Today is mine and Joel's first wedding anniversary. Just a year ago today, we woke up knowing soon our lives would be changed forever after saying, "I do." I can't believe how fast our first year of marriage went. The day feels as if it were just yesterday, but I feel like Joel has just always been a part of my life. I can't imagine life without him. Life is just better with him by my side. He has been my shoulder to cry on when times have been tough, and my best friend to laugh with on the best days. Our wedding day was amazing. When I woke up, I was filled with joy and could not wait to marry Joel and become his wife and him my husband. My excitement level was through the roof. We were surrounded by people who loved us and were so excited for us. It was just the best feeling to have everyone there to celebrate us. It was the biggest and most exciting day of my life! In celebration of our FIRST anniversary, I wanted to share a blog post about our story. So to give you an idea of where we were before we got to know each other, I was a freshman at North Dakota State University in Fargo and Joel was a junior at the University of Minnesota in Duluth. We actually went to high school together back in the day, but since we were a few years apart, we never really got the chance to know each other. Joel claims that I messaged him a few times on Facebook in middle school and just said "Hi"....What a creep, right?! I don't recall doing this, but am not surprised at all because my friends and I were pretty boy crazy back then! ;) ....It must have been love from the start! ;) Anyways....It was 2015 and I was home from school for my Thanksgiving break and on Saturday, November 28th, my family had family pictures in the morning and then later on, my mom and I had a baby shower to go to. One of my mom's friends had a daughter who lived in Fargo. She was looking for a babysitter/nanny for after she had the baby and since I was going to school in Fargo, we had connected and she had sent an invitation to her shower. TURNS OUT.... the cute guy in the photos below was at the shower outside directing people where to park. He ended up saying hi to me and to my surprise, knew who I was! It had been a while since high school, so I didn't know if he'd really recognize me or not. Anyways....he turned out to be the future uncle. As you can see in the photos below, we both took part in the photo booth and onesie decorations at the shower. I even talked to one of his grandmas and we talked about Dr. Spock and what it was like raising babies back in their time. They told me all about Dr. Spock and all of his tips and tricks. They were the sweetest! Little did I know, they would one day become my family! When my mom and I left, Joel and I said bye to each other and then a few days later, ended up connecting on social media. After connecting, we went on our first date December 19th when we were both back home for Christmas break. For our first date, Joel picked me up from my parents house and I was SO nervous. I looked through the window and saw he was just getting out of the car to come get me from the door, so I quickly ran out. We ended up going to Applebees for dinner in Willmar and had a great time getting to know each other more. I think we were both a little bit nervous, but never ran out of things to talk about. I thought he was so sweet and nice! After dinner, I told him that we should go and see "Celebrate The Light" (a beautiful light show a family puts on just outside of Willmar). Neither of us recognized the address, so I popped it into my phone's GPS and we ended up going in circles around a neighborhood a bunch times....we both were laughing pretty hard! We finally figured it out and made it there! The lights were so pretty and it was amazing seeing how hard the family worked to display the light festival. The photo below is from that night... It doesn't do justice to show how many lights there were, but it's a fun memory to have this photo from our first date. :) My feelings were overwhelmingly strong after our first date and I could not stop thinking about him. I really wanted to get to know him more. After our first date, I couldn't wait until the next time I got to see him! Joel spent Christmas in Fargo since the baby was expected to arrive soon and I spent Christmas with my family at my parents' in Litchfield. Here was the picture he sent me on Christmas Day. Sweet little Charlotte had arrived! And dang... I thought he looked good holding that sweet bundle ;) We went on a few more dates after Christmas and I really felt something between us. I was thinking about him non stop and was experiencing feelings that I had never experienced before! For my 19th birthday, (New Years Eve), I invited Joel to come with my family and I to the cities to celebrate. First, we stopped and got coffee and then we headed to Edina to do some shopping at The Galleria. Later on, we went to Dave and Busters and had dinner and then played a few games there at the arcade. It was so much fun! I felt like a kid again and it was fun to see Joel's fun/silly side. We sure had a lot of fun together!
We got home from Dave and Busters around 10 or so and neither of us had plans to celebrate the New Year, so Joel asked if I wanted to go sledding at Darwin Hill. It was so spontaneous but SO much fun! We climbed to the top and slid down a few times until Joel wiped out at the bottom pretty hard...HA! But he was okay. :) After the wipe out, we just laid in the snow under the stars and chatted. It was really romantic and something I'll remember forever! That was the night where we became an "official couple." Fast forward over 2 years later, we have been married for an entire year! Joel and I are SO happy with our new life together. Oh and Charlotte made me a first time auntie and was also was one of our flower girls!! Little did I know, she wasn't just going to be the little girl I babysat.... :)
0 Comments
Today is March 21st, which happens to be World Down Syndrome Day. This day is important to me because I have been blessed to have an extremely close friendship with my wonderful friend Amy, who was born with Down Syndrome. Having Amy in my life has changed my overall outlook on life in general and has taught me so much! I am so lucky to have Amy as my friend and I can't imagine life without her! She lifts me up whenever I'm with her and always makes me laugh and smile. Amy and I have known each other since Kindergarten and have been friends since then. She's like a sister to me. Over the years, we have made so many fun memories together. Memories I'll always cherish! Four wheeler rides at her house, football games, dance parties, pool parties, concerts, and so many laughs shared together....Amy has amazed me through all she has accomplished. In high school, she played the drums in band, was on the swim team, was a member of FCCLA (a school leadership club), participated in Special Olympics, went to prom, and so much more... Amy was involved in just about everything her friends were in high school.
I am so thankful that Amy's family was so open and determined for Amy to be involved in our community and school. It not only greatly impacted Amy's life, but so many others as well. Anyone who gets to have Amy as a friend is SO lucky! Amy was crowned Homecoming Queen our senior year of high school and battled Lyme Disease during our senior year as well. She is one amazing, strong, brave, girl! Even after graduating high school, she is still a busy girl, working and helping out around our community. Throughout my 21 years of life, Amy has been there for me through many of the ups and downs. She stood by me as one of my bridesmaids while I said "I do" on my wedding day, graduated high school with me, and she was there to wipe my tears and give me one of her sweet hugs at my Grandma Judy's funeral just a few months ago, in January. I always remind her that she is SUCH a great, loving, friend. When I look at Amy, I see my friend Amy, I don't see her for her extra chromosome. I am so thankful and lucky to be blessed with her as my friend. Amy is loved and cherished by so many people. She is a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, but most importantly to me, she is who I call my best friend. I wouldn't be the same person I am today if it weren't for this girl. One thing Amy says a lot is, "just be happy, okay?" And this reminds me to be happy and grateful for everything I am blessed to have in my life each day. Amy, I love you so much. You have taught me more about life than I could ever put in words. "Best friends forever!" as you would say! Join me in celebrating World Down Syndrome Day to raise awareness! Rock your fun, mismatched socks to celebrate the things that makes us unique! .....Check out Amy's mom, Barb's, blog here if you'd like to hear more about Amy's story and Barb's book, "Chosen for this Gift." |