Five Years Together- all began July 17, 2004

Mr. and Mrs. Baker

This week I have been thinking a lot about all that has occurred in five years of married life. Let's look at the basic statistics first:

Geographically-
Lived in Three States:
*Iowa for 6 weeks
*New Jersey for 3 years
*Wisconsin for 2+ years

Apartment/Housing
Six different addresses:
*College Apartment 6 weeks in Sioux City
*1 bedroom apt in Princeton for 2 years
*2 bedroom apt in Princeton for 1 year (thank you Little A.!)
*basement of church members in WI for 6 weeks
*rented condo for 9 months
*purchased home for 13 months+

Travel
some highlights-
*at least 13 round-trip airplane rides in the past 5 years
*stepped foot into both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
*Colorado family reunion
*Vegas spring break trip with A.
*California spring break trip for early 5 year anniversary/his work,
*many NYC experiences and 3 Broadway shows
*countless miles and hours spent in car traveling to and from family once we moved back to the midwest

Family
*We have an amazing three year old girl who has been such an important part of our life for 3 years (plus the nine months in my tummy!)
*I think we can confidently say we have "family" scattered all over the U.S. The New Jersey years really gave us the opportunity to create our own family- some still live in NJ but some have moved to TX, GA, CA, NH, DC... people tease me for the number of friends on facebook- but we have been blessed to meet so many people with all our moving adventures!

Us
(I just spoke on the phone to my grandma this week and heard her tell her love story- it made me want to write mine down. Its kind of lengthy so don't feel like you HAVE to read it!)

Our story probably began September 2001. We were both tutors at the college (me: math, he: religion, history). He seemed like a nice enough guy, we talked some but then I didn't see much of him for a few months. In November we went on a choir trip together to IL. At the time we were both dating someone. For some CRAZY reason, I uncharacteristically got the nerve to ask him if he wanted to sit by me on the 6 hour bus ride home. As we talked, I clearly remember thinking, "I could marry a guy like Andy B someday." Months went by. Its February. His best friend was dating a good friend of mine. She told me he was asking about me.
I still vividly remember sitting at the computer, instant messaging with him. I had a frozen pizza ready to pop in the oven but my friend suggested that he might ask me to go out to dinner with a group that night. Eventually he did ask and I said I would go. He had me walk to his place and I later discovered it was his birthday! (I do not count this as a date because he did not pick me up and it was SO friend-like!) A few days later he invited me to his fraternity formal. I again assumed this was just as friends. We went to the formal together and had a nice time- I still wasn't sure if there was anything there (I really dont like this pic so I am keeping it small!) The next day he uncharacteristically called me and was very honest with me. He was leaving for a choir tour but asked me on a date, Mar 8, 2002.
We went to dinner and rented a dumb movie, Rat Race. We talked a lot and I was surprised how honest and open I was with him. Then it was spring break and we went a week without seeing eachother. In May I went to Greece/Italy for three weeks on a school trip. Andy bought the ring while I was gone. June 15, 2002 he proposed to me at the church camp he worked at. We enjoyed having another year of college being engagedthen we lived 3 hours apart as he finished up a year of school and I taught in eastern Iowa. And finally, July 17, 2004 we made the commitment before God and our family to love each other forever.

As all married people know, it is not always a smooth ride with clearly marked directions telling you what turn to take and when. It is easy for me to be selfish in my decisions or demand things from him that are not fair. Somehow he continues to love me through it all. I look forward to continue climbing all the hills of life together. A friend gave me a picture with this quote that I love, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." MLK Jr.
Isnt that so true of life though- what will the next five years look like for us??? What state(s) will we live in? How many roofs will be over our heads? Will we have more children?What will it be like to have a daughter who is 8? It is when all these questions start feeling overwhelming that I simply remind myself, Believing that faith in Him will get us through all situations in life. None of us know what tomorrow brings, let alone five years. I am just thankful to be blessed with the life I have. I am married to a man who truly loves me, really enjoy my job of teaching mathematics, enjoy sharing our life with our daughter, and have a great relationship with my extended family!

__*__*__*__*__*__*__*__*__*__*__*__*__*__*__

Happy 5 Year Anniversary, Love! May the next five years be filled with just as many happy memories and a continued love for eachother and a growing bond with Christ. Just as our first dance song said, 'Come What May'. Little did we know the things we would face, but through God's amazing grace we are closer today than we were at 22! I look forward to standing beside you, holding your hand, crying in your arms, and laughing together for another 60 years! As our wedding song said, 'I will be here.' As you wrote in my first anniversary card, "Here's to a life of love, trials, memories, and an eternity together through the love of God." -Forever yours, Andrea