7 Years

I've been a little MIA from this whole blogging thing this week.  It was busy at both jobs and I've barely had time to catch my breath from a busy weekend.  But, today is an important day.  Today marks seven years that I've been married to my best friend.  Here's a little of our story.

Mark and I met at a home football game at our high school.  He was a sophomore in the marching band and I was a freshman on the dance team.  The dance team and the band sit together during most of the game and at this first game of the season Mark was chatting up my friend Lisa.  During their conversation, he spotted a girl on the dance team he thought was cute and asked if Lisa would bring her over so he could meet her.  Luckily, Lisa brought me over instead.  We spent the rest of the night talking and the next day I couldn't stop thinking about him.  Two weeks later at another football game he asked me to be his girlfriend.  We dated throughout high school and moved in together during college. 

On a high school trip out west--look how skinny Mark is!!

Prom

After we graduated from college we got jobs and decided it was time to look for a house.  I had gotten a teaching job in Springboro and it was an up and coming area so we looked there.  We decided on a house that was in the process of being built and we were set to close in November.  A few weeks before the closing, we learned my dad had cancer.  It was devastating news as my dad was only 51.  This was an incredibly stressful time in our lives.  We both had new jobs and I was going to school at night for my Master's degree.  We were building a house which came with a set of problems all it's own.  On the day we moved into the house, Mark proposed.  Now we added planning a wedding to the list of tasks we were trying to tackle.  Unfortunately, my dad lost his battle with cancer a few short months later in January. 

I took some time off from my job and focused on my Master's work and the wedding.  We got married in August and it was a bitter sweet time for us all.  Mark was a rock through everything.  Because we met so young, my dad had been like a dad to him too and his passing left a huge whole in all of our lives.  Slowly we healed and started our lives together as a married couple.

Our wedding in 2005--photo by Mark Garber at markgarber.com

 I finshed my degree and got a new job as a librarian and Mark started his own company.  Three years after we got married, we welcomed our first baby, Jack, into the world.  He arrived 10 weeks early and weighed only 3 lbs. 2 oz. at birth.  We were all scared for him, but he did amazingly well.  I can't help but think his Grandpa Richard was watching over him and us during that time.  Six weeks in the NICU and then Jack was home with us.  He's been a joy to have and I've loved watching him grow up.

July 18, 2008--The day we brought Jack home from the hospital at 6 weeks old.

Three weeks after Jack turned two his sister, Claire, was born.  She was also born early at 36 weeks, but faired much better and came home from the hospital with me.  The two of them are crazy kids, but I love having them both.

Mark with Claire at 1 day old--a proud papa.

Mark and I have been through a lot in the last seven years and he's always supported me in so many ways.  I can't imagine my life without him and our babies are so lucky to have such a wonderful father.  I certainly hit the jackpot with him.