You, Me, and Germany: our third anniversary + omg we're in paris! + picture pages

Three years.

One deployment.

Two homes.

Two continents.

Twelve countries for me.

Fourteen countries for Rich.

Two hemispheres.

A thousand selfies.

A few tears.

Way more laughs.

More fun than anyone else is allowed to know.

And two people who couldn’t be happier to do this life together.

We're celebrating this day in Paris right now. What?! Best. Husband. Ever.

I knew Rich's parents before I'd even met him. And he thinks it's hilarious that when I did finally meet him, I not-so-affectionately referred to him as a not-so-nice name. I'd immediately found him ridiculously handsome, incredibly intelligent, but for different reasons I just didn't have a high opinion of him. I know. I judged that book by its cover a little too quickly.

But let me tell you, over time he grew on me. I was going down a rocky road in my life, and although he couldn't rescue me from the middle of that dark spot, he did promise that he'd be waiting for me at the end of it.

And he was. With arms wide open.

Rich asked me to be his lady on the beach in the rain at St. Simon's Island, Georgia. He asked me to marry him at the top of Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas. He said since he'd asked me to be his girl at sea level, he wanted to ask me to be his wife on top of a mountain. Be still my heart.

When I woke up three years ago to get ready to say our vows in my parents' backyard, I remember thinking that I couldn’t possibly love Rich more than I did right then. But the surprise of marriage is that it just gets better. And better. And even better.

The garter I wore was the same one that Mom had worn on her wedding day, and I wore my great-grandmother's pearls. Mom knows I'm a crier--the hankie I carried was a piece of fabric that she had cut and sewed from my great-grandmother's dress. Rich's sweet mom, Melba, had given me a silver necklace of praying hands that had belonged to Rich's grandmother, and it hung from the front of my bouquet that was made with love by my (non-biological) Grandma.

Mom surprised me with a special ride down to the pond for Daddy and I! This beauty belongs to Mr. Sewell, my cousin's father, who also chauffeured us that day. Such a nice man. The ride was perfect!

I was so excited and nervous and happy as Daddy walked me down the aisle! The iPod had been playing while our guests were seated, and it died just as it was time to begin the ceremony. Deanne, my best friend from high school who was eight months pregnant and even more adorable than usual, gave me the choice to either let the iPod charge for a minute so I could have music for that walk I'd waited for all my life, or we could just get started without music. Without hesitation I told her I was ready to get married.

I may not have had music, but I did have my Daddy. I could hardly breathe I was so excited, and Daddy was afraid I was going to faint. He kept whispering, "Baby, don't pass out on me." On top of that, I was stepping on the bottom of my dress as we began walking through the grass. Since my gown was strapless, and stepping on the front would mean having everyone we know and love get a show they didn't RSVP for, I decided to kick up the front of the dress with every step I took. It became affectionately known as my Football Kick.

So, imagine me breathing in a weird and noticeably erratic way, kicking the front of my dress up with each step, and no music. If you were there, you remember. If you weren't there, I know what you're thinking. What a disaster. No way.

It was perfect. Before the ceremony, I did the "first look" with Daddy instead of with Rich. (I'm a traditional kinda gal. Didn't want him to see me before the wedding!) I gave Daddy a hankie that said, "Of all the walks we have ever taken, this one will always be my favorite. As you give me away today, just remember that I'll always be your little girl." Favorite walk together, indeed. Gah, I'm crying happy tears just typing this! (Oh, and Daddy still calls me "baby".)

The whole world disappeared when Rich took my hands in his. I didn't hear anything other than Preacher Dan's instructions, Rich's voice, and my own. No other movement, no other sounds. Just us. Mom said an ambulance had gone down the highway during our vows...I never heard the siren.

And after we'd exchanged rings and made our promises, I completely forgot we hadn't sealed the deal with that kiss! Ahhh the best part!! And so I kissed my husband, and he kissed his wife.

The reception flew by so fast! I remember standing there and looking around at all the faces. People had come from near and far to be there with us. Rich's family drove in from Oklahoma, and we had friends and family come in from Illinois, California, Michigan, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Ohio. We were literally surrounded by love and friendship. We'd waited for this day all our lives, and what a joy to have such support! There were those who were unable to make it to be with us, but we felt their love too.

And there were the ones who had gone on to another life, and we knew they were looking down on us from their places in Heaven, sending their well wishes and blessings.

Rich had reserved a room for a couple of nights at the Westin, our favorite hotel in downtown Atlanta. I used my time in the car wisely...I changed my relationship status on Facebook and updated my last name, duh.

First selfie as Mr. and Mrs., and check out that view!

The next day we drove up through North Georgia to North Carolina and enjoyed the beauty of waterfalls, mountains, and the pretty fall foliage that October affords. On our way back, we stopped by Dave and Buster's and played some Skee Ball and Big Buck Hunter. Perfection!

Tallulah Gorge, Georgia

Bridal Veil Falls, North Carolina

A couple of days later, Rich, Maggie, Ziggie, and I drove back to Texas, and we started our wild married life together. We stopped in Biloxi along the way, and Mags and Zigs enjoyed their very first walk on the beach!

Anyone who's been around us together knows what I mean when I say that we are weird. Like, that kind of weird that just works. And we absolutely wouldn't have it any other way.

I could go on and tell you how we have a perfect marriage. That every day is always perfect and we never fight. But I'm not going to lie.

What I will tell you is that marriage is work. The best thing you can do for each other, in my opinion, is master the art of forgiveness. Forgive daily. Forgive each other, and forgive yourself. Just empty those pockets at the end of the day and let the petty stuff go. Count your blessings and know that the person laying beside you is the greatest blessing God has given you. Then, thank Him for that person. You get out of it what you put into it. Put in half, you'll only get half back. Put all of yourself into it, then stand back and watch what happens. It's beautiful.

I can also tell you that marriage is always a work in progress. Do I love our relationship? Yup. Do we mess up sometimes? Oh, hell yes. That's when you just have to take inventory, see where things went wrong, and try to be mindful so that it doesn't happen again. You can't change the other person. But you can change your own attitude and your own reactions.

If you're not yet married, don't ever let anyone tell you that marriage isn't fun. Ours is silly. And messy. And loud. And littered with dropped popcorn and stacks of movies. We spend every day together. Every night together. We share a one-sink bathroom. We share one car. We share friends. We share a tiny German apartment. And you know the best part? We are best friends and we like being together all the time.

I've learned to look for love in places beyond words. Rich goes out of his way to plan trips for us, especially looking for sights and views and pieces of history to surprise me. I like to sporadically leave sticky notes on his side of the bathroom mirror. He doesn't complain that I watch the Golden Girls before bed every single night. I love to cook his favorite meals for him, even when it's 100 degrees outside and he wants chili again. (The man could eat chili or soup every day, even in the summer.) Rich always checks the weather before I go somewhere without him (my Mom pointed this one out to me). Sometimes feeling loved doesn't involve hearing words.

Lord knows, I am no expert on relationships. But I am more than thankful to have a relationship that makes me strive to be better. A better person. A better wife. A better friend. He makes me feel like I can do anything. And he makes me want to be better always, not because I'm not good enough but because he believes so much in me.

Marriage is amazing. Don't settle for anything less.

I'd like to send a big ol' thank you to those of you who shared in our day three years ago! To our parents, to our brothers and sisters in blood and in love, to our family, to our friends who feel like family, thank you for standing with us on that beautiful October afternoon.

To our parents in particular, thank you for providing us with such strong examples of what it means to stick together through thick or thin. Between my parents and Rich's parents, they have shared over 85 years of marriage. Let that sink in for a minute.

And to my husband…

Thank you for making me laugh till my stomach hurts. Thank you for dancing with me awkwardly in our house. Thanks for never making me question where your heart belongs. Thank you for not getting mad when I win at WWE Smackdown. Thanks for taking out the trash. Thank you for pulling the rusty screw out of my foot that time. Thanks for pretending not to notice how many bottles of shampoo are in the shower. Thank you for believing in me even when I have trouble believing in myself. Thanks for never making me watch Grindhouse. Thanks for singing to me in your Axl Rose voice. Thank you for carrying all the heavy groceries up the stairs without complaining. Thanks for sharing your love of history and travel and fun with me. And thank you for loving me the way that only you can do.

Happy third anniversary, Lovedude. I love you more than yesterday but not as much as tomorrow. Here's to a hundred more years.

To quote one of our favorite movies: "We'll always have Paris."

PS - You didn't really think I'd write a blog post and only include the few pictures above, did you??