Tag: marriage

What Started It All

stephaniemoorewrites

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.

I thought it be fun to share the beginnings of our family. And since I’m writing it, it’s my side of the story. Haha!

Lance and I were up at Northern Arizona University in the Fall of 1999. He was starting his masters in mathematics and I was a freshman.

We met at a pick up volleyball game one night. I wouldn’t say it was love at first sight for either of us. But when we’d go to our church building in the weeks to come, we’d bump into each other quite a bit.

Our true romance happened at the math building. We’re nerds!

I had an early morning class and Lance taught an early morning class. Not the same class! After my class I’d sit in the foyer and wait for my roommate to finish up her class. Lance and I would sit and talk everyday day that I was there.

It wasn’t long until we were on our first date. We went repelling as a little group. After we were done he said let’s go see a movie tonight.

And that was it.

There hasn’t been a day since that we haven’t talked to each other.

We met in August, got engaged in October, and got married January 7th.

It was a whirlwind.

Now, we’re 19 years into our romance.

We’re not quite the youngens from the pictures above anymore.

Sometimes when I look at pictures like these I think, oh guys, you have no idea what’s coming.

Love, happiness.

Grief, pain.

If you didn’t have one set, you wouldn’t understand or appreciate the other.

When we got married, we didn’t have a song. So we told the DJ just go ahead and pick one for us. Surprise us!

Big mistake. It was an awful Whitney Houston song. (Yeah, I didn’t know one of those existed either.)

A couple years later, we did decide on our song. Fools Rush In by Elvis Presley.

“Some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can’t help falling in love with you.”

Share love today. Give big hugs. Tell those close to you that you love them.

Today, doesn’t just have to be about chocolates and flowers.

Make it about loving those around you.

But chocolate never hurts.

Love you all! *big virtual hugs*

I Know Who I Married

stephaniemoorewrites

A couple months after Rory passed, I was reminded that many marriages, that experience a child loss, end with divorce.

I understand.

Life is hard for each individual person in our family. Lance and I each have a backpack filled with emotional boulders, disappointment rocks, and day to day rubble.

When life is already heavy, it sometimes feels impossible to take on someone else’s struggles.

But that’s key in a relationship.

But that also feels impossible.

I want to say, “I can’t take that on. I can’t deal with that right now.”

I have said it.

Until I can take a deep breath and look at my hubby.

The one I picked 19 years ago. And every day since.

The one that I’ve struggled infertility with.

The one I travel with.

The one that supports me in my goals.

The one that I had 4 kids with.

The one that provides for our family.

There’s a line in Hamilton, “I know who I married.”

It’s true, I know that man I married.

More importantly, I know the man that has stood by my side for 19 years.

I know the more amazing man he continues to become.

Our relationship is worth fighting for.

He’s worth far more than the extra weight that might get thrown my way every once in a while.