6 years!

Carl and I are celebrating 6 years of marriage today! It seems like just yesterday we were walking down the aisle at St. Mark's Episcopal Church without a clue about what we were getting ourselves into. Marriage is not always easy but it is always fun with Carl. He is the perfect husband for me and balances me out. No matter what happens, I wake up everyday knowing that I made the best choice for my husband and every night go to sleep knowing that he is still the best choice for me!

  We have lived in three houses, four if you count our corporate rental when we first moved to Nashville. I never would have imagined myself living in Nashville six years ago but here we are and we love it!  It's still hard to believe that we are the parents of a beautiful, spunky two year old little girl and soon to be the parents of a baby boy. So  much has changed in six years but the important things have stayed the same!

   Carl and I met through his Aunt Anne. I was a student teacher where she taught Kindergarten. She told me about her really cute nephew and I was a bit skeptical. Everyone seems to have a really cute nephew! Well, she was right - Aunt Anne really did have a cute nephew. He called me to tell me that he'd be in Charleston and would I like to meet him out for a drink. My trusty roommate, Krystal, went with me just in case he was crazy! We met at a local favorite, Salty Mikes, right on the water in Charleston. We had discussed what we were wearing so we could find each other. I spotted him right away on the patio and immediately turned around. He looked too wild to me and if you know me in real life then you know that I am a rule-follower and completely by the book. Carl is exactly the opposite which works out well for us in marriage. He is always willing to try new things and rock the boat so we complement each other very well.  Krystal urged me to at least go meet him. Nope, I started walking away into the parking lot in my bright pink dress. He saw me walking in that bright pink dress which makes it pretty difficult to hide. Krystal and I went out for pizza and I figured nothing was going to come of this little meeting. I had settled into my pj's when my phone rang - this was before cell phones were super popular so he called me at the sorority house to ask me why I ran away and to tell me that he was right outside. YIKES! I quickly put my pink dress back on and ran down the stairs to meet him. There is a 28 year old man standing in a den filled with 15 giggling sorority girls with his friend Ben. That took a lot of nerve right there! We headed outside and chatted for a bit. I liked him but was not so sure still since he seemed kinda old to me. I was only 22 so 28 seemed ancient. We parted ways exchanging email addresses and phone numbers and he told his friend, "that's the girl that I am going to marry." I did not exactly feel the same way but was a bit preoccupied with graduation only days away. He had always said he was going to marry a girl with dark hair, blue eyes that did not smoke. That's me!

We started emailing a lot and talked on the phone a few times a week. He lived in Raleigh and so did my best friend Candice. We saw each other a few times in May at his cousin Elissa's wedding (Aunt Anne's daughter) and at his friend Lee's house at Lake Wylie. We even met each other parents in May! I went to Raleigh for Candice's wedding in June but he could not go. I was too nervous to ask him and by the time I did he had plans to fly to Boston. Anyway, while I was in Raleigh for a week helping Candice, I decided that I really liked him! I told everyone that he was the greatest  and he still is! I was having major issues finding a teaching job in Charleston and took a job making $9,000 a year teaching at a preschool. My parents did not say anything but Carl asked me how in the world I was planning to live on that meager salary. I told him that I'd babysit. He had no idea how lucrative babysitting could be although that has certainly changed now that we are the ones paying the sitter! Carl told me there were tons of teaching jobs in Raleigh and he was right. I had three interviews in two days and was offered jobs at all three schools. So, I chased after him to Raleigh and it was the best yet craziest decision that I have ever made.  Long story short, I taught school and he worked in the corporate world and we dated for a few years. We always had fun and still do so here we are celebrating 6 years of marriage. He asked me to marry him December 23, 2004 and we got married June 11, 2005. It's been a fun ride and I look forward to seeing what the next chapter brings us.