The Story of Us.

I was falling more in love every day. We would talk early every morning, text all day, talk late into the night. I was sleep deprived and so desperately missing my fiancé. I didn’t know when we’d see each other again. We were in the midst of planning a wedding for December 29. We had reserved the venue, I had a dress, put a deposit on flowers, picked out the guys tux’s… We had almost everything in place. Of course it was only August. December was still 4 months away. We often joked about eloping. It got to the point that the pain of being apart was overshadowing the joy of being together forever. I didn’t like doing anything with friends or family cause I always thought about how I wish he was with me. We had several “discussions” about it. He was struggling too. It got to the point one day where he said “We just need to elope or break up” and while I understood where he was coming from, I was scared. Maybe be had gone to far too fast. Maybe this wasn’t right. Of course, we worked through our issues. We knew this was meant to be and we were going to get through this together. No more talk of eloping, we were going to have our wedding as planned.
I had planned my next trip to visit him in Missouri for the weekend following his birthday. As the trip approached we had discussed the idea of me staying this time. I packed up my room and took two suitcases of clothes. I had a feeling when I boarded the plane to St Louis that I wasn’t coming back. I said my goodbyes. I didn’t know how it would work out, but I was ready. His grandparents and family were going to spend the weekend in Branson and we were going to join them. I was so excited to see him. It was such a relief to be back in his arms. It just felt so right. We drove out to Branson, soaking up every minute together. I was supposed to go back home that Tuesday… but as the weekend went on I knew I wanted to stay. Fast Forward to Monday. October 1, 2007. Chris still had to go in to work so I stayed at the house he shared with two roommates. We had been talking about actually getting married. I googled pastors who could officiate weddings. I found Rex Barboux. I called him. He asked when we wanted to get married. “Tonight,” I answered. He kinda chuckled. Ok, he said. We arranged to meet at a local park. Chris called a few close friends. He got off work a little early and we went to get a marriage license. We met up with our friends. I text my family to tell them I was really doing it (I had already told my mom we were thinking about it). So it happened. On a Monday night. October 1, 2007. We got married. I was staying. Forever. No more good byes. No more lonely nights. I became Mrs. Norman. Our intentions were to have receptions in Missouri and Florida, but that never happened. And I don’t mind. We have no regrets. Everything happened perfectly for us. It wasn’t always easy, but it worked out. Marriage is hard. But it is so worth it. Our day was perfect for us. Our story unfolded just the way it was supposed to. Beautifully. And I’m so thankful.