A bottle of Jack Daniels. A kiss on the freezer. The eye-opening epiphany that you've been there all along. 

Meeting your future husband at 14 is the stuff fairy tales are made of. You see each other through awkward hair/teeth/skin, witness bad relationships and dramatic heartbreaks, watch failed attempts to grow up faster than prescribed.

And maybe it works because you don't know it yet.

Starting to date your future husband at 18 is unusual. You go off to different Universities, make your own friends, and travel the world independently. You rely on T9 texting, video chats, MSN messenger, and Motorola flip phones. 

And maybe it works because you're starting to know that yes, this is it. 

Living in a new city together for the first time means exploring day and night, learning how to be a team but also how to keep your independence. It means figuring out who is better at sweeping (you) and who is better at laundry (me). Getting jobs is exciting, not getting jobs is frustrating. Going to school is fun, going to more school is frustrating. Getting a pet together is exciting, tragically loosing that pet is a jolt to our domestic bliss.

And maybe it works because we are in it together. 

Trekking through Nepal for 3 weeks is a physical and emotional endurance. Drinking and eating our way through Thai beaches is a spiritual refresh. Returning to your childhood home is humbling. Deciding to start over in Hamilton together is a step toward the future.

And it definitely works because we are meant to be here. 

After 10 years of wandering, growing, learning and laughing, you (finally) asked me to be your Mrs. Two weeks later, with our closest family, we made it official. Though the circumstances were not what we hoped for, we decided, why wait? 

And maybe it keeps working because we keep working, 

Happy Anniversary Mister! 

What's your love story?