5 Years Together

My grandparents, sister, niece, brother and parents
 helped my husband and I become husband  and wife
 in the backyard of my childhood home. 

Five years ago today, my family members gathered in my parent's backyard and I got married. I was "out-to-here" pregnant with my daughter, and none of his family attended. But it was perfect because it was ours. My husband and I met when I was working as a short-line cook at a bowling alley, and he was the porter (like a lane hop and janitor) at the same bowling alley. That's right. We were co-workers. But only in the sense that we got our checks signed by the same person; we never really worked "together", although after we started getting serious he would get into trouble for hanging out too long at the snack bar. It wasn't long before I quit that job because it was a part time "fun" job on top of my job that was full-time and exhausting. I couldn't keep the two jobs up when I got pregnant. Long story short, it's been almost six years since I met my husband, and we've been married for five years. It was rocky. Heartbreaking. I have cried tears of sadness, tears of happiness, and tears of mere pain. It's been such an emotional five years. My husband and I have been through a LOT of crap together. We have "broken up" three times, once while dating, and twice more in the last 5 years. I could never bring myself to actually go through with a divorce from him, and he claims to feel the same about me (obviously, he must, since we're still married). Between the break ups, the getting back together, other people we dated when we were separated, not to mention an unplanned pregnancy during said separation, I thought, at times, that I would be signing papers

separating us permanently by now. But we both agreed the last time we got back together that we are married, never to be divorced. We are married, never to part. Unless the parting means him driving a truck all over the nation for five or six weeks at a time. Sometimes the break is good for us. But when we opt to make it closer to seven weeks between home time visits, we both get antsy and emotional, and then we start bickering.  He's missed my birthday, Mother's Day, and our anniversary. He'll be home for the kid's birthday party, though, which is why we planned him coming home later than scheduled. Since we planned it, I can't complain, but it's still sad. And I still feel lonely on my 5 year anniversary, because I'm in Texas while he's in Tennessee. But we still look forward for the home time visit, and I pray that he will be here this week!

So, happy anniversary to my dear husband. Five years is all it took for us to realize we're in love and meant to be together. Here's to a lifetime of us.