Thirteen years ago, we woke up and drank coffee together.

We had a whirlwind romance – only knowing each other for a few months when we got engaged, and 3 months later it was March 3, 2003.

Our wedding day.

We laughed nervously. We fed the baby. We smiled at each other when the other one wasn’t looking. We showered and got dressed in our new clothes; Randy refused to wear a long sleeved button up shirt, but at least he wore a tie. Ashley insisted on wearing her favorite jean jacket from high school, because she couldn’t find a white dress anywhere that didn’t cost more than $50.

And then we headed down to the courthouse in Indio to get married. We didn’t care about the wedding itself so much … we didn’t care about the flowers or having a beautiful white dress, or fancy suits and a lavish catered wedding. Randy’s wedding ring was a simple gold band and Ashley’s didn’t even have diamonds – it was made of beautiful purple tanzanite (which, by the way, we are so happy to see is becoming in vogue for jewelry!).

We just wanted to be married. 

We remember feeling so grown up despite only being nineteen, realizing and respecting the gravity of the vows we were taking.

Thirteen years later.

It’s crazy to think how much those traditional vows have gotten us through the last thirteen years … through sickness and health, through better or worse, for richer or poorer. We’ve gone through them all,

together.

While it feels like yesterday that we made the promise to love each other for the rest of our lives … we can’t remember a time without the other.

If we learned anything from our small wedding (as well as our 10 year vow renewal) … at the end of the day, it’s about the two of us. It’s about our love, the respect, the laughter, the forgiveness, the patience and everything else marriage is about.

Happy 13th wedding anniversary to us! <3