A Daughter, A Sister, A Wife, A Best Friend

Growing up, I often wondered who I would end up marrying. I fell in love, lost love, and continued searching for love. In college, I conducted numerous 3-month experiments trying to find validity in love and hoping to discover its glory.

The trope of Western literature that is love at first sight is something that I grew up believing in. My father often told the story of how he met my mother. The story, in short, is that he saw her walking across a baseball field one day and knew at that moment, he would marry her. He then went home and told his mother he saw the girl he was going to spend the rest of his life with. This story has been confirmed by my grandmother. For me, I always felt I would someday experience this phenomenon. One February night after being denied by a now dear friend, I was able to meet this tiny, little, beauty from Tennessee. We exchanged hellos and went about our business, but something was there. I knew it. I called my father and said the exact phrase he once told his mother some years back.

Ben Harper once sang the following lyrics:

Waiting on an angel
One to carry me home
Hope you come to see me soon
Cause I don' t want to go alone
I don' t want to go alone

I no longer have to wait, because I found mine.

Today, I celebrate 3 wonderful married years with Lauren. We have spent the last 6 years getting to know each other and have witnessed much happiness, sadness, and challenges throughout that time. I was able to able to find love at first sight and I look forward to many more years with the stinker.

Below are a few glimpses of that January day, three years ago.