Hey I heard You Like the Wild Ones....

This was our Last Dance Song at our Wedding and it probably would have been our first if I didn't allow him a little say so. I'm not one for traditional means. I do what I want. And it was fitting. Because 7 years before our wedding when we first met, I was just that. A lion that couldn't be tamed. Shoot....I may still be that way. But he's never seemed to mind. 

This year, marks 10 years together and as we celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary I wanted to share something very rare and real. Because our love story isn't like most. But it's ours. And it's my favorite story to tell. 

12 years ago at the age of 21, to my surprise, I became pregnant and at the age of 22 gave birth to a beautiful little girl. Her Dad and I hardly knew each other and went our separate ways coming together later to co parent. When she was around 2, he took a job transfer which resulted in us both driving 4 hours back and forth with her every other weekend. 

10 years ago I made one of the scariest and riskiest moves of my life. I packed our daughter up and left my friends, an amazing group of coworkers, my family, an entire support system and moved too so that she could be closer to her Dad and we didn't have to drive back and forth any longer. 

Never in a million years did I imagine that move would change my life. That a relationship built solely on the love for our daughter would evolve into finding my soulmate. The man who would gift me, the girl slated to not be able to have children, with 2 more beautiful little girls. 

We have been through the good, bad, ugly, and amazing together. It hasn't been perfect but it's ours and I wouldn't want to do life with anyone else. 

If I could share one piece of advice it's to never say never. Take a chance. I'm not a risk taker. I don't like to gamble. I don't make choices lightly. But I prayed about this one and even though a million people told me it was a terrible idea, I went anyway. And I am so very glad that I did. On a funny side note, Hurricane Ike destroyed my apartment and that is how we moved in together! 

I'm off to Celebrate our 10th Anniversary (or as Jason says- technically our 5th since we have only been married that long)!  

XOXO,

Barb