Top 5 Memories of Our Marriage

I have certain memories of our marriage that flash through my mind, nearly everyday. They always bring a smile to my face, and warm fuzzy feelings to my heart.

Here they are, in no particular order:

* When Joe's car broke down, about 3 months after getting married. Well, his car didn't really break down...here's how it went down...
In Upstate New York, you have to get your car inspected every year (I think). There's some kind of sticker on your car, that lets the cops know when you're past your inspection...and you get a timeout ;) So, Joe's inspection was up, and we had to get the car all ready, which meant getting new tires and new brakes...a hard pill to swallow on our budget. We got everything done, paid for the inspection, and got the car inspected. That was when we found out that the bottom frame on his car was completely rusted out, and not only did it not pass, but he was no longer allowed to drive the car. Joe came home heartbroken, and we both sat on his bed and cried. We were desperate to move out of his father's house, and to start actually feeling like we were married, but not having a car made it all seem impossible. In Upstate New York, there's no such thing as hopping on a bus to go to work. If you don't have a car, you don't have a job, and if you don't have a job, you don't have a home to call your own. It seemed like the world was against us, and we felt so hopeless. Then in the middle of our sobs, Joe looked up at me and said, "Let's move to Colorado!" It was our plan to move here in a year. I laughed a tiny little (sarcastic) laugh, and then he said, "I can go to ITT Tech, and we can use a little bit of the student loan money to help us move out there." So, he got on the phone with ITT Tech that very minute, and over the next two weeks he enrolled, we got the loans set up, and picked out an apartment. 2 weeks after the inspection drama, we were headed to Colorado!
Here's why this is such a cherished memory. At the time it felt like everything was going wrong, but looking back on it, I see that really, everything was going right. This was all apart of Heavenly Fathers plan for us, a blessing in disguise sorta thing. I really truly feel that we were meant to move to Colorado, and if his car had passed, we may not be here. We've had so many wonderful blessings, and dreams come true here. This is one of the many times in our marriage that I can clearly see Heavenly Father's hand guiding us. I look back on that time with chills, because it was the beginning of a new path for us, and we didn't even know it.
(Joe and I, during the 2 weeks before moving)(Saying goodbye)
* Our move to Colorado.
This time in our marriage was a whirlwind, but an exciting whirlwind. We packed up his new car with everything we could fit, said goodbye, and we hit the road. I love this memory for many reasons. First of all, it was fun to take a long road trip with my new husband. From New York to Colorado, we BARELY turned on the radio. We literally talked the entire time. We talked about our pasts, our future, our fears, and our hopes and dreams...we practically charted out the rest of our lives together while driving from NY to CO. It was exciting to stay in a different hotel every night, see places we've never seen together, and of course eat nothing but fast food, and trying new restaurants.
When I think about that road trip, I can feel the excitement we had in our hearts. As I've said before, we drove here to CO on a tank full of dreams. We were headed to our new lives together, and we just new it was going to be great. I love this memory, because a lot of the dreams we set for ourselves while driving here, have already come true, just like we knew they would.
(Joe standing in front of our apartment shortly after moving to Colorado)(Joe and I a couple weeks after arriving in Colorado)
* Our 1st Christmas together.Joe was working at IBM at this time, and he worked the night shift. That meant we slept during the day, and we were up at night. This made Christmas Eve, a little tricky. We tried going to bed because that's what you're supposed to do, but with all the excitement, and not being on that kind of schedule, it was impossible. Finally, we got out of bed and decided it was a hopeless cause. So, we got in the car, at around 3am, and drove around, looking at Christmas lights, and exploring. At around 5am, we were headed home, when we decided to get breakfast at Denny's. It was still dark outside as we ate our breakfast. We talked about how happy we were to be spending our 1st Christmas together, and of course we tried guessing the gifts we had waiting for us at home. We got home at around 6am (the Denny's was right behind our apartment), and immediately started opening gifts. I also love this 1st Christmas memory, because Joe got me two things that reminded me of my mom, her perfume, and the Somewhere in Time movie and sound track, without me even asking for it! I was really surprised and touched.
(Joe and I heading out the door at 3am Christmas morning)
* When Joe and I both got sick.
We had both gotten food poisoning (I think that's what it was), and we felt miserable. It brings a smile to my face, and fills my heart with love and appreciation when I think back to that time. Even though we both felt horrible, we still tried taking care of each other. When I would throw up, he would come and comfort me, and then tell me to go lay down while he cleaned up the mess, and when he was throwing up, I would get up to comfort him and then clean up his mess while he went to go lay down. We didn't clean up our own mess, just each others. While we were both laying down on the bed together, we were both trying to do things to make the other one feel better. He would play with my hair, and I would tickle his back. We both made sure the other one was staying hydrated, and tried to make each other as comfortable as possible. We were both selfless, and we didn't wallow in our own self pity, but instead we were both completely focused on each other. I worried about Joe, and he worried about me, and we were both taken care of.

* When Joe got his job.
The road toward Joe getting his job was a long one. It was filled with uncertainty and lots of waiting. He went in for his interview, and it wasn't until about a month and a half later that we found out that he had gotten the job. That month and a half was spent on pins and needles. Every time the phone would ring, my heart would drop. It took a while for the 3rd interview to be set up, but finally, it did. The night of his third interview Joe and I decided we needed to take our minds off of how it went, so we watched a couple episodes of Star Trek (don't judge;). He had forgotten his phone in the bedroom, so we didn't hear it ring. When the show was over, Joe said, "Where's my phone!" We ran into the bedroom, and saw that he had like 10 missed calls, and 3 new voicemails. He put the messages on speaker; it was they guy telling Joe he got the job! The messages were kinda funny. First the guy just said to call him back, then on the next one he told Joe that he got the job, and the next one the guy was like, "Hello, you got the job! Where are you?!" Joe promptly called him back, and when he got off the phone Joe and I cried as we did our happy dance. After that Joe literally called everyone who's number was programed into his cell, (sorry if you were one of those people;) This job was huge for us. It was the start of a career, a dream coming true, and it meant we could buy a house!
(Joe and I shortly after getting his new job)
I love these memories, and I think of them often. They're not your typical top 5 memories. You might think that a memory of you being sick, would be replaced with your 1 year anniversary or something along those lines, but these are the memories I hold dear to my heart. I didn't pick them, they chose me ;) I realize that these all took place in our first couple years of marriage. The last couple years have some of my top 10 memories. Maybe that will be a future post...

What are your favorite memories?