I remember the day I first starting talking to Brett like it was just yesterday. I was at my friend’s house after a marching band rehearsal when another friend said she wanted to introduce me to a guy she knew. She gave him my number and we talked constantly for days before meeting for our first date. I’m sure people thought I was crazy at the time but here we are a decade later.

I was 17 when we first started dating and was so immature even though I thought I had it all figured out. I wanted a partner who I could have a life with. I wanted someone to put me first and to be there when I needed someone. Brett became one of the most stable people in my life. He introduced me to his family and friends, came to my band concerts, and took me on so many dates. Looking back now on all of our highs and lows I’m proud of us and how far we have come.

This past year has probably been one of the hardest for us. We work different schedules and don’t get to spend much time together which is really hard for me. I miss eating dinner with him, going for walks, and watching tv together. I miss telling him goodnight before I go to bed. I hate sleeping alone and hate kissing his head goodbye in the morning because I don’t want to wake him up after he gets home from work late.

We’ve had another big challenge this year that hit us pretty hard and we’ve had to work together to figure out our next steps. We had big plans this year and started to lose hope that we’d ever reach our goals. We’ve blamed each other when it’s no ones fault, we’ve had to pick each other up when one of us loses faith, and we’ve had to become even stronger in our relationship to make it through all of these challenges.

10 years is a very long time to be with someone. Brett has loved me on some of the hardest days of my life and has never given up on me. This year he has held me while I’ve fallen apart and then picked me up and put me back together again. He does this not because I’m not strong enough to put myself together alone, but because he cares about me and takes care of me when I need it.

Our marriage isn’t perfect but four years ago we vowed to never give up on each other. I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years bring!

Also, since I know this is super confusing, Brett and I started dating on August 19th, 2011 and got married on August 19th, 2017. So today marks our 4th year of marriage but our 10th year together. I’m pretty happy our anniversary dates ended up like this because it’s easy to remember and celebrate both!