posted April 20th, 2005

Tom and I are celebrating our 4th Anniversary today :)

On the drive to work this morning, Tom commented on how much we've gone through in the past four years — and I have to say, it's pretty remarkable how much we've accomplished and overcome together.

Who would have known when we met online 7 years ago that this is where we'd be now? I never imagined on that first date in Toronto that he and I would end up married one day.

It was so awkward meeting face-to-face! That first embarrassing encounter is burned in my memory forever! I don't know which one of us was more nervous - Tom couldn't take his eyes off of me the entire night. Rather than flattering, I found the whole thing unnerving. Having my friends there to chide us didn't help, either. To this day I'm amazed that we fell in love after that. Maybe there's something to the whole idea of destiny and "soul mates"...I don't know...but something happened between us that turned our friendship into a full fledged romance. Slowly and subtly it happened.

I can still picture that corridor at the airport that I'd wait in for his biweekly flight into town. I'd nervously run to the ladies room for last minute makeup checks before his flight landed. It always felt like we hadn't seen each other in years - but just for a few moments until we were reacquainted.

The highs and lows of a long distance relationship are unbearable. First there's the planning and excitement of an impending visit, and then the inevitable devastation when it was time to say goodbye again. I don't know how we survived it. It's bittersweet to think of now, but at the time it was a sea sick roller coaster ride of emotions.

And then the wedding...all I remember of that day was the beauty of Williamsburg's gardens ~ almost storybook-ish, it was so quaint. Tom and I were so nervous; I think we both just wanted to get the ceremony over and done with. In our hearts we were already married. The wedding was just a formality. But it was gorgeous! I can still smell my wedding bouquet - all of those roses, freesia, and gardenias!

The romantic nature of a marriage changes over time. We still mark special occasions and hold hands when we go for walks, but the familiarity between us changes the dynamic of our relationship somehow...there aren't as many surprises and things are no longer "new". What remains is even more special and meaningful. He knows me. He knows me in ways that no one else ever could...and he loves me for it...

4 years. Here's to a lifetime more :)