My Happily Ever After

Image Captured by Fischelli Photography

I am not always a sappy person... Okay so maybe I am, but I would typically portray myself as more sarcastic and harsh. My relationship with my husband is not exactly a fairy tale, but it is ours.

So, how did we meet? We met as babies. Yup, that's right we have known each other our entire lives. Just because we knew each other as babies does not mean we got along or even wanted to see each other growing up.

When we were elementary school age, Popeye, and his family came to visit us. I somehow convinced him to reach out and grab a prickly pear pad. If you have never gotten pricked by a cactus you won't understand exactly how painful this can be. Not only do they have long sharp thorns, but they also have fine hair like thorns. These thorns are nearly invisible, which makes them extraordinarily hard to pluck out. Of course, when Popeye grabbed the cactus his hand was covered in thorns both large and small. This was not a great start to our relationship.

The next time I really remember seeing Popeye was when we were in middle school. My family had spent about a week at the beach and I had gotten a horrible sunburn. I had blisters on my shoulders and across my face. I was so embarrassed to be going to see them after years looking like a boiled lobster. I don't remember much more about our visit than that. This visit was when we became friends. We started writing each other letters after this.

We wrote regularly over the years. I would sit in class at school and write long, chattering letters. I rambled about school, church, life, family, love, and more. He told me about his family, being home schooled, his church, and the places he had lived. In high school, we tried really hard to get our families together. It didn't happen often.

When we were 16, Popeye confessed his love to me. I was a jerk. I laughed at him. I had a boyfriend... I was stupid. I should have spent more time getting to know Popeye then.

When we started college, Popeye and his family stopped to visit us on their way to take him to college. He asked if he could kiss me and when I said yes he shyly gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek.

College included the most turbulent and unstable years of my life. Popeye and I got in a fight and quit talking to each other completely during those years. I missed his letters, not that I ever would have admitted it then. I got married. Shortly after graduating college I got divorced. When I got divorced, I moved back home to live with my parents. It was not really by choice, I had no money and was just starting a job that made enough to pay the bills.

While I lived with my parents, Popeye's parents had a going away to the Navy party for him. My family told me I had no choice, but to go with them. So, I drug my feet and went, begrudgingly. While we were there I avoided people. Eventually, Popeye cornered me and we talked. It was wonderful. I felt like he understood me, even though we are as different as day and night. We spent most of the weekend together talking.

Our Wedding Day

Afterwards, we talked for days on the phone. Then, we started a long distance romance.... and it did not go well. We broke up after a few months. I was not ready for a relationship again, especially a long distance one.

A year or so later, I was out of town for work and happened to be in the same city Popeye's sister was going to college. I met up with her and we had a great visit, but it made me miss my friendship with Popeye. I ended up calling him. We started talking that October. He decided to come home for Thanksgiving and we weaseled me into getting an invitation to his parent's house for the holiday. It was then that we had our first real kiss.

That Christmas, Popeye came home again. He spent some time with his family and then spent a few days with my family and I. We got engaged a few days before Christmas. Then, he went home, across the country again. Thankfully, we had a short engagement. We were married three months after we got engaged. It was wonderful and being married to him has been one of the best things to ever happen to me.

We keep to ourselves a lot. Popeye and I are two very different people, but sometimes I think that is what makes us work. My dad says that when you put the two of us together we make one whole functioning person and he is right. When we got married two became one. Popeye and I work. Don't take that wrong and think we are perfect because anyone who knows us knows that's a lie. We fight and we disagree, but who we are together works.

I love Popeye with a deep enduring love. Even in the worst of times, I know he returns my love and devotion. We have our fair share of fights and then some. We struggle. We have been through separations, by distance not choice. We have been through illness and pain. We have moved multiple times. We live far from our families, but we have each other. My husband is my best friend, my love, and so much more. I am grateful every day for his support and encouragement. Thank goodness for forced encounters that led to my happily ever after.