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AJ and I are celebrating our 2nd anniversary today. TWO YEARS. It feels more like a lifetime has passed by. We were married in 2019 right before COVID hit and shut everything down. Our first year of marriage consisted of us being together 24/7. Probably why I feel like we have been together forever at this point.
Honestly, I wouldn't have chosen to spend the "end of the world" with anyone else. He is truly my soulmate my one-of-a-kind best friend. No one loves a love story as I do, if you are into Disney's version of girl meets prince charming this is not that kind of post. Haha, ok maybe a modern version of that. Just like every love story, this is how ours began.
Our Love Story
AJ and I met in October 2016. I was sitting at BWI airport waiting for my plane to a 2 week trip to Ireland while he was on the train heading to work in DC. We were both of course bored and wanted to take up time so we logged on to Bumble (a dating app) and started swiping. I remember seeing his picture and thinking to myself "He looks cool". Yes, honestly that's all I thought to swipe him to the right. Then we connected!
In a panic, I didn't want to miss my chance to connect. I sent him a quick message. I honestly can't remember what I said but Bumble has this rule that women had to message men within 24 hours for the connection to happen.
We began chatting and hit it off right away. My flight was announced that it was time to board. My husband loves telling this part of the story. He usually says "she sends me a message, saying that she had to get on a plane to head to Ireland for the next two weeks she won't have service to chat. So, I told her that she could download Whatsapp and we can chat on wifi. She then tells me that she doesn't have her phone turned on while she is on vacation. But, when she returns in two weeks she will send me a message. I thought, at this point, she was blowing me off". I head to Ireland, and spend two weeks traveling around with my sister. The minute the plane landed back into BWI I sent him a message saying "Hey, I am back" He says the minute he got this message he forgot who I was. He actually sent me a message saying "Whose this?" LOL, yes I guess I deserved that.
A week later we met up for dinner and spent the whole night talking, and I mean the WHOLE night we were the last ones out the door that night. It was wonderful, to finally meet someone where you weren't constantly checking the time. We just clicked, he made me laugh, smile, and just feel completely safe. I remember thinking, of course, I had to stop looking to actually find someone. Don't mess this up! LOL!
Our Engagement
The year we got engaged was the same year our friends got married in 2018. We flew to Scotland for a wedding and then jumped over to Paris for a mini vacation. I remember just before leaving I told myself to pack all the dresses just "in case" he proposes. Then the night, that he did propose he wasn't feeling well so I figured it probably wouldn't happen. Oh was I wrong, we took a walk to see the Eiffel Tower twinkle at night. He was trying to figure out which phone took better pictures. Just when the lights started to twinkle he asked a stranger to take our picture. He handed him my phone and then turned around and dropped to one knee. I was in total complete shock! My mind went completely buzzy and I honestly don't remember anything he was saying. I was just so happy and totally shaking. At least I remembered to say Yes!
and... we were both so nervous we forgot it was the other hand.
Our Wedding
Our wedding was in 2019, just before the dreaded lockdown of the whole world! It was a magical evening filled with friends, family, and everything that the two of us wanted (well not my younger self, which you can see here what she wanted). Which was food and dancing all night long!
It was a perfect night! Leading to our 2nd anniversary!
2 Years!
Like I said before, I am still in shock that we are celebrating our 2nd year anniversary. It has already been a wonderful 2 years. This year was harder than most years we had some emotional ups and down's but having each other go through this rollercoaster of a year has made it way easier. Some days were great, and others were emotionally exhausting. This year, I was diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency which really burst my bubble of having a little family of our own. My first doctor, had me do multiple invasive tests and blood work, and 5 months later she broke up with me over text. Yes, it was an actual email. She told me that she, unfortunately, can't work with me, and my best bet would be to get a donor egg and that she was sorry. I was devasted. AJ rushed home from work to be with me that day. I just felt completely numb. Then a month later I decided to get a 2nd opinion only to be told that I have POI. This leaves me to still only having a 2% chance of naturally conceiving and I don't qualify for IVF or IUI. It was hard hearing it the second time also. I am slowly recovering, but I honestly could not have done this alone. I probably would have fallen into a deep hole of depression if I didn't have him by my side. While we have only been married for 2 years it feels like a lifetime with all the stuff we have gone through together in such a short period of time.
We don't know what the future has in store for us but at least we both know whatever it is we will be doing it together. If there is one piece of advice I can give someone before getting married it would be truly marrying your best friend. It's easy to fall in love, but harder to really like your best friend. Marry the person that you have fun with, and who you want to hang out with. Even if that means just sitting on the couch together not talking. You will be able to get through anything. I am happy to say AJ is my best friend, forever, and I love him more than I ever thought I could.
So, that's our love story.
Thanks for taking the time to read this! I am honestly, not very vulnerable in any of my posts but I learned a week ago. That we are not alone. If I open up and share our journey I will probably help someone else in this adventure we call life.