Photo by Natalie Schlegel
Today is a very meaningful day for me: the anniversary of my first date with my husband 2 yrs ago, and the anniversary of the day he proposed to me (last year). I cannot believe it’s only been 2 years since I left behind a life of restlessness and lonely nights, but I suppose it always feels like you’ve known each other forever when you are in love with the right person. And for us, that feeling is strong because we met when we were 10 years old and our shared history allows us to weave a common strand through both our pasts, even though we were never really a part of one another's lives before we dated.
On December 20, 2009 Alex came to pick me up for our first date. I was back in Connecticut for the holidays and we had spent months writing to each other daily. I had made plans with several other guys that week (after a long, self-imposed hiatus from dating;), but by the time I crawled into my little sister’s bed the night I landed on the east coast, I knew there was only one person I wanted to see.
Alex picked me up in the middle of a snowstorm. He had driven 2 hours from Southern Connecticut to see me, and that alone spoke volumes. I stood in the middle of the street wearing a bright orange jacket, acting as a beacon of light calling out to him from under a street light in the midst of the confusing streets surrounding my sister’s apartment building. When I opened the car door and stooped to climb inside, I saw Alex’s face for the first time since I was 17. I remember it now as a clap of thunder, the universe shifting into place as I sat down next to him. I will never forget the smile on his face at that moment. Within an hour, I knew I was already falling in love.
Exactly one year later, we decided to celebrate by going out to eat at the restaurant where we first said “I love you” (only 6 days after that first date). Alex was oddly quiet all day as we watched football and the falling snow, which tipped me off a little. When we got home from dinner he made me stand in the hallway outside our apartment door. As I stood there and 15 minutes ticked by, I began to float out of my body, knowing what was about to happen was going to be too surreal to experience from the ground. When I walked into the apartment all the lights were off and there was a candlelight path on the floor leading me through 4 rooms meant to represent the 4 chambers of Alex’s and my heart. Each room had a poem Alex had written lying on the floor surrounded by tealights. And at the end of the path I found Alex behind the final door, on one knee.
Tonight we will be celebrating this anniversary while on our honeymoon! Although we'll miss being in the snow because it reminds us of that amazing time in our history, I think we'll suffice with a tiki torch lit dinner, a stroll on the beach and dancing under the stars. I feel so blessed every day that I spend with this incredible man, and I will always be grateful for this day!
Night Snow by Mary V Fine Art Photography
Wee Round Ring Catchers by Miss Pottery
Love Without End Necklace by Luxe Adornments
Engagement Ornament by Chrissy Ann Ceramics
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