Seven Years Ago Today

Seven years ago today, on the edge of Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, in the dark of night and in the presence of only two other people, I married the love of my life! Our lives were crazy busy. I was a senior in college finishing my last spring semester and Jeff was going through BUDs Seal Training in San Diego. We were busy planning a big wedding for the following summer, when life had other ideas. I once stumbled upon a quote that has forever remained one of my favorites and it goes a little something like this: "Sometimes on the way to a dream, you get lost and find another one!" And boy has that been the story of our lives. With a growing baby Olivia inside we decided to scratch all of that and get married right then and there! No, I didn't have any of my family present, but it wasn't for them- it was for us. And what a celebration we were able to have five years later at our renewal of vows wedding... now that was perfect and not a tenth as stressful as things were getting the first time around. The time that Jeff and I were able to share in San Diego, as "just us" provided us with some of the best memories of our lives! And I wouldn't change a thing.
Yes, we have had a crazy long road to get to where we are today. In fact it's been all over the place- we've been through more in seven years than most people do in a lifetime. But you know what? Throughout it all, through every high and every low, we've had each other and our love has never changed! It's actually grown deeper. It's amazing. Powerful all on it's own.
So today I say thank you. Thank you to everyone who has been there on this amazing journey. Thank you to my adoring husband for his unwavering support and unconditional love.
Every year I think about posting this picture. It's the ONLY picture that we have of that day. Yes, the only. And no, it's not digital, it's a print. It's scratched all over and it has weathered many a storm (hello katrina), but it's perfect. That night, on sunset cliffs, my best friend Lindsey was there to marry us. (yes, for $50 in San Diego, you can get a "marriage commisioner for a day" certificate and you can marry people for that day under oath). So Lindsey married us and took photos by the light of a flashlight. And the film camera that we were using wasn't working well. It was so dark that it couldn't focus and the flash wouldn't work. Except on this one picture... the kiss after the I do's. I'll treasure it forever!