8

It's our 8th wedding anniversary today so I thought that I would post a bit about our life together (so far):

I was 25 when we married. At the time of our marriage I was living in the South of England and D was living in the North of England. We had spent two years doing a long distance relationship and then, one day, we decided enough was enough, we couldn't face another winter of travelling.

It wasn't the only reason we decided to get married. Our relationship was at the stage where we needed to either take it to the next level or part. So, we decided to take it up two levels and managed to arrange our wedding within 6 months. In November 2000 I handed my notice in at work, got married, packed up all my belongings, jumped in a car with my new husband and moved to the other side of the country. I had no job and I knew no one (except the in-laws). Looking back, it was a very stressful time. I put on a lot of weight and D and I struggled to adjust to our new life.

I managed to get some work about 6 months after relocating. I got my first permanent position in 2001 and then in December 2002 I finally got a qualified position and I have been doing the same job ever since.

It was definitely the hardest time in my life - getting married, giving up a job I loved, moving across the country and living with my husband for the first time. Things could have turned out so very different, we took quite a gamble in getting married before living together. I don't think we would still be together if we had just moved in with each other, without a ring on my finger, a certificate and the vowels we shared it would have been so much easier to walk away when the going got tough.

Today, I love my husband more than ever, I am truly grateful that we have spent the last 8 years together and I hope we get to share many more.