third year's a charm...

Happy 3rd anniversary to us!

In typical Pecaut and Bram and Read fashion, I thought I'd take you on a little photo journey of the relationship that got Marty and I to where we are now, three moves, two new cars, and a baby later.

So let's take it back. Way back. Marty and I actually grew up together at church, so we've known each other for twenty-some years. Our families may have been in different social circles, but I always thought Marty was pretty smokin' fine. Even though he was my older brother's friend and I was six and a half years younger. A girl can dream, can't she? Regardless of how awkward it would be to end up with someone who your parents almost hired to babysit you for an evening?

Anyway, fast forward several lifetimes to my senior year of high school. Marty had just moved back to San Jose after attending the fire academy here in Redding. Our church's new worship pastor at the time was holding auditions for a vocal ensemble that would sing up front every week. My best friend Amanda encouraged me to try out, and boy was I glad I did. When Marty walked in, I nearly fainted. In the best way possible.

So began our friendship that quickly became more serious. Marty still claims that when he walked into the sanctuary that morning, he saw me and just knew that he was going to marry me. He didn't remember my name, and it took him a while to realize it was little ol' me, but he just knew I was his wifey-to-be. Took me a bit longer to come to that realization, but I made it.

We dated for two years, then Marty surprised me the morning after my twentieth birthday with a sunrise proposal in his parents' living room, complete with a pathway down the stairs covered in rose petals, candy canes (I'm a December baby), pictures of us, and little tea candles. I guess he had this elaborate speech planned but was too excited to deliver it. He just asked if I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him and I replied with a hearty, "Okay!" We spent the rest of the day in San Fran, where I was terrified someone was going to try to steal my gorgeous solitaire princess-cut single-carat engagement ring. I still don't have anything as valuable.

Anyway, we married nine months later on September 3rd, 2005 at the church we grew up in together. Pretty sentimental. We were joined by hundreds, and felt so so loved. We honeymooned in Texas after our Carribean cruise was canceled thanks to Hurricane Katrina, but despite the sudden change in plans, we were just thrilled to finally be married.

We moved to Fresno right away to chase a job opportunity for Marty, and I enjoyed picking up where I left off in my schooling, studying psychology at Fresno State, and working full time as a shift supervisor at Starbucks. We were busy little bees.

But thanks to Marty's job, we were still able to get out and about. We've been to Disneyland six times together as a couple. It's kind of our own little "Happiest Place on Earth".

We also enjoyed putting together a "Party Weekend" for our San Jose friends while we were down in Fresno. We had everyone stay with us for a weekend, watching movies, renting jet skiis and riding around on a local lake. A three hundred dollar grocery bill and thirteen dishwasher loads and fifteen sleeping bags spread out in our living room made for a great time. We loved being able to bless others with our little home.

Marty also surprised me with a trip to New York for my birthday to go see "Wicked" on Broadway. It was the trip of a lifetime for me, a musical theater buff, who had never seen the stage actor's "holy land". I was so excited about the show that I cried through most of it, mouthing the words to each song, and wishing I was onstage too. Central Park, the Rockefeller Center, shopping along 5th Avenue, dining at the prestigious "21 Club", Times Square, Ground Zero. My my my.

When our first anniversary rolled around, we decided to take off again and stayed at the same hotel we were in on our wedding night. Honeymoon suite and everything. We did some wine tasting at a local winery and just enjoyed being us.

Well, that night I "proposed" to Marty with a pacifier and asked if he would start a family with me. We got pregnant that night. Guess God was ready to have baby make three! What a miracle that was, since our health issues were supposed to keep us from being able to conceive very quickly. We really do think of little Mo as our precious surprise.

But despite our baby joy, we never really "clicked" in Fresno. It isn't exactly a family-friendly community, seeing as how people get shot in local mall parking lots pretty regularly. So when Marty got laid off in January of 2007 due to the falling mortgage industry, we were excited about exploring other options. Nevermind that we were five months pregnant at the time.

We took a little break from everything and went to visit my brother and his wife in Seattle--to clear our heads and pray over where God wanted us to go from there.

Enter Redding. A job offer came through and we practically jumped at the chance. I was into my eighth month by then and was the size of a cow, so it was pretty hard to get everything packed up and moved, but we made it somehow and settled into our little apartment.

About a month later, Marty number four joined our little family. That's another story in itself, but just know it really strengthened our marriage and drew us closer together, since neither of us had any idea what to do with the little booger. When we brought him home from the hospital, we literally set him down and said, "Okay, that was fun. Now what?"

That "now what" eventually blossomed into the life we just love to pieces. We have an adorable son that we thank God for even in the midst of the poopiest diapers, we're in a beautiful house whose constant need for upkeep just adds to its charm, we have the best friends a couple of nerds could ever ask for, and a church community that constantly reminds us of how good God really is.

Sure, in our time together, we've dealt with more than most people will in a lifetime, but we've managed to smile even through our tears. In the midst of our chronic illnesses flaring up, emergency hospital visits, being so broke we only ate rice for a week or two, both losing a grandmother, getting laid off twice, and completely uprooting our lives to chase a job more than once, we've embraced the opportunities to grow closer together and fight as one.

As a result, three years into our marriage we are happier than we have ever been. Which is hard to believe, since we've said the same thing almost every day since we first "met".

We look forward to seeing where the next however-many years will take our marriage. What a joy to know we have a lifetime of lessons to learn and love to give.

Bring it on! We'll be dancing and laughing our way in to year number three...