9 years...!

9 years ago today, Bech and I went on our first date!

I had actually met him almost two weeks before.  He came to Millsaps Christian Fellowship (basically RUF, but Millsaps doesn't allow RUF).  He had dropped out of Ole Miss and was back home for a year.  He had worked at Timberlake, a summer camp, with two of my MCF friends and they invited him to come.  I was the greeter.  I thought he was cute, with his v neck white shirt, chacos, and beard.  

We saw each other two more times at MCF events.  In fact, at one, we got in a friend argument about gender roles in dating (I was such a know it all).  And then on a Sunday afternoon, he called and asked me out to lunch the next day.

One of our first pictures.  I know I look like a hot mess, but I've always loved this pictures of us.  Bech came down to help with the annual Braden family tree decorating night. Christmas 2004

We went to Kiefer's downtown, and he barely touched his food because of nerves.  

It took a while until we were official (maybe two months), but he was pretty crazy about me from the beginning (he would agree).  I wasn't so sure, which was weird for me.  I dated a lot in high school and in my freshman year, and I usually was pretty crazy about my current boyfriends from the get go.  But Bech was an enigma to me.  He wasn't the type of guy I always planned on falling for, but I liked him a lot.

Spring break 2005.  We had been dating for 6 months and we took Ansley down to Florida to see my grandparents.  

AKA the birth of TEAM CIVIC

Actually when he asked me to be his girlfriend on a Thursday night, I was prepared to tell him no, that I needed more time.  But if you have ever met my husband, you know that he is super wordy.  So he never stopped talking long enough for me to tell him this.  When he finally was quiet, after seriously 3 hours, all I could say was yes!

That weekend we went up to Ole Miss with some people.  I was spending the night with a friend, and ended up wanting to spend that Saturday with Bech instead.  That's when I realized I was crazy about him too (and glad I had kind of said yes on Thursday night)!

At my friend and roommates debutante ball on the coast, Christmas 2004

From then on, we were pretty inseparable.  When Bech decided to go back to Ole Miss the next fall, I transferred there.  I definitely missed Millsaps and often I wish that I could have graduated from there.  But at the end of the day, I didn't (and still don't!) want to risk our relationship.

On our two year anniversary (so 7 years ago), Bech proposed to me, and we were married a year and 2 days later.

Since then we've lived in Oxford, Malawi, Jackson, Vermont, Baton Rouge, and now Pennsylvania.  We have laughed and cried and fought and made up.  We have had so many adventures together, and I love having him as my partner in life and my co parent.  He's pretty incredible.

That same spring break trip, at Disney World.

Happy Anniversary, Bech.  I wouldn't want to dance in the minefields with anyone else!

"So when I lose my way, find me
When I loose love's chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith, till the end of all my days
When I forget my name, remind me

'Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there's nothing left to fear
So I'll walk with you in the shadowlands
Till the shadows disappear

'Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, baby,
I can dance with you."

Memories...

When we moved to Vermont almost two years ago, we brought pretty much everything we owned.  We didn't know if we would be coming back down South anytime soon, so everything came with us!  

Including my "box of memories."  Bech thinks this box is the weirdest/funniest concept.  But I just have all of my childhood (or even teen or college) special objects in it.  In the packing process, I pulled this out of the storage closet and decided to go through it, see if anything could be thrown out.

I have admitted on here my memory hoarding before (2nd grade perfume, anyone?), but I now realize I am also a "memory" items hoarder.

The proof:  the inside of my memory box.

All those papers?  Oh, you know, just EVERY letter Bech wrote me while I worked at kamp.  See one of my childhood stuffed animals beside it?  Oh, who am I kidding...I got that stuffed dog in 8th grade and slept with it through college.  The teddy bear, though, is Bech's childhood teddy.  He now is residing in Jack's crib.

This is the highlight of the memory box--Baby Jesus.  Because it's totally normal for a 2 1/2 year old to name her baby doll after Jesus, right?  I LOVED this doll.  When I was five, I got another baby doll that I named Baby John.  I figured Jesus would want his cousin there.

One thing people may not know about me is my past as a mathlete.  I did math competitions all the way through high school (Can we say dork?).  My crowning achievement was going to national Mathcounts (they gave us all graphing calculators!).  At nationals, we all had state pens and we traded them with each other and put them on our hats.  Sooo cool.  Ya'll are just dreaming you could be as cool as me right now.  It's okay...I still have the hat and all the pens, so I'll let you borrow it.

This is a wonderful book.  I fell in love with this book in 1st grade (a friend had it) and my parents got it for me for Christmas.  I had no idea that this is really a retelling of George MacDonald's The Wise Woman.  MacDonald was one of Lewis' biggest influences, and this story is incredible.  I actually tried to find it on Amazon the other day, and it's not on there.  Sad, because it's an incredible book, as is most everything by MacDonald.

I was almost five years old when my parents gave me this purple Bible!

My best friend made this for me before she moved.  I was all about some decorated pillow cases back in the day.

It doesn't get much more 80's than this...

Oh wait, it does.  Lady Lovely Locks...Anybody else watch this?  Anybody else keep their favorite pj's from when they were 3?  Nope?

I got the biggest kick out of going through this box.  And the best part?  Next time we move I will get to do it all again!