11 Christmases.

11 holiday seasons; double the life seasons.

If you had asked me in the Fall of 2005 where I thought I would be in 10 years, I guarantee you, this wouldn’t have even come close.  I had just returned home from what would be my last trip away.  Unsure of what my next move would be.  I was 20.  In no rush to get wherever it was I was going.  You sucked me in with your quiet, funny demeanor.

We stumbled through the years together.  Gently pushing each other, cheering and supporting each other; loving each other.

This past year has delivered some of the darkest days I’ve known.  So dark, I honestly couldn’t see the light, no matter how hard I searched.  On those days, it was your hand I reached for.  It was your smile and your arms that chased the darkness away.

And although I wouldn’t (and couldn’t) have planned for this year or even today, to unfold as it has, I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone other than you.

So as we spend our first Christmas alone together, know this;  I am so ever grateful for that day 10 years ago.  The day I met a quiet, laid back man who like me, didn’t quite know where he was going.

Let’s make 2016 a year of firsts.  Let’s take the fresh start the new year offers and make it ours.  Let’s fill it with memories and new traditions.  Let’s continue to grow together, love together and fight together.

Merry Christmas babe; I love you.