Because I do

I met my husband online - the Hinge app - which in itself isn’t that remarkable b/c the times have definitely changed! However, there is a twist - when I set up my profile within the app, it has you choose your distance and age range for the fellas you’re potentially meeting. I did that, yet I was getting suggestions from different states, and kids in their 20s! I had no idea what was going on, I thought it must be a glitch with the app. I kept trying to update to no avail. In the meantime, Adam and I had started talking, and I knew right away he was different in the best way possible. When I finally figured out the glitch with the settings, it was user error - there was a slider underneath those initial settings that said “Dealbreaker” - I hadn’t clicked it initially b/c I didn’t see it! But if I had, Adam and I may not have met b/c he was in my age range, but not distance! #fatetakethewheel :)

Even though we were a little over an hour apart, I have never driven longer than 3 hours to see anyone, even family! It was all new territory for me - him living in the country, being in the military, having an adult son vs. me from the city, never married, no kids. He sweetly insisted on meeting me before his guys trip 4th of July weekend 2019, so our first date was July 1, 2019. After meeting him, I just knew he was it. We closed the dating apps, and started the distance thing.

We texted a lot b/c we didn’t get to see each other very much during the week, and I would say, “Have I told you how much I adore you? Because I do!” Or, “Have I told you how devastatingly handsome you are? Because you are!” Just sweet little somethings we traded back and forth :) Both of our birthdays are in September - his the 4th, mine the 8th - two years apart. He was turning 45 that year, so I wanted to do something special, which in part, was driving to a stranger's home to pick up specialty cookies! I had her decorate a couple of them to say BCIDO (because I do) and BCUR (because you are). This is where the sayings came into play. 

We got married August 28, 2021 in Avon Lake, Ohio, 15 days after he returned home from deployment which lasted a year. Having never dated a military man, I couldn’t really attach it to any other experience. I can say that I grew so much during that time - I broke through my comfort zone like a woman on a mission. I found out I could do the hard things! (I think we all sort of know that deep down, but sometimes it takes something of grand measure to help us see it) I essentially uprooted and left everything and everyone I knew to relocate to his home while he was overseas. I went from a condo in the burbs, to a barn in the country on 10 acres. 

Being a (newer) military wife, I learned very quickly that decisions can change on a dime - you can’t get too attached to timelines because they are likely to change multiple times. And this goes for all branches of the military, not just the Marine Corps. It was definitely a challenging time for both of us, but I know it made us stronger, and made our connection deeper. Knowing he was the one I was going to be with at the end of all of it made it worthwhile.

My husband got me a Tiny Tags skinny bar necklace with our wedding date and "because I do" on the back. He said he chose that because it's "the perfect saying that describes us, and how we kind of have our own language, and our own way of communicating" - so sweet! As I said in my vows to him ~ you were the man in the visions of my future, the man I prayed for. 

- Anita