Seven Years

Eight years ago, I went on a whale watching trip. It was incredible; it was a gorgeous August day, the scenery was breath taking and the wildlife was amazing (we saw not only whales, but a bald eagle as well). This whale watching trip was a date. My date was a boy who I enjoyed spending time with, but considered just a friend. We had known each other our whole lives, but never really noticed each other until this summer eight years ago. He was recently home from his mission, I was home from my freshman year of college. We started hanging out, but strongly denied that we were anything more than friends.

We even jokingly (but not really jokingly because it was true) called each other "back up date." If there was something going on that summer and we needed to bring someone to, we'd ask each other. We used the term "back up" because we both had interest in other people who were gone that summer.

That day on the whale watching trip, we spent the entire day together. We went on a double date with his sister The captain of this ship was my date's grandpa. "Captain Grandpa" as we called him went farther north then he usually would go (I think he really wanted his grandkids and their friends to see the whales) stretching the date into the evening.

I had never really been on a boat that small and started to feel queasy on the way out. My mom had sent me with some motion sickness medicine which I took. We went and sat down at a booth on the inside of the boat. We sat next to each other. RIGHT next to each other, probably too close for the just friends that we claimed to be. One of the side effects listed on the medicine was "drowsiness," but apparently drowsiness to my body was head in arms on the table and actually falling asleep. I found out later that while I was sleeping he had the impulse to put his arm around me. He wondered about what I would do if I woke up and it was there.

Things were changing

Exactly one year after that day, which was seven years ago (yesterday) I married that man forever and ever here:

In seven years we have

Graduated from college

Took first jobs

Changed jobs

Had two beautiful children

Lived in two apartments, a condo, and now a house

But they were all homes

Mountain biked to beautiful views

Hiked in the desert and in the dense forest

Biked over the Golden Gate Bridge

Traveled on foot over the Brooklyn

We have went on special dates

From paying for a "buy one get one free" pizza buffet with our money from our change jar

To seeing a show on Broadway

We ran a marathon together

And survived sleepless nights with crying children which have seemed ten times harder then running the marathon

There have been tears

But there have been many more smiles

We've said our shares of "I'm sorry's"

And a million "I love yous"

Seven years later, we are still going strong

And I look forward to seven times forever more years together