5 years ago...

 March 25th marks 5 years of marriage for Pat and I, and it's been over 10 years of “togetherness”. Those ten years have been filled with so many memories, so many character building moments that have tested us, bonded us, built a friendship and deepened our love for each other.

Pat and I met when I was a senior in high school. I came to visit Western on a college visit. The girl from home I was visiting with had a boyfriend in the same fraternity as Pat. Now, let the record state: I met MANY people the weekend I met Pat... but Pat's roommates and I developed a friendship that weekend that we still laugh about now. Had someone asked me that weekend if Pat and I would be together now I probably woud have said "not in a million years." Probably something to do with his shaved head...

We all kept in touch until I moved into my dorm in August. I called Pat to let he and his roommates know I had lugged all my stuff into my teeny tiny dorm room, my parents had left, my roommate wouldn't be there for a few more days and I was bored - what were they up to? Turns out Pat had just gone through his initiation and they were headed out to dinner to celebrate. I was invited to come along. Pat and a few of his friends showed up shortly there after and we all went out to dinner - at Puertos {shocking, I know}

A few weeks later, I was a Kappa Delta pledge and was looking for a date to our infamous Barn Dance. EVERY guy I knew wanted to go to Barn Dance, except Pat. He had absolutely no interest, whatsoever, in going. We had been hanging out constantly, but he didn't want to go to this dance with me. So I asked someone else. Poor Brandon. Brandon {Pat's little brother in Phi Delt} spent the night of Barn Dance outside Pat's house, talking to Pat - while he sat up in a tree. Apparently, it was that night that Pat figured out he liked me, and I probably wasn't going to wait around on him to figure it out. He was right. My date that night was CUTE! And he kept calling me long after Barn Dance...

But, I'm glad Brandon talked some sense into Pat that night. Shortly there after we went out on of first "official" date. To Applebees and to see American Pie {the first movie - sad to say I picked the movie}. I can’t imagine the last 10 years or any of the future without him. When we're apart I realize even more how much we work well together, depend on one another, round the other out and generally enjoy each other's company. There's no place else I'd rather be. As Laura so kindly told Pat in her maid of honor speech at our wedding, "Pat, it's always been you."

 We jointly took on the college years, me as a "grandma" and Pat as the ultimate party host.

We were together as each of us finished our college degrees.

We’ve seen each other through several job titles in our decade together which have included some times of unemployment, job searches, job frustrations, job anxiety, job excitement and plenty of satisfaction.

We weathered a long distance relationship through my senior year of college. 8 hours apart.

We’ve been by each other’s side in times of stress, fear and sadness and luckily in many more times of joy and celebration.

We survived the wedding planning! Maybe I should say he survived.

We've taken each other to the hospital and spent a few all nighters in ERs.

He's helped me move more times than we can count. And we've experienced breaking leases, buying two homes, living with parents again and putting a house up for sale and moving out in 5 weeks.

We've survived a flooded basement, 4 days before we were closing on our home!

We’ve traveled to New York City, Fort Myers, D.C., Aruba, Barbados, St. John, St. Thomas, BVI, Puerto Rico, Dominica and in a few months – New Orleans!!

We lived together in Baltimore, Maryland for two years and in Lexington, Kentucky for three.

We adopted two puppies together and both of those puppies have different homes now... We almost adopted a third, but luckily I made arrangements for a "trial period" first {that lasted 24 hours}. We've learned that I'm not so much a pet person.

We've been together as we've lost family members and welcomed new ones.

And my favorite...We've been parents for almost 2 years to a beautifully rambunctious blond hair blue eyed little boy.

 

 

Hopefully we will have many, many, many new and exciting memories to make and stories to tell.

5 years ago at 4:30pm I walked down the aisle at The Presbyterian Church in Bowling Green, KY and said "I Do" to Mr. Patrick Michael McKew.  It was a gorgeous day. I vivdly remember the videographer telling me there were blue skies with white puffy clouds outside, a little cold - but my dress was hot, so that didn't bother me a bit. 

Happy Anniversary!