Saturday, August 20, 2011

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.




6 comments:

SandyL said...

Happy Anniversary! That was so sweet.... I love it when "young" people actually stick together and stay married and have things work out because a lot people think that young love never works out

Ruth said...

I read this whole post and I gotta tell you, I think I know what captivated Larry about you... It was those foot tall bangs!!! *grin*

What a delightful way to honor your anniversary and your husband!! Congratulations to both of you! Isn't it amazing to know that it just gets better and better?!!

Todd Wright said...

Great post! Thanks for telling your story.

Lisa@BlessedwithGrace said...

Ahhhhhh....that is so sweet. I enjoyed reading your story. Also... how is it you are so young. I feel old after that. Ha ha.

Amanda said...

Awwww, so sweet. But I already knew y'all were :) Happy Anniversary!

PS - I keep trying to picture Larry with an earring. But I just CAN'T!!! LOL.

Candice said...

Sweet story! Love the history in pictures.