13 years...

(a photo from The beginning...we were not quite official until a few months after this photo, he was going to Sr. Prom with a 'friend' and I cut his hair the night before, I kinda scalped him, oops :P I was 19, a freshman in college, and he was 18)

So about a week ago I knew this anniversary was coming...but when the actual day rolled around, we both forgot until a close friend reminded me! But see, that is how our relationship is, it's no big deal. I am not a flowers and card kinda girl, I have always been low maintenance like that. We are not gift givers either for any holiday so really, it is no big deal. We can celebrate later when the kiddos go to sleep :) We rarely get sitters so we can go on a date..but I am thinking soon, regular date nights might be in order...

Anywho, 13 years ago we began dating. I met him one year earlier at K-mart, yep, I found my man at K-mart, blue light special as the story goes. We were both working there and our relationship started as a friendship and blossomed into a relationship. Honestly there was no clear day as to when we decided to make that change, but we knew it was around the 1st and decided the 1st would be easy to remember....ok, so maybe not :)

We did not get married until after I was pregnant with baby #2, and that anniversary is in August and it will be 5 years. We got hitched in a courthouse on a hot summer day when we lived in Charlottesville, VA. Although that was special and all, to me it was just paperwork and legalities and today is our true anniversary. Long story short I come from a family that has many divorcee's, including my parents who were both married three times!!...and a sister and two brothers who were divorced...yeah, lets just say I was not a fan of the institution of marriage, until I needed some insurance :P

No relationship is perfect, but ours is pretty darn near close. We RARELY argue and thankfully we are on the same page when it comes to lifestyle choices and parenting. He is my best friend and I could not imagine life without him.