Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Condensed Soup Love Story

It's hard to believe that I have known my husband since Sophomore year biology. He had Harry Potter glasses, and I had man shoulders and a glitter addiction. That makes it 15 years that I have known my husband. More than half my life. He was quiet, and I was an angry 15 year old. We didn't talk much at that point. Probably because of my complete hatred of all things at that school.

Senior year rolls around, and I decided Chem II sounded like a good idea. If it weren't for that illogical decision I don't know if Chad and I would be together. He had a girlfriend, and I had boyfriends, but he always walked me to second period. ALWAYS. I had such a big crush on him, but it seemed unobtainable.

We made out at "The Boot" in front of his girlfriend the summer after we graduated from high school.

He came to see me at Kent. Once. I kicked him out at 9 AM because my Dad was coming to take me to our monthly father daughter breakfast, and that would have been awkward.

I went to see him at OSU. I stared at him while he slept. I couldn't sleep due to the BLARING Radiohead music playing on his computer all night that he swore he wouldn't be able to sleep without it being on.

We talked online all the time.

He was still just out of my reach. Never fully able to commit.

I was driving on 43 when I got the phone call that he had joined the military. I didn't have the response he expected. I thought it wasn't a bad idea.

Then came the years in between. He wrote to me from boot camp. I still have those handwritten letters. How could I have been so blind? I didn't realize he was trying to tell me he had feelings for me.

He left for Iraq.

I got engaged.

I told him off a few times in between. I believe my words to him were "shit or get off the pot." When it came to us. I kept it classy.

He would call. I would blow him off. He would write, I would ignore it.

I was mad at him.

All those years.

My life had started to spiral out of control. I was in a horrible situation. I was worthless. I was useless. I was beat up. I was destroyed, and had succumbed to infinite chaos and turmoil.

His "last contact ever" email came around that time. He wanted me in his life. I couldn't understand why.  I tried to block out the letter and thought to myself he was too late.

I wrote him back a week later. I left my fiance. I took my dog, and packed my Honda as full as I could and left. That cliche "I never looked back" fits here.

February 11th will make 4 years clean. Chad helped to pull me from those depths.

A week before Chad came home on leave from Iraq, "to see where things went with us" he got shot. Sort of. He was caught in a fire fight, and a bullet went right thru the ear piece of his helmet.

When he came back for leave it was like a fairy tale. I never knew what love was until Chad. We've loved each other longer than either of us realized.

Our love doesn't give up. We are kind, and honest. We stop at nothing to be together, and we show compassion, understanding, and support in our everyday together. We watched each other grow up. I love spending our weekends grocery shopping, and laughing at little things. I love how we sit and watch Bones together at 7 PM.

Chad has taught me how to love myself.

Chad, today is our day. No one else can interfere. That was why we did it the way we did. This is a day to celebrate each other and the remarkable story we have together. Thank you for being you. Just the way you are. I love you.

Happy Anniversary.

1 comment:

  1. Awww, I love hearing your love story! And I appreciate how well-matched you seem, just from the way you talk about and to each other online. It's really lovely to see other people in love. :-)

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