Confessions of Teenage Bride

I was a teenage bride.

Ack. Can you believe it? Sometimes--okay, most times--I can't either. I know, I know. You're chalking it all up to our religion. "Ooohhhh, it's because you're Mormon." Um, guess again. Here's the tricky part--we were not involved with any church or religion at the time that we married. Oh sure, getting married at a younger age is more common in Utah, but still. I was NINETEEN. Ack. Did I say that already? ACK. That was not a very women's lib move for someone who has yet to even change her name.

Snowshoeing outside Steamboat Springs. Most fun we've had in ages. Sort of a scary-too-close-for-comfort-self-portrait. Sorry.

This adorable Mr. and I spent a lot of time talking about our marriage over the last week. We celebrated the big ELEVEN last weekend. Talk about lucking out right? Did you know that 60% of teenage marriages end in divorce within 10 years? Not a big shocker right?

We laughed about how, on paper, most people probably would have placed bets against us. How most people would have put us in a trailer park or would have put us in the same jobs we had when got married.

We laughed about how we had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA, NO CLUE, NO INKLING about what we were doing when we got married. I mean, seriously. NONE. We had no idea how hard it would be. We had no idea how crazy it would be. We had no idea what challenges would come our way. Or how blessed we would be. We just had no idea.

I guess maybe that's for the best?

Apparently, we are getting braver in our old age. This is the sign outside the hot springs above Steamboat. Remember how two years ago we went to one that made a point of telling all visitors that bathing suits were mandatory?? Lest your mind is getting away from you, do not fear. We high tailed it out of there so fast once the sun started to set! Trust me when I say that the people who were showing up at dark were a very interesting crowd.

Because, honestly, I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I had let this get away. If I had decided against it because it was too soon or we were too young or I was too scared (which I should have been and which we were and it was).

Oh sure, a few things may have been a bit easier or may have been a bit easier (school). But, we've agreed. We made each other what we are. We pushed each other, supported each other, trusted each other, and pushed each other some more.

Looking down on the springs. Don't strain your eyes. No nudies here.

I don't know exactly why we made it. Why we beat the odds. But, hard work has definitely been part of it. Faith eventually played a big role. Learning to disagree constructively is a big part. There's that whole love thing, of course. Anyway, I give him WAY more credit than me.

Eleven years. !!!!. Crazy. I love this Mr.. I love this marriage. Teenage bride or not, I wouldn't trade this for anything.