Last month Jason and I celebrated 8 years of marriage. I mentioned it briefly on Facebook, but I want to take a minute and really tell you what our last 8 years have been like...
When we stood at the alter on that cold October afternoon, I had NO CLUE what the future held. Jason had been applying to medical school so I knew, or thought I knew, where that path would lead, but I never imagined it would lead here.
Medical school was tough, on him, on me and our marriage. Those first few years of marriage is when a couple really gets to know each other. Our first few years were strained. Long days of class and long nights of studying led to lots of stress and fights. We lived separate lives for a while. After Gavin was born Jason was on rotations away from home. Gavin and I saw him on weekends mostly. I also had post-partum depression. BUT we not only survived, we grew in our marriage. We put God first in our lives and our marriage, and He blessed so much. God gave us a GREAT church and AMAZING friends, who turned out to be more like family, who encouraged us and set godly examples of what marriage should be.
Upon graduation we moved from Tennessee to Florida.
Residency held promises of long hours and short weekends, both of which held true. Eli was a great addition to our family in January 2012, but even the joy of a new baby could not bring Jason out of what we call "the dark place." He struggled to connect with Eli because they never saw one another. Jason was overloaded and couldn't see the light at the end. And I again struggled with post-partum depression. Let us not forget about all of Eli's kidney issues and subsequent surgeries. During all these trials we had no family around to help alleviate any stress; but again our God showed us how much He loved and cared for us. He led us to another incredible church with amazing people.
(Oh we also had yet another baby, Holden, you think we would have some self control :)
Once residency came to an end we packed up and moved around the world to Okinawa, Japan.
So here we are 8 years later; 4 moves, 3 states, 2 countries and 3 kids. We have finally come to a place in our marriage where we can be married. I have joked for years that if added up all the time we actually spent together we have only been married about 3 years.
Eight years. Eight long but some how short years. I love Jason and respect him now more than I ever could have thought possible. I have and will continue to follow this man around the world. I am ready for many more adventures!
Upon graduation we moved from Tennessee to Florida.
Residency held promises of long hours and short weekends, both of which held true. Eli was a great addition to our family in January 2012, but even the joy of a new baby could not bring Jason out of what we call "the dark place." He struggled to connect with Eli because they never saw one another. Jason was overloaded and couldn't see the light at the end. And I again struggled with post-partum depression. Let us not forget about all of Eli's kidney issues and subsequent surgeries. During all these trials we had no family around to help alleviate any stress; but again our God showed us how much He loved and cared for us. He led us to another incredible church with amazing people.
(Oh we also had yet another baby, Holden, you think we would have some self control :)
Once residency came to an end we packed up and moved around the world to Okinawa, Japan.
So here we are 8 years later; 4 moves, 3 states, 2 countries and 3 kids. We have finally come to a place in our marriage where we can be married. I have joked for years that if added up all the time we actually spent together we have only been married about 3 years.
Eight years. Eight long but some how short years. I love Jason and respect him now more than I ever could have thought possible. I have and will continue to follow this man around the world. I am ready for many more adventures!
