Dear Baby,

I was just thinking you might want to know how all this came to be. I met your dad when we were in college at NAU in Flagstaff. He is an amazing man. My favorite things about him are that he is unashamedly honest and very, very funny in a nonchalant way. Also, he’s very intelligent and gives of himself without hesitation. Anyway, Dad and I were assigned to work together one summer, and we connected instantly. We were already friends, so that made it even more fun. So we dated for a while, and then I graduated (I am 2.5 years older than your dad). The week of my graduation he asked me to marry him. I said yes. Dad spent the next year finishing college while I took my first teaching job (which will most likely be a topic revisited later in this blog), and then we got married in Tucson. Most of your extended family was there. It was a wonderful celebration. Then, we settled here in Phoenix. We’ve been married for just over 4 years, and about 2 months before our 5th Anniversary, we’ll meet you! One wish I have for you is that you will find a soul mate with whom you can spend your life. It makes everything great even greater and everything tragic less so.

Love,
Mama

Mom and Dad in 2000 at NAU

Our Wedding Day — December 28, 2002