. Oh, how I laugh.

Remember that moment? Remember how we stared all googley-eyed at one another and thought nothing would ever shake our love? Remember how we believed that somehow we would make it through unscathed and the world would be a bright and beautiful place at all times? Oh, the starry eyed goodness of young (and let's be honest, stupid) love.

Nine years later, I laugh at those poor kids who had absolutely no idea what they were getting into. At the same time, I'm glad we didn't know. The world is a better place because we are together, I think. I am a better person because of it, and I would venture to say that you are too. I am glad we didn't know what was coming in that moment, on that stage, in front of friends and family. I am glad, as we spoke our vows, that we had absolutely no idea what forever actually meant.

As a 20 year old, if I had known the future, I probably would have run away. You probably would have as well, I'm guessing. How grand is it that we didn't know what the future held?

Last year, our anniversary embarked on a time when we were in major transition - getting ready to move back to Iowa. We thought we were stressed, huh? Ha, ha, ha. We didn't know anything, right?

This ninth year of marriage has been a doozey. A head scratcher. A hum-dinger. Worthy of curse words that pour forth like rain, I tell you. A fire, a move, 2 new jobs, family close by (with all the good and the bad that this brings), friends to see, people to catch up with, and an entire existence to rebuild.

We have certainly gotten angry with one another this year. We have loved each other through hell and back this year. We have looked at each other across the room and smirked knowingly this year. We have wondered what the crap we were thinking moving back to Iowa this year. We have sat and stared at the computer screen a lot this year. We have thought the other person was crazy for thinking that this or that 'just has' to be replaced. We have cried together, we have laughed, we have held one another and wondered how we were going to keep trudging through. We have talked and talked and talked about this next phase of our life, wondering what our next steps on this road together should be.

And yet, here we are. We are still standing. I can't believe it, sometimes, that we still like each other after all of this. Even more than that, we're still in love. The love today just looks so different. When we look at each other these days, there isn't googley-eyes and perfect expectations. There is the reality of two full time jobs, school debt, and dishes to do. There is the reality of life now in our glances. The truth of what it means to be together for the long haul.

I like the 'now' much better than the 'then'. I do wish that maybe some of this junk wouldn't have happened to us. I don't look back on our struggles and give thanks, not at all. I still really hate that blasted fire. But if there is anyone on this earth to walk this road with, I'm glad I'm walking with you.

Thank you, dearest friend, for standing by my side for nine years and never wavering in your commitment to me. I love you with all that I am, and I promise to be here standing next to you, whatever comes our way.