Our Anniversary.

This entry is not so much about our anniversary this year, but the fact that we made it to that first one. We are celebrating 5 crazy wonderful years today. We actually spent the night in Memphis a few weeks ago because we are moving next weekend and knew life would be too hectic to slip away this week. Joe surprised me with Wicked tickets. It was very good. We ate on Beale, saw the show, slept late the next morning and had breakfast in bed- perfect.

Now back to that first year. We got married on July 24, 2004, went on a whirlwind of a honeymoon in New York, and moved to our new home- in West Point, MS. I started my brand new job - a staff nurse on a step down unit at NMMC- in Tupelo, an hour's drive. I worked 12 hour shifts, night shift for 2 months and then I jumped at an opportunity to go to the day shift. Unlike some night nurses, I never acclimated to the night hours. I was having to sleep 15 to 16 hours on my days off just to catch up, which meant I was never awake to see my new husband. So, I moved to the day shift, which was good, but it meant that I had to get up at 4:30 am to be in Tupelo on the floor by 6:45. The only real TV show that was on at 4:30 am (other than infomercials) was Walker Texas Ranger. I grew to love him, Joe, not so much. Joe was in grad school that whole first year. He would get up with me, study after I left, and then head to Starkville for a day of classes. By the time I got home at 8 to 9 o'clock he would have some kind of supper fixed and we'd drag to bed as soon as possible.

The first visit we made home, Joe's parents announced their separation. All is well now, but it took a very long time to get to this place.

Our first rental was a very large turn of the century home that had been split into 4 or 5 different apartments. Lots of mice, lots of noise, lots of bugs. The mice ran the place. One afternoon Joe walked in the back door to find me standing in a chair with the broom raised over my head. I was leaned over the garbage can I had covered with a cookie sheet. How that mouse got away I'll never know, but I never put my hand near a garbage can without checking twice again. We only made it a couple of months in that place. One night Joe and I were sitting in the living room watching TV. The neighbor's bathroom door was in our hallway. We heard the tub fill up with water and the water being turned off. Then we started hearing bathtub squeaks. Then we started hearing giggling- 2 different giggles, a high pitched giggle and a low pitched giggle. Then we decided it was time to move.

Our second rental in West Point was a 50+ year old single family home. It was in a older part of town. Our first purchase for this house was a handful of 2 x 4s to brace the windows so the top pane would not fall down resulting in an open window. Our next door neighbors had a medium sized black mutt (whose breed became untraceable no less than 6 generations ago) that would scratch through the hole in our fence and into our yard. The dog would crawl over and not very long afterwards we'd hear a knock at our door. I'd open the door, "Yes?". Usually a man would be standing there in a wife beater with a half smoked cigar, reaking of cheap beer, "Hey, I need to get Chrome out'd yo yard." And that was the extent of our weekly conversations.

Their children were fairly well behaved. They liked to jump on their trampoline, peer over into our yard and watch Tucker playing. One day Tucker and I were playing ball out back and I could see little heads bouncing up and down over the top of the fence. One of them yelled, "Hey. Hey ya'll. Look at dat show dog. Look at that show dog." I cracked up. Our little white puff of a puppy Tucker (at the time)pranced proudly.

The only problem we did have with those kids was they had a drum set. A drum set that stayed in their back yard. They never touched the thing. Except early on Saturday mornings. I kid you not, 6 am Saturday morning, Drum Practice.

We lived very close to the Bryan factory. Some days were smellier than others. Those pigs cooking (or whatever they do to them) has a very distinct smell, one I'll never forget. On the days I worked, when we were getting up so very early, we could hear them squeal while they were killing them. That'll stick with you too.

West Point wasn't all bad. Our landlords were the Baldwyns, who are the grandparents of some old friends of ours. Pappy had recently sold a small grocery store, but he still worked in the meat department. It was close to our place and we liked them very much. We also found a good church and took part in a Bible study that consisted of mostly women over 60 and us, but they were sweet. The best part about West Point was the walking trail that started over near the Bryan plant and made its way through the downtown area and to the other side of town. We spent hours on the trail with our new pup. It was very pretty, especially in the Fall. We were in shape in those days.

Joe and I decided we wanted to start hiking seriously. We wanted to do the Shenandoah section of the Appalachian Trail. We began our research and upon the advice of an acquaintance who had hiked the trail, we ordered a really good hiking guide book. It came in the mail the very day, after only 9 months of marriage (not five years like we'd planned), that we found out I was pregnant with Cate. Actually, it was the night before. I had not been feeling well for about a week. I kept thinking I had Mono. Then it occured to me that it might not be Mono, so Joe set out to Walmart. As he was on the aisle picking up the pregnancy test, a rough looking character Joe still calls an Old Testament Prophet, probably Elijah, said, "I hope it turns out like you need it to, Cuz." It did. We just didn't know it at the time.

I vomited almost every single day I was pregnant with her- no exaggeration. Even on the days I felt good most of the day, I'd still end up getting sick. Pregnancy does not agree with me.

So there we were, Joe was still in school and I was pregnant. Joe graduated in May and passed all 4 parts of the CPA exam on the first attempt, impressive, but it also felt very necessary.

On our 1 year anniversary, we moved into a wonderful apartment on Mud Island in Memphis and so far, it's all been downhill ever since.

I love my husband and adore the two precious and spirited girls he has given me. We are incredibly blessed. I could not ask for anything more. Happy Anniversary, Joe!

--Lauren