A DECADE

John and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary yesterday. He worked, so Susan and I visited him with the kids and had lunch at his work cafe. I had been working on a slideshow for our decade together, but it was so tedious it took so long to load on my ipad program, and now that it finished processing, I realize how much I left out, and wish I had picked better music selections (I didn't know they just repeat). Anyway, It was still a fun way to remember our decade of marriage condensed to 50 minutes. I am still uploading it to the blog, should be done later today though. In the meantime I found these entries from diaries/letters. It's kind of embarassing, but it's still nice to look back at when we were young (17,18,19)and think about how we were then. I was so distraught when he left for boot camp in 2003 and it was such an awkward time in my life. I am so happy we stayed together and that we have matured together as well. Having children with him has given me a purpose where there seemed to be none. :)

 Anyway check out these embarrassing diary entries from our senior yr:

Explanation: John was a bully. I was lonely and insecure most of high school; I had only had one 'real' boyfriend in high school. I was easy to pick on. His girlfriend at the time also hated me, so that probably didn't help. People think I am joking when I say 'my husband was my high school bully', but I have the proof haha.

 Dude, who's lonely enough to write in their journal during school? Ah...how I wish I could do it all over...not really though. 

We shared a few classes like English AP, and Statistics AP, and any time I would open my mouth to say anything, he would mock whatever I said. He even mocked my prolife shirts when I wore them to school. (Ironic that he is now a very adamant pro-life advocate and donor!) I even remember one day when he said some snide comment, I had all these things lined up in my head to 'attack' him with next time. 

I don't know if that "next time" ever came, but I was angry enough to write this in all CAPS lol.

Even my family knew who "John Hodge" was. They hated him for me, without ever having met him. 

And then one month later, he was all up in ma face. Here's how he asked me to prom:

"Did anybody even ask you?"

What a jerk right? I was actually going with my friend Kyle, who played bass guitar in my talent show band called, "Uh, ya got any gum?" But I ended up going with John. He asked for my number, and I wrote it in jungle green, labeled only with "Anti-feminist". I told him I wasn't looking to be girlfriend/boyfriend, just dating...haha. He told me, "You're going to be my girlfriend, and you're gonna like it."

And I was, and I did. :)

Here's a little portrait I made in the journal-I'm such a nerd. But I'm allowed to show it now because it's been 12 yrs and hey, I'm different now!

Got a little obsessed and attached. I mean, level 5 clinger. He left for boot camp and my life was empty. I didn't feel I could share my misery with my family because it was pathetic, and there were more important things to deal with. They liked John and were supportive of his ambitions in the Navy. I just felt kind of trapped and helpless. I moved to the valley with my sister Sarah and worked selling guitars at Sam Ash. 

He visited on leave a few times, and I visited him in South Carolina when he was in school to be a 'Nuke' Electrician's mate. He proposed on Christmas 2003. We were married 4-14-2004

And here's a letter John wrote me just before we got hitched. I loved getting letters from him!

It's awesome to have so many memories with this guy, and many more to come. So much history to share with our kids :) Love you Johnny. 

Gonna work on that dern slideshow now