High School Sweethearts

Today is Brad's and my dating-versary. Eight years ago today, is when our relationship officially began. Eight years! Can you believe it? That's a long time. That's basically 1/3 of my entire life.

It was nearly a decade ago when he called me on the phone and asked me if I'd "go steady" with him. Naturally, I laughed and called him Kevin Arnold with that 1950's dating proposal. But when he responded that he didn't want it to be some silly high school relationship, but instead a real, forever love, I was speechless and, of course, agreed to be his girlfriend.

That's the moment when forever began. The butterflies in my stomach assured me that my life would never be the same. From February 24, 2002 to February 24, 2010, Brad and I have never not been together. We never broke up, never "took a break," never dated other people. We have been together, consecutively for eight years; a feat of which I am very proud.

Being high school sweethearts is fun. It's fun to have memories of the same home town. It's fun to have been named the Cutest Couple of the Class of '02. It's fun to have high school prom pictures with each other framed in our house. It's fun to have senior portraits taken together, (These are actually engagement pictures, taken in 2004. I didn't have our senior pictures in digital format.) and remember the same graduation speech. It's fun to have known each other before anybody else that we know now, knew us. It's fun that we have a past together, as we continue to look forward to our future.

Brad is not only my high school sweetheart. He's my soul mate. I knew it at 17, even while my parents were a little leery, that he was the love of my life. My one-and-only. My steady. How is it that a girl like me can get so lucky so young? He truly is the greatest guy in the whole world, and the best husband any woman has ever had. What a blessing.