Today is November 16th, 2012.
Three years and two days ago Oz and I went to a mutual friends celebration of one year sober. A glorious and worthy celebration it was. That night Oz and I finally had the chance after a handful of years of just missing each other to actually sit down and talk.
catch up.
reminisce.
learn.
chat.
laugh.
You see, we first met when we were 17. Don’t ask us how…neither of us can actually remember our first exchange.
he liked me.
I liked a boy. A different boy.
Or so that’s what I told him.
(I know…I’m such a brat!)
Graduate.
College.
Me, New Zealand.
Me,Home.
Him, China.
Him, Home
My boyfriend.
My Break-up.
His girlfriend.
No break-up.
My boyfriend.
See what I mean? Just barely missing each other.
His break-up.
My break-up.
Finally…both single. both 22. five years of quick email chats and updates, but nothing more. Until November 14th, 2009.
We came back into the house after playing ukulele on the porch with a couple other people. He was the only person, besides the gal we were there to celebrate, that I actually knew. I made myself look busy at the food table as he effortlessly made small talk with two older British women. I thought to myself, Man, he has really grown into a great guy. I’m glad we’re friends again.
It was cold that night. Peacoat weather. But it was toasty inside. Hence his next move. He -without breaking the flow of conversation with his two new friends – takes off his Peacoat and hangs it on the chair just inches away from me.
That. Exact. Moment.
It was like a veil was lifted and 5 years of acquaintanceship suddenly was this overwhelming gush of feelings. Gushy, heart-throbbing feelings.
Holy crap! It was my mission in life the rest of the night to not make an absolute fool out of myself by accidentally flirting with him. Play. It. Cool. I seemed to hide it well though because I later found out Oz didn’t know I liked him for a while. Too well, Bee…too well.
The next morning I spilled to my mom the story of my surprise and unexpected feelings for “the guy from high school…remember? He’s the one who really likes China…”
Just as we were talking I get a text from said boy. After giddy and witty exchanges and me having paced every square foot of my living room it was set.
“So, Monday it is then. Let’s do Swami’s at 9.”
“Rad, sounds great! See you then!”
We were going to on a breakfast date. Well, wait…does he think this is a date? Does he think I don’t think it’s a date? Is he just wanting to catch up still with “his good’ol friend”? Okay, okay. calm down. It’s fine.
November 16th, 2009. Breakfast at Swami’s.
He paid. For his. I paid. For mine.
I take the blame for that one. I didn’t want him to think I assumed this was a date if he didn’t want it to be a date – how awkward would that be?! So, I offered a ten to cover my food. Come to find out, when I offered the money, he thought that meant I wanted to make sure he knew this wasn’t a date, but he wanted it to be a date. He thought it was a date. I thought it was a date. Until I didn’t think it was a date. That’s when I paid for myself.
We then moved over to his ’89 pick-up truck to jam on the ukuleles. This moment set our dating soundtrack in stone. The sounds of Beirut, Jake Shimabukuro, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s and Sigur Ros will forever bring me back to our adventures in early love.
The rest is history. We could hardly stand going a day without seeing each other. And we rarely did. I’m sure our family and friends thought we were so pathetic, but we didn’t care. I had never ever felt such deep love for someone until Oz. After 8 months of togetherness, hiking adventures, banana creme pie eating, movie watching, sunrises and sunsets, beach picnics and trespassing, monthiversary breakfast dates and music playing, he asked me to join him in the craziest adventure we’ve ever embarked on : Marriage.
The next season of engagement of five and a half months was quite the roller coaster. And now, 1 year, 10 months and 15 days into our marriage, we are still adventuring and growing and learning what it truly means to commit and promise, love and cherish and enjoy and edify and honor and respect and support and relax and embrace each other in every season we enter. We are daily in need of our Father’s grace for ourselves and for each other. Who isn’t?
We have had a diverse, lively and unpredictable 3 years. This morning it really settled in that we have the rest of our lives together to figure this thing out and I found such peace in that. We’re just beginning on this journey. It’s still fresh and new and mysterious.
May we continue to surrender our will and mind and hearts to J-sus so that He can continue to shape us into the absolute best for Him, for each other, for our family and everyone else we share life with.
Today we celebrate three years together. Here’s to three more. (and then some…)
There were hardly times when we’d venture out somewhere, anywhere without at least one uke.
With all of our friends getting married, we always had fancy dates planned 🙂
Dating at weddings…
Austin spent 6 weeks in Shanghai getting TEFL certified…upon his return he asked me one mighty big question…
I said yes!!
He saw me for the first time and wept…
We were overjoyed…
Humbled and blessed.
First dance to Devendra Banhart’s “Baby”
H o n e y m o o n i n g up the Californian coast!
Our first cooked meal in our new abode.
Our real honeymoon to Spain and Portugal.
Celebrating birthdays and facial hair.
Our amazing trip to Haiti with with our church.
The Golden hour in our sweet abode.
Luke & Kate work wonders with the camera Check out He and She !
{{all wedding ceremony photography was done by our amazing friends Willy & Meghan}}
Thanks for reading and celebrating with us. We hope your adventures in love also bring you to a place of gratitude, humility, grace and joy. Cheers to Love!
XO – Bee
ozandbee 