Last month, Teesh and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary!
Ten years ago on the 16th of July, I woke up before the sun and prepared myself to meet my man for a long-awaited ceremony at the altar. Surrounded by family and friends, we vowed to love each other always and honor God with our marriage. It was one of the most sacred, most longed-for, most awe-inspiring days of my life.
After nearly eight years of dating to get to this point, we both thought that the hardest seasons were behind us. Spoiler alert: we were wrong.
We have spent a decade realizing that it’s much easier to fight *with one another than *for one another; much more natural to think about how something effects *me instead of *him or us; much simpler to keep our heads down and grind until through each day instead of taking inventory of where we are and making necessary changes. A decade has passed, and we have cried more tears than we ever thought we would, screamed more harsh words than we ever imagined we would, been faced with tragedy that we weren’t sure we’d survive, offered more apologies than we ever dreamed we’d need to, and wrestled with more pride and self-preservation than we care to admit.
On the other side of the spectrum, however, we have, also, lived an exponentially fully life together. We dream together, laugh together, share secret looks and inside jokes that no one else knows about, try new things alongside of each other, and hold onto one another with a grip that says, “I’m always with you and for you, but I want you to be you — not who I want you to be.” we have crammed a whole heck of a lot into a single decade, and I’m proud / grateful / honored to keep building on top of the foundation we’ve laid.
Most days is a dance between where we instinctively wander and where we actually want to be, but the most beautiful song always plays as we dance. the melody is fun and upbeat with dramatic and steady bass lines that hold it together. The lyrics are always different depending on the season, but the chorus remains the same — as the waves are drawn to the shore over and over again, so, too, is our love like a magnet; though we could attempt to explain it with millions of words and stories, the truth is this: we are loved, and we have loved.
In honor of such a fun. special, and hard-earned milestone, we took a trip just the two of us and had the time of our lives. Our original plans were postponed because of the current state of the world, but we made the most of it and still ended up having the best little getaway. We hadn't been away for five nights alone together since our honeymoon, so this felt extra extra special. Since our international plans were thwarted, we decided on a location that was domestic but didn't feel that way. And because we'd never been to the gulf coast, we were extra excited to spend a few days in...Fort Walton Beach, FL! And OH, how dreamy it was. White sand and clear, emerald water. We were amazed!
We were the ultimate beach bums all week long! Sleeping in and then napping on the beach...a parent's dream. LOL! We flew Delta, rented a dream car, ate like a king and queen, and stayed at the Wyndham Garden Fort Walton hotel. We enjoyed a king suite while we were there, as well as complimentary beach umbrellas and chairs, complimentary parking, and a fun pool with a water slide. We totally lived our best life and loved every minute of it. The motto of our week was something along the lines of "top down, smiles on, worries down."
We ate breakfast in our suite, lunch on the beach, and dinner out. The restaurants we dined at (all of which we would absolutely revisit) were:
Those five days were absolutely unforgettable. We love vacationing / traveling with our kiddos, of course, but there is nothing else like spending time with each other, just the two of us. It’s always a good reminder that it will always be us, that dating your spouse should never end, annnnnd that beach naps can cure anything. We hope to bring our kiddos here to see this gorgeous place in the future, but we're glad we got to experience for the first time just the two of us. I don't think we'll wait another ten years before we go on another long, romantic date with each other! If we do, then I assure you that the circumstances were out of our control. LOL.
We saved the most thrilling experience for the last night, and it was something we'll carry with us always...literally. I have wanted Teesh and I to have symbolic tattoos for a long time, and after five years of consistent wearing down...it finally happened. OMG! I was so happy and giddy when we were getting them. They're small, sentimental, and the perfect reminder of our love and commitment to each other. We decided on waves because...
1) the ocean / coast is where we both enjoy ourselves the most,
2) the ocean is deep and wide, just like our love is,
3) we have been through and walked out of many storms together; even though the seas have raged (and will again) we believe that we will always endure, and
4) just as there is so much yet to discover about the sea even though we've studied it for years, the same is true of us: we're always discovering new things.
Cheers to us, Mr. Bargeron!
Always and forever.
"To me you are the wind and sunlight through the trees and all these heartbeats, soft and steady.”
-StoryPeople
