10th Anniversary

By Jen.

Today (December 14th, 2018) marks our 10th wedding anniversary. 10 years ago, the weekend after finals, we said our vows to each other on a surprisingly-warm Sunday afternoon. Commencing our nontraditional life together, we won’t say it has flown by, but it has been good.

Looking back, it is hard not to compare ourselves to others. Very few of our friends or family got married before us. We were really young.

Most People @ 10 years	Us @ 10 years
Multiple Children	No children
Paying down a mortgage on a house	Own & live in a van
Barely have time for each other with everything going on in their lives	Somehow get to be with each other all time. I even found myself a bit jealous when Jonathan was out with friends the other night and I wasn’t with him, haha. It was actually probably the most time we have spent apart in 2 years
Working their way up corporate ladders, building their own businesses, or trying to raise up children.	We are working on early retirement
Rarely get to travel	Spent approximately 3.5 years in full-time travel

We have seen our parents change jobs. We have seen our siblings try out their own relationships, welcoming 3 siblings-in-law and more friends. We started off with 1 nephew between us, and now we have 7 nieces and nephews.

• 3 Continents (North America, Australasia, Asia)
• 14 Countries
• 2 Campervans
• 150,000 Miles Driven

It maybe hard to believe, but even after 10 years, we regularly experience new "firsts" together.  Some good, some bad, and some just downright strange. Life has its way of keeping you on your toes, and we take them as they come.

We have done things a bit differently, but we definitely don’t regret it. There have been plenty of ups and downs. Don’t let anyone lie to you, relationships, especially long-term, are hard. But, we are 10 years and going strong. While there were days when I wondered if we would make it, I feel like the things we have weathered have strengthened our relationship. I am currently married to the love of my life and look forward to our future together.  I truly feel like we are just starting out.