4 Years

On August 28th,  Eric and I will be celebrating four amazing years together. 


It amazes me how fast time has flown by and where life has taken us in the past four years. In fact, if you asked me four years ago where Eric and I would end up, I'd probably say in Virginia still, with me attending college there and him working. I would have never guessed we'd be going on our third year in Alaska and second wedding anniversary/third year of marriage.


Eric and I did not plan to get married so soon. But, as many of you know, the military can cause you to rethink plans and change them in a heartbeat, at a moments notice.


Eric left for basic training in April of 2008. At this point, I was a senior in high school and had been accepted into Virginia Commonwealth University's Forensic Science program. Well, high school graduation came and went; BMT graduation came and went; and soon enough, orientation came and went.   


Orientation for me at VCU is where everything changed for us. I got the phone call that Eric was going to be stationed in Alaska, as opposed to Korea, for three years. Instantly my mind was racing. I hated orientation at VCU simply for the fact that I quickly realized it was not where I wanted to be. I wanted to be with Eric, in Alaska. The six month separation due to BMT and Tech School had been enough for me. My heart just wasn't into VCU anymore, it was with Eric.


So, Eric and I talked about things for a week and finally, I called my mom (who by the way was on a business trip to Illinois at the time) and told her I had disenrolled at VCU and Eric and I were going to get married when he came on leave from Tech School.


After huge fights and an emotional roller-coaster with my family, the wedding planning was soon underway. We planned our wedding in a month's time, changing the date two or three times. When all was said and done, our wedding cost less than $1,000 and I loved every bit of it; the simplicity, the elegance.  


Two weeks after we got married, we moved to Alaska and the rest is history. 


Getting married at 18 and moving 4,000 miles away was the best thing I could have done for myself and for Eric. We are closer now than ever and most importantly, he is still my best friend. 


I am so blessed to have somebody like Eric. I could never find a better man to spend the rest of my life with.