Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Thoughts of an 8 Year Long Roller-Coaster Ride

Dear Husband:
Our lives have been an absolute roller coaster of highs and lows, but as Grandma said in the movie "Parenthood:"

Grandma: You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster.
Gil: Oh?
Grandma: Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride!
Gil: What a great story (sarcastic).
Grandma: I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn't like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it.

Happy 8th Annivesary Husband.  In the past 10 years, here are some highs and lows of our courtship and marriage:

1) We met and became the best of friends.  I fell in love immediately, it took you a little longer.
2) On February 19th, 2001, you said you loved me for the first time
3) In June 2001, we moved to Florida and left our home, families and friends.  Exciting but difficult
4) Just after 9/11, I lost my job and was jobless for 4 months.
5) I received my first job in commercial real estate in February 2002
6) On June 15th, 2002, we were married in a gorgeous garden wedding in Kentucky with our friends and family as witnesses
7) On June 15th, 2003, we took our First Anniversary trip to St. Augustine
8) We bought our first house in March 2003
9) We adopted our furbaby, U.K. in May 2003
10) We bought our first boat in the summer of 2004
11) Also during that summer, we watched our child, our furbaby, go through heartworm treatment (his prior owners were not good owners).  It was absolutely heartbreaking.
12) In the summer of 2004, you started a new job as Director of Engineering for your division
13)  In Agust 2005, I started a new job as Director of Commercial Real Estate Asset Managment
14) In late 2005, we started trying for a baby
15) In  December 2005, March 2006 and again in June 2006, we suffered miscarriages, the last one at 12 weeks, which resulted in two DNC procedures within two weeks.
16) In June 2006, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroid disease, most likely the result of the miscarriages.
 
17) In October 2006, I received a job offer in Atlanta.  After weeks of contemplation, we decided not to go, with very heavy hearts.  You had job interviews as well.
18) Three weeks later, we found out we were pregnant.
19) You received your PE in February 2007
20) In July, two weeks before Lallie was born, you started a new job, continuing to move up in your field.  We also had major construction going on at our house.
21) Lallie was born on July 30th, 2007.
22) During maternity leave, I studied for my national licensing exam and flew to New Orleans in September, leaving you with Llallie, to take the exam.
23) In October 2007, I returned to work
24) In December 2007, I found out I passed the national exam.
25) In January 2008, we listed our house for sale.  Not one bite in 9 months.
26) In April 2008, I had the first of two heart cath procedures, trying to ablate heart issues diagnosed during pregnancy.  Both have been unsucessful.  I am now heavily medicated.
27) In January 2009, we replaced our kitchen and re-modeled our bathroom (in high gear I might add)!
28) In March 2009, we listed our house for sale again.  Our house sold in 3 weeks (with lots and lots of prayer) and bought our new house.
29) In July 2009, we moved to our new home.
30) This year, we are celebrating our 8th Annivesary and Lallie's third birthday!

I love the roller coaster ride, and I love going on the roller coaster ride with you. I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love you!  Happy Anniversary!


21 comments:

  1. Marriage is a roller coaster ride, that's for sure. Happy Anniversary! Congratulations on your marital success (not an easy thing these days)!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aw, this is one beautiful post, I love it. Happy, Happy Anniversary to yu!
    tp

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a wonderfully sweet post and an amazing look back at a wonderful life with your husband and daughter. Congratulations on celebrating 8 years of marriage together.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy Anniversary! What a sweet post!
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  5. I absolutely love your post....what sincere emotion and honesty! Congratulations on your roller coaster ride of a lifetime!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy Anniversary! I am so proud to have been with you from the moment you both said "I do." I love you and I love "husband" and I love Lallie. Here's to 8 more years! Congratulations and Rock on! GW

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a wonderful adventure-I hope my husband and I have a great story to tell 7 years from now!

    Thanks for sharing both life's ups and downs.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congratulations! I loved this post! What a beautiful little girl!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a wonderful roller coaster ride indeed!

    Happy anniversary to you both. Your hubby seems to be every bit as wonderful as you are. Lallie couldn't be any luckier. :)

    Enjoy your day and here's to many more fabulous roller coaster rides to come!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy Anniversary! Thank you for the trip down memory lane. JDD and I had our first real date on Feb. 19, 2001 (we were friends for a while before taking the plunge). I consider that the start of our relationship. And like you, I also have Hashimoto's and heart stuff.
    xo xo,
    Whitney

    P.S. You have the cutest family. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Happy Anniversary! Thank you for the trip down memory lane. JDD and I had our first official date (we were friends before) on Feb. 19, 2001. Another thing we have in common is Hashimoto's and heart stuff. I need two pill caddies to keep track of all my meds. :-)
    xo xo,
    Whitney
    P.S. Your family is just darling.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I nearly teared up reading this. Congrats on your anniversary!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow that was an amazing read. Happy Anniversary - wishing you much joy and happiness, today and everyday.

    ReplyDelete
  14. That is such a sweet story!! You sure have had many ups and downs, but I'm sure you love where it has ended up :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy Belated Anniversary! Sounds like everything is okay now!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Happy Belated anniversary!! I loved reading this - what a great timeline of your love!! :) And I had no clue about your heart issues. You are in my prayers and I hope that they get taken care of (for good, not by being heavily medicated - bc that is never good!) soon!! Sending you HUGS! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  17. Happy anniversary to you!! What a gorgeous bride you were. Lallie was such a cute little one with those curls. Wishing you many more years of joy and happiness!

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a great post! I love the way you did your recap! It really is about ALL the ups and downs. Those times are what define us and our relationships!

    Happy anniversary :)

    ReplyDelete