In Retrospect ....

This July 7th, Ryan and I celebrate 9 years of marriage. (WOW!)

I met Ryan in the late Summer of 1998. I was home from SDSU and enrolling at Crafton Hills to get some General Ed classes out of the way that I somehow missed the first time around. Ryan was fresh out of the Army and volunteering at the YMCA Camp Edwards. Somehow, I got dragged by my mother to a lunch at camp, where my brother Sean was also volunteering. All I can really remember was telling my mom that the guy Sean had been playing ping-pong with up there was real cute. The next weekend that my brother was home, I dug around and tried to find out as much as I could about this "Ryan" guy as I could. I found out that he was casually dating one of the Australian girls who was there as an exchange student of some sort, and that he would be attending CHC in the fall as well. (Ahh the infamous GI Bill!)

So as the Aussie Girl (who I actually became friends with later) moved on at the end of the Summer, I made my move! Turned out, Ryan and I were in the same Bio class (on different days, rats!) ... but what could be more romantic than studying Biology together?? Somehow, I weaseled my way into study session after study session, and one thing leads to another .... use your imaginations!

By July 2000 we were engaged and we got married on July 7, 2001 in Redlands. I didn't think I could ever experience a happier moment (until the birth of my children that is!). We honeymooned on Maui and Kauai, and returned to reality. I was so estatic to graduate with my BA in Liberal Studies, with a minor concentration in Human Development from CSU San Bernardino, and finished off my CA Credentials with CSU Fullerton. I was hired by Colton Joint Unified School District as a 2nd grade teacher, and Ryan graduated from CSU San Bernardino, and promptly headed off to the California Highway Patrol Academy in Sacramento on December 3, 2002. I stayed behind in Redlands in our brand new house ... alone. (Oh ya, we had a dog too - he was a nut job ... maybe he should be a separate posting!!) I lived for the weekends when Ryan would drive down from Sac with his buddies John and Jim on Friday nights, and spend a whole day and a half with me before packing up again to drive up north at noon on Sunday. We lived like this for 6 months, and when he graduated from the Academy as an Officer on June 13th, 2003, I was already 6 months pregnant with our first child.

Unfortunately, straight out of the Academy, we were sent to Hayward for his "break-in" period. I had NO clue where that even was!! I remember Ryan calling me the day he got his "assignment" and looking up on my computer in my classroom a map of northern California. UGH northern California. I was really afraid of living so far away from my family. I was petrified of having my baby away from my mother, I was ticked off that I had to sell my house, give up a job I really liked (notice I didn't say love), yet at the same time, excited at all the new possibilities that lay before us. I tried to think of it as an adventure.

Adventure is exactly what this ride of 9 years has been. We've lived in Redlands, San Ramon, Modesto and back to Redlands again - 5 moves in about 5 years - finally settling down in 2005 into the house we are in today. We have given birth (well, I have) to three beautiful kids, and lived through all their ups and downs, as well as the challenges associated with being a parent. We have shared euphoric moments in the CHP and the saddest days we could ever imagine. We have dealt with the loss of grandparents and lost friendships ... and celebrated the births of our nephews. For a very long time, Ryan slept during the day, and I slept at night ... our schedules flip-flopping every few days. And recently, I have taken on the role of being alone a great deal of the time while Ryan is on special assignment with the state. It has meant long days apart, and my patience tested enormously. But after all is said and done, Ryan is the ONLY person I could ever imagine having shared this ride with. He knows me probably better than anyone I know. He is a selfless provider for me, Josh, Maddie and Ty. He takes care of the kids and I like no one else can. He is a loving father, husband and my best friend. I hope and pray that these 9 years we have shared are just the beginning ... because I never want this ride to end.

I love you Ry. Happy (early) Anniversary!