8 years

Eight years ago today I married my best friend.

We met on a blind date on January 28, 2003.  Our older sisters knew each other and conspired to set us up(actually, my sister thought Carl should meet my little sister, not me...).  We met in Tacoma of all places.  I was working in Seattle and he was over there trying to figure out if he needed to leave the farm for a few years.

I didn't know from the first date that I had met my future husband, but I did know that for the first time in a REALLY long time I had met someone that I really, really wanted to get to know better.  By the fourth date we had both met each other's families... not because it got serious really fast but because our families are a big part of our lives.  We spent nearly every weekend together (since I was still working in Seattle and he was living in Eastern Washington).  I saw Carl around his nieces and nephews and with my nieces and began to fall in love. 

The anniversary of our first date found me in Dallas working.  I was pretty bummed because I was excited to celebrate with someone, who by this point I KNEW I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.  We had talked that morning and Carl told me that he planned a surprise dinner for me.  Even though we wouldn't be together, he had ordered dinner to be delivered to me at my hotel at 7 and he would be at home eating at the same time.  Sounds kind of corny maybe, but I thought it was a very sweet gesture.

At 7pm there was a knock on my door, but when I opened it I found Carl standing there.  I don't really clearly remember the next few minutes because my ears started buzzing... but he went down on one knee and told me that he wanted to spend every day for the rest of our lives together.

Five and a half months later, we said "I do"!!

Our priest made us memorize our vows.  At first we thought he was CRAZY... who wants the pressure of reciting memorized vows!!  But as we worked on memorizing them, it made us really think about what we were about to say to each other.  At our wedding, it was amazing at how much more intimate and strong it felt to speak our vows to each other without the voice of our priest in the middle of it. I remember my vows to this day and probably always will...

"I, Renee, take you Carl to be my husband.

I promise to be true to you

in good times and in bad,

in sickness and in health.

I will love you and honor you

all the days of my life"

Happy Anniversary Carl!