Happy Anniversary Larry!

I originally posted this in August of 2009, so the number of years listed here are incorrect. Today, 8/20/11, is our 17th anniversary! I thought I'd re-post this for those of you who haven't ever heard mine & Larry's story.



Today is mine & Larry's 15th wedding anniversary. I can hardly believe it's been that long. We dated for 2 years before we got married, so it's really been 17 years. I'll be 34 in a couple of months so I've literally been with the love of my life for 1/2 of my lifetime and I couldn't imagine it any other way.



Here's "our story" for those of you who've never heard it.

In April of 1992, I went to work for a local pizza place. It was my first "real" job. I was 16 1/2 & dating a guy who could be classified as not-so-good-for-me. We had been together for over a year which is like decades in teenager terms. A couple months later, we broke things off & I rebounded from that relationship into another one. A very sweet guy, but he wasn't "the one". Even so, I was devastated when he broke up with me.



Meanwhile, in May of 1992, Larry's long-time girlfriend broke up with him. He rebounded with a girl who could be classified as not-so-good-for-him. A couple months later, she dumped him & he was heartbroken. Do you see a similar pattern here?


As God would have it (I don't think anything belongs in the hands of fate...it's all God!) Larry moved to Tyler to attend Tyler Junior College & transferred from the pizza place in his hometown to the one where I was working. We were both involved in our rebound relationships at the time we met, but I can tell you one thing for sure. While we talked to each other frequently & compared notes about our then boy/girlfriends, my heart fluttered every time I talked to him. He was much more than a guy friend from the moment I met him. I know most people do not believe in love at first sight, and in theory I don't either....but with Larry, there was most definately SOMETHING at first sight. Maybe it wasn't love, but the immediate chemistry & warm fuzzies were absolutely there! I can tell you exactly where we were standing, what I was wearing, what we said...everything about the moment I first layed eyes on him.




Over the course of the first couple of months, we talked a lot, learned about each other & tried to play the part of a good friend to each other. That September when we both ended up single, we cried on each other's shoulders & wallowed in our new-found singlehood before we realized that there was something more going on between us.



On a Thursday in October of 1992, Larry came to work with an earring. He was in a new town & out of boredom, he went to the mall that day & got his ear pierced on a whim. That night, he approached me at work & asked me out for the first time. I think I lifted a few feet off the ground when I said yes...but I told him that my dad would never let us go out if he had the earring. Immediately, he pulled it out & stuck it in his pocket. He completely understood because he knew that his own dad wouldn't have approved either. I floated around all night long feeling giddy & silly. I don't think anyone could wipe the smile off my face that night. It wasn't until after I got home that evening that I realized I already had plans on Sunday afternoon--when he'd asked me to go to a movie with him. I had to call & cancel our date, but invited him to join my family & I that day. He agreed to come & sit where his left ear was turned away from my dad the whole time. Mom & dad fell in love with him right off the bat.


I could tell you a thousand stories of this beautiful, wonderful guy during those dating years. I could tell you about the sweet birthday flowers he gave me & our first kiss that same day. I could tell you about the day we told each other that we loved each other for the first time. I could share about how I knew he was "the one" by the 2nd or 3rd date or how we danced in the aisle to the closing credits of our first movie. I could tell you about the incredible gentleman he was all throughout our dating years and about the blissful honeymoon we spent together. I could tell you about our wedding and all the times we moved in those first few years we were married. I could tell you about how I fell more in love with him after each one of our kids' births, how romantic & precious he was to me during those labors & what an awesome daddy he is. I could tell you about the way he has loved me & forgiven me for being stupid at times, how he's supported me & encouraged me these past fifteen years. There is so much I could tell you about the amazing man I'm married to, but nothing would really capture the essence of who he is & how brilliantly compatible we are.











We've lived through so many things, so many hard times, so many trials & tribulations. All of those hard times have driven us closer together, strengthened us & solidified our marriage that much more. There is not a day that goes by when I don't realize how deeply blessed I am, how much God has given me in Larry.

I love you, Larry. Happy Anniversary, sweetheart.