Yep, it's already been one year since Natalie and I said "I Do." This year has probably been the fastest I have ever experienced. So much has happened, and it happened very fast. After being married we got a relaxing summer to spend together, just sleeping in and enjoying each other's company. Then school started for both of us. My first quarter was really hard and it was an hour away from where we lived. A few months later, Natalie changed schools, and we had to move off campus. So in December we moved into a 3-story townhome. Very exciting. Natalie was especially excited because it finally felt like a home to her...I guess on-campus apartments at GCU doesn't exactly count as a cute place to live. I continued going to school and she started at her new college a couple months later. Since we got married we worked at the same place on the weekends, Fox Sports Grill in Glendale. I bartend and she serves. Just over a month ago she decided to transfer back to the Fox Sports Grill in Scottsdale because it has much better management and clientele. We also wenth through a change in churches. We irregularly attended a college/post-grad service called Element up at Highland Church, but we began to feel...I can't believe I'm saying this...too old for it. It didn't feel like a place where we could continue to grow and have fellowship. We tried a few other places, but didn't feel anything for any of them. Then we went to Palm Valley Church, where my brother and his wife attend. After the first sermon, we both got in the car, looked at each other, and said that this is the place for us right now. We've been there for a couple months, and we still feel the same way.
In psychology there's a stress scale where it maps out serious events that could take place in a person's life and it tells how much stress you've been under and from that they can predict your possibility of having a serious illness in the next few years because stress has eaten away at your immune system. We found that we have a very high rating on that test...and a high number of points is not good. Getting married is worth a lot, job change is worth a lot, school change (2) is worth a lot, church change is worth some points, and moving is worth a lot. All things we've done in one year. Despite all of this, we're as happy as can be. God has blessed us and truly taken care of us during our first year.
It's great to go through life with your best friend, knowing that you always have someone to talk to and listen to, and that person will still love you at the end of the day no matter how little you made at work that day or how you did on that test you didn't study for. Whatever has happened throughout the year we've done it while holding each other's hand and laughing together the whole way. God blessed me with an incredible and beautiful woman. We've had so much fun together, and we've learned so much together. I'm so glad that I have the rest of my life to love, learn, and live with her.
June 9th was the date of our 2nd anniversary. Natalie was in charge of our morning activities and I was in charge of our afternoon and night activities. Natalie surprised me with breakfast at our favorite Mimi's Cafe, some time at the driving range, and a 1-hour massage. I surprised her with a night at the Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale. We checked in early, relaxed by the pool, then got ready for our dinner reservations at Alto Restaurante, which is a fine italian restaurant that is famous there at the hotel. Included after the meal, was a gondola ride through the lake that surrounds the resort. We finished off the night with a walk around the resort, talking about our years together and we enjoyed a beautiful night on the lounge chairs on our top floor balcony, overlooking the lakes and golf course. It was a great night. And yes it was nice to be at a resort, and have a nice italian dinner, and gondola rides and all of that, but the best part was being with my wife - having her by my side. I married an incredible woman and I find out more and more every day just how wonderful she truly is. This past year has come with many challenges, but all of these challenges have brought us closer together and have made me realize just how strong and how supportive she really is and just how much I love her. Through our struggles she showed me how strong she can be for me and how she can hold me up when I can't seem to do it on my own. Through everything that happened, I never really felt at peace unless she was there by my side. Whenever she was around I could feel a part of me relax, and I felt more like it was going to be ok - because she was there with me. She is my favorite person to be with and the only one that I truly am relaxed around. My love for her grows more and more all the time. The pastor that we heard last week at church talked about how your capacity for love grows over time. This has been true with her. I never knew just how much I could love another person, but my love for her continues to grow all the time. She truly is my best friend. I hope that every year doesn't challenge us in quite the same way that this one has, but I know that when these hard times arise, we'll always meet them and get through them together, and as long as we're together, everything will be alright. 
