My Bonnie Irish Lass

Masterworks! We miss it :(

Three long years ago in the month of November, I told a Hannah how I felt about her, and so began our journey.  

I didn't "ask her out" as so many of my students assume.  We kind of just slipped into a relationship.  It was only after tense deliberation that Hannah and I decided November would be an anniversary month for us, because we had no specific date.

One moment of happiness!

Year one was awful.  Truly horrible.  Especially now as I look back, it wasn't fun for either of us.  We fought like mortal enemies, about things that mortal enemies usually fight about. Stupid things.  Still, it caused a lot of pain for both of us.  (I cherish now the opportunity to fight about important things as we plan for our wedding and future together.) It was truly a miracle that we managed to get through those first months.  A lot of anger. A lot of distrust.  Any other couple our age dealing with such strife might've ended things.  We were too stupid (or smart as it turns out) to know how bad it was. I'm certain both of us thought about a way to get out at some point, and Hannah actually did break up with me for about three months that summer.

 I loved her though, so that wasn't going to fly.

Hannah's first trip to Erie!

Year two was prefaced by our reuniting in October.  I had been a persistent pain-the-butt all summer, sending a few texts each day, always unanswered, telling her that I loved her, and when Hannah returned to school that fall, she got wise and realized we ought to still be together.  I think she'd even tell you that!  I'm ever-thankful for her decision.  My busy senior year brought a new set of challenges as my life became more and more unable to intertwine with hers.  Still, we managed.  Movie night. Pizza-and-wine night.  BSO night.  Few and far between were the times when we could really enjoy the company of the other.  We survived the year.  Less fighting. More trust.  We mentioned the prospect of marriage I imagine, though probably not with any conviction.

Engaged!

Our third year pulled us further apart still.  I wasn't a student anymore.  I had to work my big person job.  Hannah wasn't a fan of this.  We had less time together, and I had very little emotional stability as I struggled to survive at work.  I wish I had offered Hannah much more comfort than I did. I was/am selfish.  I'm working on that. What made matters worse was that Hannah and I had talked very seriously about getting married.   Waiting for someone to pop the question has got to be pretty awful.  Suffice it to say that after a tough start to the year, I earned BIG points for my Irish proposal.

Hannah and I now start into our fourth year together.  In the next few months, she'll student teach, audition for graduate school, graduate, and change her last name.  I think I probably have it easy.

We have weathered many storms. We will weather many more.  It bothers me though,  when people joke about how much fighting we'll do in our first year.  We've seen what fighting accomplishes, and we weren't impressed.  Sure, we'll bicker.  But Hannah and I expect relief in our first year, not conflict.  We've been waiting a long time for this.  Call us crazy, but we'll call you jealous when you see how great our marriage looks like after six months.  I'm in it to win it!  I know Hannah is too.

Here is where I may get in trouble.

My favorite picture of Hannah and me is one which I think depicts an amazing determination.  It shows that we mean business.  One afternoon I thought we would look funny as post-brawl thugs, so I worked some photoshop magic on said picture:

WARNING! GRUESOME!

 

Thugs.

To me, Hannah looks enraged with a calm resolve, even more than me.  She doesn't look like she'll go crazy at any moment, she looks to me like she's making a plan for the next rumble. This isn't just true in the picture.  Hannah is the most determined person I have even known.  Her work ethic is inspirational.  Her constant devotion is what I love most about her. She isn't ever going to allow ill fortune anywhere near our marriage.  She will punch problems in the face. What a badass fiance.

She's mine forever.