Three years ago, on this very day, I walked down a beautiful, flower-lined path wearing a white dress. I remember how excited and nervous I was. I remember the heat! (It was 100-degrees that day.) I remember holding hands with Jarrod the whole time. I remember dropping his ring because my hands were so sweaty. I remember  I remember when the car we were supposed to drive off in broke down and we ended up riding in a giant tour bus with Jarrod’s whole family. I remember that being one of the best parts of the whole day. I remember thinking how I blessed I was to have found such an amazing man who wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.

You go through a lot those first three years of marriage, regardless of who you are. Then throw in a severely active bowel disease and two surgeries and you’ve got some big hurdles to make it over. And we haven’t soared over all of them, by any means, but I think we’ve had a pretty good race so far. Some couples never had to deal with the things that we’ve been through and I can only believe that it has made us stronger together. I can’t imagine what it would have been like without him.


Even though it has only been three years, it seems like we were so young at the time. We were just getting settled into our first home (and this came after I moved every six months for the preceding 6 years.) We were working completely opposite shifts – me from 4 a.m. to noon and he from noon to 9 p.m. – so we never saw each other during the week. Jarrod still had a dirt bike. And I had never really talked to anybody outside of my family and my doctor about my Crohn’s.

There have been many changes, and I’m glad to have gone through them together. I think that’s one of the best parts of being married: you get to go through all of this with someone.
And Jarrod, I’m so glad I get to go through it all with you.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, — I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning