3 Years Ago Today

Three years ago today, at this very hour, I was shaking a maraca.

I had just gotten married to a man with the jawline of a Disney prince, and this man had made promises in front of all of our family and friends to love me and honor me for the rest of our lives. If ever there is an occasion in life to shake a maraca, I think that's probably it.

Three years ago today, at this exact hour, the people I loved most were dancing their faces off.

They really were. Like, their faces were actually potentially melting off. The room was a sweaty, beautiful mess of some of the most incredible human beings I've ever known just getting cray. It was seriously what I imagine Heaven will be like.

Three years ago today, at this exact hour, I was beyond thankful. Beyond humbled. I danced alongside amazing people: those who had mentored me and my new husband, those who had prayed for us, cried with us, laughed so hard it hurt with us, people who had been there the very day we met, people who had known us from birth. I felt positively wealthy with the love poured out from these individuals. Filthy stinking rich, actually. 

Three years ago today, at this exact hour, my new husband and I had no idea what the rest of our lives would bring. 

We didn't know that we would spend the next few months working a total of seven part-time jobs between the two of us. 

We didn't know that within the year, we would leave our sweet, comfortable life in Austin for the adventure of a lifetime in New York City. 

We didn't know that we would spend the first four months of that adventure living with three cats that weren't ours in a Brooklyn sublet apartment. 

We didn't know that finding our own apartment in Brooklyn would be an agonizing hellride. 

We didn't know that our favorite restaurant would be a pan asian place on Cortelyou Road called Purple Yam. 

We didn't know that our careers would be turned upside down and rightside up more times than we could count. 

We didn't know that we would join a wonderful church, let alone that we would help in planting one in Midtown, Manhattan. 

We didn't know that we would meet people so beautiful, patient, kind, hilarious, and wise -- people whose friendship would change the way we see the world. 

We didn't even know that we would adopt a cat named Frasier...and that he would be awesome (I mean, we figured as much, but we didn't know).

Three years ago today, at this exact hour, we were just a clueless husband and wife team dancing, laughing, singing hit songs from the summer of 2011 while shaking maracas.

Just look at these idiots.

Three years later, at this exact hour, we are sitting in our Brooklyn apartment after a day of exploring the city we love. Our cat, Frasier, is nowhere to be seen. He's probably hiding in a closet somewhere being awesome as per usual. 

A lot about our lives has changed since that night three years ago. Different city, new friends, new jobs, new dreams. But one thing remains: we are still utterly clueless. We have little idea what the next few years will bring, and we think that's completely fine, honestly. What we have is each other, what we have is a community of people who love us, and hey, we still have those maracas, so I think we're good.

Now, if you don't mind, I'll take a quick moment to address that husband of mine:

Husband of mine, Happy Anniversary. As a fierce lover of books and movies, you know that many stories seem to end with a wedding, and I think that's honestly a damn shame. For us, our story was put into hyperdrive the minute we said "I do," and since then, that story just keeps building and getting way more interesting. In these three years, the two of us have done the weirdest, most wonderful things that I ever could have dreamed possible. There is no one else on this earth with whom I would want to share such a story. 

Daniel, you are nice and hilarious and warm and loving and so very brave. Thank you for asking me to marry you. 

And thanks to EVERYONE, every last one of you, who has supported and loved us along the way. On a day that celebrates our relationship, all we can really talk about is how grateful we are for you. Really. Like, we can't shut up about it. We love you.