I'd like to say that from the moment I saw him I knew that we would be together forever. That I somehow knew he would be a big part of my life for as long as I lived. That it was love at first sight. But those things don't exist.
When I first met him, what struck me immediately was how much he looked like my childhood/high school sweetheart. I'm not ashamed to admit, that nearly shut it down before it began. But he had a way about him that made him appealing despite his resemblance to my first love. He was bright, funny, articulate, and best of all, he expected nothing from me. He simply allowed me to be the person I was.
Over the next few months, long conversations both at work and driving around Anchorage in the middle of the night lead us to get closer and closer. We discussed having a purely physical relationship. I'd just gotten out of a bad "marriage" and was in no way ready to start something new. I had no idea how to love myself, how could I possibly love someone else. So we decided that as soon as he got transferred to another store (which was supposed to be in a month) we would start that. It couldn't be sooner. I was technically his boss, and I wouldn't go down that road as long as that was true. So we waited, and talked, and got to know each other, and learned many things about ourselves and about each other. His transfer kept being pushed back as the other location's opening was put on hold, so I saw him every day. We became friends without trying and fell in love without meaning to. It was the most natural thing in the world.
When the time finally came to begin the physical aspect of our relationship, it was already too late. We were both already deeply in love. It's amazing how he became the most important man in my life without really even trying.
We've been together for 11 years now. We've been married for almost 10 and we have 3 beautiful and amazing children. It's incredible to see how far we have come, starting out wanting a friendly booty call when the desire came. Life has thrown everything it can at us, and we're still standing. Stronger than we've ever been. Every obstacle is just another chance to prove to the world and each other that there is no place either of us would rather be.
Don't take that to mean we never fight. If two people in a relationship always agree, one of them isn't necessary. But we never let the fight overwhelm us. We disagree, but we talk and we work through it. We build each other up and we listen. Our life and relationship isn't perfect, but it's perfect for us.
He is my beloved and I can't imagine life without him.