It's a special day...

Back in 2003, I was a freshman in high school. This was me:



(I know, I know, I am so young...) I didn't particularly like the beginning of my first year in high school. It was awkward, kids were mean and snotty since they thought they were oh so cool, and I had just left my jr. high school that I loved so much. Needless to say, walking the halls at WFHS as a freshman took some getting used to.

Until I met this guy...

He was so cute to me, and not to mention a s.m.o.o.t.h. talker, and shortly after the start of our high school days, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Although we couldn't see it then, we were your typical high school romance: We would walk to every single class together; we would eat together in the cafeteria; we wrote notes to one another in nearly every period, and then desperately try and smuggle them into each others hand before the bell rang; we had our own secret spots where we could steal a quick smooch, then feel like total bad "A's" when we'd come out of hiding having just escaped getting caught; he was the baseball player, and I was a cheerleader; everyone knew us together, but hardly anyone knew us apart; we told each other "I love you", barely knowing what that really entailed; we had an "anniversary"; we talked on the phone for hours upon hours everyday after just seeing each other all day....I could go on forever. We were 4 years worth of mush for each other. And high school days after Jeremy weren't so hard for me any more. He made them easy, and fun for me every day.

I remember those days so vividly and how we made so many plans of how we would go off to college together (really it was I would follow him wherever he went), then get married, have kids...the whole works. We had set plans. We'd get serious about those plans for a minute or two, but then the next we'd be getting into our fancy clothes so we could go off to our ball, a.k.a our school dance, together. We made so many memories:

Our first spring dance




Before we knew it, we had been "dating" for 2 whole years! We celebrated every year, but this one was a big one. Jeremy planned a day in Destin where he took me on a sailboat dolphin cruise. I remember feeling that day that this wasn't just a temporary school yard relationship. I remember looking at him and being able to visualize me marrying this dude. He cared so much. He loved hard. He courted me and made me feel special. I felt beautiful with him. He was sensitive. I loved him.


We were inseparable


Our senior year was a big one. I think it hit us both that our school days were coming to an end. We were both scrambling to finish out the year with amazing grades, we were both haunted by the worry of getting accepted into college, we were trying to figure out how we were going to make those "plans" that we had set with one another come to fruition. Suddenly, things didn't look so easy anymore. But we had to put those thoughts aside to make one last beautiful senior memory: 12th grade PROM!!


In all actuality, our school prom sucked, but being there with my love was the highlight for me. We had made it so far. And Jeremy made the night beautiful for me.


To shorten this a bit, we graduated, moved in together, worked full time and Jeremy went to school full time, got our own apartment, and quickly became young adults. About a year after we graduated high school, Jeremy proposed to me. We were young, had no clue what we were doing or how we could afford such a thing, but one thing remained: We were crazy in love with each other, still, after so many years. There was no doubt in my mind that he was the guy I had always wanted. A year and a half of wedding planning led to this special day:

December 20, 2008






And here we are two more years later. That's a grand total of nearly 8 years together. Crazy! It amazes me that two 14 year old kids have grown into husband and wife. So all that to say:

Jeremy, I love you more than life itself. You are my first true love, and I am proud to call you husband. You have enriched my life, and I cannot remember it without you. Thank you for asking me to be your wife, and for wanting to spend the rest of your life with me. I know it has not always been perfect circumstances, but there is no other person I would rather walk these roads with than you. I am a better person because I married you, and I thank God for gracing me with such a beautiful companion. I love who you are and what you stand for. I love you so much, but my favorite thing is to stand here today and still be able to say that I am IN love with you. Happy anniversary, Love, and I can't wait for many many more!

Love,
Jessica Faith