Nine Years
Nine is a random number...but I like it because it is almost 10. And 10 feels like a good, even number...a big number when measured in years. Anyway...nine years ago we walked down the aisle. Feels like yesterday...and yet it feels like a lifetime ago. Jonathan and I had the privelege of spending the weekend together without our three lively, wonderful children (thank you Grandma and Grandpa!). At one point we were hysterically laughing together about the risks we took to move here from Detriot...and how desperate we were to make it work. We even entertained the idea of buying a rental property that had three "apartments" in the same house, and living in one of them. I remember when we went to look at the property...there was an old drunk guy on the "porch" (which was a few planks of wood sinking into the ground) and a woman still sitting in her bed (we had to walk through their "apartments" to get a feel for the place), that looked as though she hadn't showered in a week. The "apartment" we were going to live in was upstairs and it didn't have a bathtub, just a nasty, nasty standup shower unit. Jon assured me that he could put a tub in so I could bath Landon (who was a little under a year at this point). If you could have only seen this place. It was a great idea in theory, but this was NOT the place to have our kid (s) living. We went on to recount other hilarious stories...like the repossessed house we looked at that the realtor said was "shocking" (in a bad way), and it was. Not only that, but I think someone was murdered on that street. But it was all we could afford at the time. We took one step into that house and I literally flew back out. That place should have been demolished. Maybe it was.
Anyway...we were laughing over these hilarious memories. Our early years were a little rough, but looking back, they were so much more adventurous and exciting. Maybe bc of the uncertainty surrounding it all. I wouldn't want to go back...but I do love to recall the memories. I still love how determined Jonathan was to get us out of Detroit. There have only been two things I have really, truly wanted in our marriage and that was one of them. And he risked everything to make it happen. We also reminisced about teh day we decided together that we were indeed leaving Detroit. We had gone to see the Notebook and we were sitting outside on a beautiful summer evening after the movie when we mutually agreed...that was it. We were doing this.
Some decisions define life. That was one of them. And I am so thankful to live where we live. It has affected almost every aspect of our family life: my ability to go to grad school, our kids relationships, school choices, church choices, Jonathan's job, it moved us closer to family and many friends ended up migrating to Western Michigan too. We eventually bought our house (and no shady people hang out on or porch and I am happy to announce that we DO have a tub), and life has been set in motion. And time keeps trucking on...and with each passing year, I remember fondly the things that have happened previously. And I like remembering. Even the tough things. The difficult memories. Because, through everything...the good, the bad, the uncertain, the painful, the frustrating, the joy....we did it together. And the joy is in the journey...right. Marriage is ALL about the journey.
And I am so glad to be on this journey with Jonathan.
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