Ten years ago this afternoon, my sweetie and I became boyfriend and girlfriend at the tender ages of 21 and 22. He, an undergrad historian and dishwasher by day, and playing in a nerd rock band by night, and me, an undecided undergrad (perpetually anticipating the creative writing major that was never visualized) who ate little but toast from the oven broiler, and as shy as I was, assisted with ballroom dance classes by night. He wooed me with cake, and with a patience that hasn’t faltered to this day.
Ten years later, he continues to be an academic, and I continue to wander and explore in an endless adventure to determine what it is that I would like to be when I grow up. Throughout the decade we have spent together, we have lived here and there, and traveled near and far, lived together and apart, thought we were broke only to find ourselves even more so (and oddly enough, happier too), experienced tragic losses and near misses, supported one another’s creative ventures, celebrated our own exchange of vows, and traded smaller, but more critical, vows…to continue to support one another’s independence, individuality, and to treat one another fairly and honestly.
And so, today, I fondly recall the shy girl who was embarrassed to wear her glasses in front of her boyfriend, not knowing that he loved the glasses more than anything, and the boy who continues to love her despite the fact that she has become more sarcastic than quiet and refuses to let go of any of her three toasters. I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else for a companion in this adventure, and I look forward to another decade of mis-adventures, unexpected turns, and pleasant surprises, always knowing I will be in the best of company.
(The above image is the first picture that was captured of us…I believe it was taken a week or so after we began dating. I never realized it was blurry, despite the ten years it has sat on my sweetie’s, and now our, dresser, until I went to scan it for this post.)
