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4 Years

I probably seem a little bipolar of sorts going through highs and lows on here, but that's mostly because the times that are happiest (and saddest), I like to share. I don't care for putting on an air of perfection, because I'm not.

Tomorrow Jamey and I will be celebrating our 4 year anniversary. Has it really only been 4 years? I feel like we've already lived a lifetime together. And that's a good thing ;-)

We didn't really seem to have much of a chance when we first started dating. Eight months after our first date, Jamey moved me in to college in North Carolina and shortly after that, he boarded a plane for Japan. I was told by multiple people in college that it would never last, and we'd be better off ending it early to save heartbreak later. Somehow, we survived that year of saying good morning/good night twice a day, and spent the next summer together.

To make a long story short, we did manage to make it through the next 3 years long distance. In that time we endured the near-death of my father, my depression, Jamey's job loss, we had to sell our home, and right after I graduated, we moved to Ohio of all places.

Ohio. Ugh. Who moves TO Ohio? I said that more than once the first year we were here. ;)

We got married 5 months after I graduated, on October 2, 2010. Ten-to-ten (makes it easy for us to remember...and by us I mean Jamey...okay it's me).

One year later, we decided to celebrate our anniversary in Chicago, with a small detour 3 hours West to tell my family that we were expecting.

One year after that we were mourning the loss of our firstborn, and announcing that we were expecting again.

One year after that we had a 4 month old baby girl.

And here we are. Through job loss, the loss of our first baby, the gain of an amazing community in our church, and the raising of our daughter...we are here. Happy, in a town we love, a new home we love, people we love, and our God we love.

We've lived a lifetime of memories in 4 short years, and for that I am so grateful. Not everyone has experienced the grief that we have, but not everyone has experienced the joy we have either.

If four years can yield this much, I can hardly wait to see what God has in store for the rest of our lives. The ride is amazing. And I plan to keep my hands in the air and a smile on my face.

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