Dear Cara,
You’ve dreamed of falling in love and having a fairy tale wedding all of your life, and the day has finally arrived.
You just picked up your future husband from the airport the night before and you’re trying to figure out how to pack 8 billion things into the next 6 days while he’s home on leave, but remember to slow down and enjoy all of the beautiful moments.
After hopelessly falling for that cute boy at your first real job, you and he have been dating for 3 years now and you both couldn’t be happier. It was rough there for a little while when he told you he was joining the Navy and after he first left for boot camp. You were both so young and at first it seemed like it was best to simply go your separate ways. But God had different plans for you both.
You ended up visiting him on his graduation day, and once you were together again you both realized you never wanted to be apart. And as you were casually walking down the streets of Chicago, holding hands, that’s when he said to you “Let’s do it. Let’s get married, Cara.”And of course, you said yes, and immediately felt on top of the world.
Now, only 7 months later it is your wedding day and you couldn’t be more excited to say “I do” to your best friend. Although you may have tiny butterflies floating around in your stomach all afternoon, you’ll know without a doubt in your mind that he’s “the one”.
Right before the ceremony, you’ll hug your best friend and she’ll tell you don’t be nervous, but the moment your dad sees you, you’ll both tear up a little. After all, you are daddy’s little girl. Thankfully, all of the nerves will immediately go away once you begin to walk down the aisle towards your future husband and he looks at you with those gorgeous brown eyes and smiles.
You’ll both say the sweetest vows to each other and in front of God, your families, and friends, will make a promise and commitment to one another. After sealing the promise with a kiss, you’ll turn to the crowd and be introduced as the new Mr. and Mrs. and will both feel on top of the world. You’ll feel like this is the absolute best moment you’ll ever experience together, and for a while that will be true. But just remember, this is only the beginning of your beautiful life together.
After a 3 day honey-moon you’ll sadly have to tell your husband goodbye as he goes back to his Naval station in Japan. At 19 years old, you’ll spend many nights crying and wondering how you’re going to get through being apart, but the distance and time apart will only make your relationship grow that much stronger.
You’ll learn to trust each other and will make the most of all of the sweet e-mails, texts, and Skype calls. Even though you’ll have days where you’ll be envious of all of the couples around you who can actually see and touch each other in person, you’ll learn to hold tight to the love you share between each other and know it will all be worth it in the end.
When you finally do get to move in and be with your husband, it will take you both some time to adjust to being husband and wife and to get used to living together. You’ll have many silly, petty fights in the beginning but remember to never go to bed angry, and always kiss each other good night.
Before you know it, you’ll find out the best news in the world- you’re pregnant! This wonderful news will turn out to be one of the greatest blessings for you both, and will bring you so much closer together. You’ll spend hours dreaming, wondering, and planning what it’s going to be like being parents and when the moment finally arrives and you have a brand new baby boy, it will be the best feeling in the world.
You’ll love being a mother and a wife more than anything- so much that exactly 12 months later you and your husband will decide it’s time to have another and you’ll get pregnant with #2. Another precious baby boy, of course. Once your second boy arrives, you’ll feel your world is complete.
You’ll sit in the hospital, while holding your new sweet bundle of joy and in that moment realize that every step that led you to meeting your husband was all part of God’s plan for you both. You’ll know that he always wanted you and your husband to be together and that he knew one day you would both become wonderful parents to two of the sweetest boys in the world. You’ll realize that every struggle, hardship, and roadblock that ever came your way was only his way of showing you how much you truly loved each other and in the end you’ll be thankful for every single moment you shared together, the good and the bad.
Each year, you’ll sit back and ponder how far you and he have both came and will think to yourselves “How have we been together this long?” But at the end of the day, without a doubt in your mind, you’ll know that your husband is your best friend, your sweetheart, your partner, the father of your children, and the love of your life. You’ll always love him until the day you leave this earth and you’ll know that he loves you the same.
And although you’ll think all of the love stories out there are beautiful, yours and his will always be your favorite.
My husband and I just celebrated our 7th Anniversary this past Sunday, and after being together for a decade we couldn’t be happier. God truly has blessed us so much in our lives with two beautiful boys and I’m so thankful for the life we have together. Here’s a photo of us that was taken right before our date.
Have a Wonderful Wednesday and Thanks for Stopping By!-Cara
Linking up with Wonderful Wednesday, Pin Worthy Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday, Ladies Collective Linkup, Thursday Favorite Things, and Think Tank Thursday
Love you. Great letter and remember I will always be your Daddy and you will always be my little girl. Love you and Rob and the little buddies.
Thanks love you too.
What a thoughtful post – thanks so much for sharing with your readers. Stopping by from the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop . . . hope to connect with you again this week at the hop! Nina @ Vintage Mama’s Cottage
Aw thank-you, Nina! 🙂
BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL
Thank you for spreading so much positivity about marriage!
Aw thank-you! 🙂
What a sweet letter to document your love story. It’s fun to look back and see how those hard times were stepping stones to all the really wonderful times. Happy anniversary!
Thank-you! 🙂
Happy Anniversary! Your letter was very touching, and I am glad I got to read your story and learn a little bit more about you!
Thank-you! 🙂
This is so sweet – happy anniversary!
Thank-you! 🙂
Awww, so sweet! Congrats on 7 years, I’m celebrating 11 years in a couple of weeks! Crazy how fast time goes!
Thank-you! Congrats to you as well! It seems like it flies by 🙂
What a beautiful memento you created, and it will probably become even more precious as you have more years together. Congratulations on 7 years, and I truly wish you many more. My sweet hubby and I have loved each other for 46+ years….not all of them have been perfectly happy but always worth whatever it took to keep going. Just keep on loving each other!
Warm hugs,
Carol
Great advice, Carol! Congratulations to you and your husband! 🙂
Such a sweet letter!!!!!! Happy Anniversary!
Thanks Nadine! 🙂
Beautifully written! 🙂
Thank-you! 🙂
God opens the doors He wants us to go through. My prayer each day is that He shows me how to go through them with as much faith and grace as I can. It sounds like He’s shown you how to navigate the doors He wants you to enter as well. God Bless,
Brenda Coffee
That is so true Brenda! Thank-you for the kind words! 🙂
What a sweet post!
I am getting married this November and time is just flying by and I feel like it’ll be here before I know it.
xoxo, Jenny
Thank-you! Congratulations and enjoy every moment, it goes by quickly! 🙂
Congratulations on your anniversary – thank you for sharing your sweet letter with Pin Worthy Wednesday
Thank-you so much!
This is one of the sweetest post I read today, thank you so much for sharing. You’re right about getting married is just another start to a new life and there’s a ton to learn and adapt to each others’ little quirks. Congratulations on 7 years and I wish many more to come for the both of you.
Shireen | Reflection of Sanity
Aw thank-you! You are right it does take time to adjust to all the little quirks of one another but if you can learn to laugh and have fun everything works out just fine 🙂 I appreciate the well-wishes and extremely kind words!
This is too sweet! Happy Anniversary <3
Thanks Kate! 🙂
Happy anniversary this was lovely!
Thank-you! 🙂
This is seriously so sweet!
Thank-you!
Okay now as Paul Harvey said and “This is the rest of the story” Yes you are my little girl and the only one that I will ever have and yes I told Rob that he better Love you always and take care of you. He has done this and am proud to have him as a son-in-law. I am very thankful the the 2 little boys that you have brought into the world and me and your mommy love them very much. There was not walking down the aisle it was like you dragging me down the aisle. A Dad should of got at least one dance with his daughter and that did not happen. I was sad about that but as you will learn everything is not always the way it should turn out. Me and your Mommy have been married for 30 years now and we have had our ups and downs, but most of the time it has been my fault. Just always put your faith and trust in the Lord and never not forgive if you do have a fight and remember the vows .. Until death do you part. Love you Dad
Love you too. Lol and yes I know I was practically sprinting down the aisle-haha.
How beautiful! This gave me goosebumps! Happy Anniversary!
Aw thanks Leslie! 🙂
I teared up reading this. I wish I had thought to write a letter to myself on my wedding day. I can’t imagine sending my hubby back to his Naval base only 3 days after we became husband and wife. You are an amazing woman and truly an inspiration. Thank You to You and Your Husband for his sacrifice to protect us!
Aw thank-you Leslie and thank-you for your extremely kind words! 🙂
Oh my goodness, how beautiful! Happy Anniversary. Such a sweet story, and so moving. Also, beautiful photo!
Thank-you so much! 🙂
Awww! Happy belated anniversary! This is such a sweet post!
Thanks Lauren! 🙂
Oh my gosh! What a sweet and beautiful letter! Happy Anniversary!
Thanks Lexi! 🙂
This was so sweet!!! Congrats on your 7 yr anniversary!! That is exciting!!! Wishing y’all many more happy years.
Thank-you so much Mistle! 🙂
What a beautiful keepsake to pass down. Great to remember your feeling on that day
Thank-you Candy! I was thinking the same thing when I posted it, that I bet it will be neat to look back on 10 years from now and to see how much has changed in that amount of time as well. 🙂
Beautiful post!! Happy Anniversary!
Thank-you! 🙂
Happy Anniversary! This is a beautiful letter and a wonderful way to celebrate your marriage! Enjoy
Thank-you so much! 🙂
What a beautiful story and a beautiful couple! Congratulations!
Thank-you Katie! So sweet of you to say! 🙂
This is so precious!!
When I photograph a wedding, I see the brides & wonder what their life holds for them. It’s always an adventure, isn’t it. 🙂
Thank-you! It definitely is. It’s so interesting to sort of look back on it all and realize how different things turn out that what you originally thought (but in a good way). I bet that is fun photographing weddings! 🙂
So lovely! Happy anniversary!
Through thick and thin, it’s good when you know you wouldn’t change any of it for anything.
Thank-you! 🙂 I definitely wouldn’t because all those hard moments teach you lessons, and sometimes you have to go through rough patches to truly appreciate what you have, in my humble opinion.
So sweet. Sounds like it is working out. 😉
Thank-you, it is! 🙂
This is so sweet. Happy anniversary!!
http://www.amemoryofus.com
Thank-you, Darcy! 🙂
So beautiful and well written! Happy Anniversary!
Thank-you! 🙂
Such a sweet post!! I love it! Happy Anniversary! Loved getting to hear yalls story a little more 🙂
Thank-you! 🙂 I think it’s always neat to see everyone’s love story and how they first met, and I enjoy reading those kind of stories.
Happy anniversary girlie!!! Such a sweet story of young love!! I can’t imagine how you did that first time apart… That would have been SO HARD!!
Thanks Sara! 🙂 It definitely was challenging for sure, but college homework kept me busy most days thankfully-haha
Cara, I adored this post! It made me tear up : ) I love that I got to learn so much more about you through this letter to yourself. I can’t imagine how difficult and emotional it must have been to fall in love and get married so young and then to deal with your husband being in the navy. You are both stronger because of it. What a sweet story. You have a beautiful family.
Aw, thank you for all your kind words Lindsay! It was definitely tough at times, but looking back on it all now I wouldn’t change a thing because it made us the people we are today and led us to the wonderful life we have together now. Thanks again! 🙂
Happy anniversary!! You’re both beautiful and you are a wonderful writer! This brought tears to my eyes and I just imagine you’re the best wife ever!
Aw, thank-you so much! We balance each other out really well. 🙂
What a sweet, sweet story! I’m getting married next year and although it’s still a year and a half away, I am beyond excited. I know that it will go by so fast, because we’ve already been engaged for 6 months, and that FLEW by!
Thank-you! It does go by so quickly! Enjoy every minute and congratulations 🙂
This is so sweet! True love story!
Thank-you so much, Ashley!
What I lovely story. I almost felt that crying reading it (in a good way)! I’m so glad everything has worked out for you. Beautifully written! All the best and keep up the great work ☺
Aw thank-you so much! 🙂