There are affiliate links in many of the posts on this site. This means your purchase supports myself, my business, and my family when you click through to buy - at no additional cost to you. This site also uses cookies. You can learn more here. Thank you!
A few days ago I shared Part 1 of our love story. Today I’m going to share Part 2. Today we’ll talk about moving across the state, getting engaged, and our wedding. 🙂
When we left off yesterday, Andrew and I had just started dating. We were in that happy, blissful place where every relationship starts. We thought we were falling in love, we were happy, and we couldn’t get enough of one another.
However, there was one problem…
Andrew didn’t love his teaching position, and he wasn’t happy. He wanted to move.
While I was supportive of that decision, did I really want to move for a guy I’d been dating for just a couple months?
Yes, we had said “I love you” after only five weeks.
Yes, it’d been a great two months together.
But was I really willing to pick up everything and move wherever this guy went?
We talked. I cried. I talked to family. I talked to friends. I cried some more.
I believe my mom said it best, “Heather, if you love him, he’s family. You move for family.”
So I did. I gave my notice at the school I was teaching at, and I waited for Andrew to get a job – hoping I would find one close to him. If nothing else, I figured I’d be able to work at Wal-Mart or some other retail store to help pay the bills.
May 2012
Andrew got a teaching job in the center of the state, near the capital. (Which, by the way, is pronounced “peer” – not the French Pee-air way!) I was fortunate enough to get interviews at three of the schools in the area, one in the very same district – which also happened to be the position I was offered and took!
We moved that summer and started our next chapter together.
August 2012
The school year started, and – while we were still very much in love – I was not happy that I had moved across the state for Andrew. Looking back, it was probably resentment. I had moved three hours away from my parents, given up living in the Black Hills (which I loved), and I had not received anything in return.
I guess I thought Andrew would propose, but he didn’t.
And the school year dragged on…
Winter 2012-13
That winter got even worse. He still hadn’t proposed, and he was the head wrestling coach. That meant he spent a lot of hours with the team either at practice or away each Saturday. I was left sitting in a small efficiency apartment by myself more than I wanted. I was a crab, and – looking back – I don’t know how he put up with me!
Spring 2013
I started looking for jobs elsewhere. I’d always said I wanted to be a college professor, so I applied for a couple positions that opened up.
I remember Andrew walking into my apartment one night asking me what I was doing. I point blank told him I had applied to be a college professor. He asked what that meant for us, and I not-so-politely responded that he “could figure it out”.
At that point I wasn’t sure if he was really interested in marrying me someday. I had moved across the state for him, given up being close to my family, giving up living in the Hills, and I had gotten nothing in return but his love. That should have been enough for me, but I was selfish and it wasn’t.
May 2013
Andrew proposed. 🙂
After what seemed like forever (which really wasn’t!), Andrew proposed. Both being teachers, we decided to have a summer 2014 wedding.
{Those of you were expecting a big, elaborate proposal story – there isn’t much of one! We had our last day of school inservice, and went out that night. The next morning Andrew went fishing, while I slept in. Later that morning he rushed into my apartment, ring box in one hand, and nervously got down on one knee to propose. Obviously I said yes! It wasn’t all that unique, but he used my full name and said it with love. That was enough for me! 🙂 }
I was in a much better place for the next year. I knew Andrew loved me. I knew he was committed. And I knew we would find a way to make all of this work. Come on – if he was willing to put up with crabby, snarky, resentful me – we could get through anything together!
I spent much of that next school year planning our wedding, actually attending wrestling events (which I found out I enjoy!), making friends in the small community we live in, and being happy.
(Being happy is so much easier than being crabby and resentful!)
May 2014
We got married in May 2014, just as we had planned. It really was the perfect day and went as well as either of us could have hoped! We had an amazing two week whirlwind honeymoon from Maine to Washington, DC where we took in numerous sites and enjoyed bouncing from state to state. Then we came back home to start married life together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obviously our story doesn’t end there. We added a little one in 2015, and we have another move planned for the future. So I guess “Part 3” of our love story may already be complete, but we’ll continue down this path for – hopefully! – many more years to come.
Thanks for sticking around to hear all about our love story! If you want to get more updates directly to your inbox each day, subscribe to our RSS field by clicking here. This will ensure you get a new e-mail update every time a new blog post goes live!