10 Years Together

I must admit that the most resent picture I have of me and my husband is almost 1.5 years old.

I don’t think anyone thought we would stay married this long. A little sad to admit, but we had a lot stacked against us.

We met in 1996 when I came to Santa Rosa, California as an exchange student. He was a senior at the high school I attended as a senior as well and we came to share two classes together.

I first became friend with his best friend and slowly we became good friends too.

When I moved back to Norway we lost touch and I started at a new school, got new friends and a boyfriend. I ended up moving in with my boyfriend, but after a destructive relationship I moved out and decided to try to get in touch again with my friends in the US.

This was February of 2000. Jesse answered and we soon became pen pals again. In August he came to visit me in Norway and proposed to me. I didn’t even know he had a crush on me. I said no as I felt that I really didn’t know him. We kept in touch and he didn’t give up. In December of 2000 I came to visit with him and he proposed again on New Years Eve. I said yes.

June 21st of 2001 he moved to Norway and we had 1 month to learn to know each other. July 21st 2001 we got married.

It has been a roller coaster relationship. The first three years was spent getting to know each other again. Time and time again I questioned whether I had made the right choice getting married to him. Then Isabel was born, Jesse got depressed and homesick and after 5 years of marriage, living in Norway, we moved to the US.

Living together in the US has brought with it it’s challenges as well. I had just finished my education as a teacher of comparative religion and was hoping to find a job here, but no luck. Instead I have stayed home with the kids. My husband has realized what makes him happy and we have grown stronger together.

In our 11th year we have a lot of changes coming again. We are selling our condo, moving in to a rental and preparing to move to Norway.

We have spent 10 years trying to figure out where in the world we belong and have finally arrived on Norway. It is exciting to be able to go on another adventure with my husband and knowing that he and I are so flexible that we can do this together.

Happy Anniversary honey, I love you.

And we really need to see a photographer soon for some better pictures of us together again.