410,140,800 seconds ago the sun was hot, the humidity high and I was about to marry the girl of my dreams. I learned later that my dreams would never be as good as the reality that followed. Happy 13th Anniversary to my wonderful wifey Rachelle Eash.
It all started December 9th 1992 when a cute girl from the color guard finally said yes to being my girlfriend. I was a freshman and she a sophomore. It was a few weeks later ~December 28th, when I finally got that to kiss that shy gal while riding “The Haunted Mansion” at Disney's Magic Kingdom during the band trip to the Gator Bowl. This trip, our first together would not be our last.
The high school years that followed were filled with long nights on the telephone; waiting to see who'd hang up first, and chatting about when we'd see each other again. I fell asleep more than once while sitting cross-ways in that comfy chair talking late into the night. We knew pretty early on that we'd get married one day, we talked about what we wanted in life and how we'd grow old together. Then the inevitable happened Rachelle graduated and went to college at Ball State leaving me alone at home.
The distance didn't stifle our relationship, we wouldn't let it. We continued to talk on the phone, and send email. I would visit her often on the weekends, one time we even concocted a plan where she would call into the school for me, so I could leave early that Friday and head to see her... It mostly worked :)
A year later, I graduated and went to Manchester College. While closer, it was still about 1.5 hours between schools. Thinking back, I’m wondering how many miles we put on vehicles between 1996 and 1998... Must have been a lot! We traveled between Muncie and North Manchester so many times, we had the trip memorized. One little town “Bippus” was in between, and we always joked about how one day that would be a great name for our first dog.
In 1997 we decided it was time to revisit Orlando and the Magic Kingdom. Little did Rachelle know, she was being set up. Maybe she’d overlooked the timing, but she’d soon be reminded. She did decide to drive the last few hours, which put a wrinkle in my plan.. You see I’d changed the hotel we were going to stay on Disney property instead. Luckily for me, she was (still is) directionally challenged and followed my directions. It wasn’t till she pulled up to the gate of the resort that she realized we’d had a change of plans.
I’d been keeping a secret for months, and being this close made it so hard to continue. Little did she know, that I’d tucked a diamond ring in the bottom of my camera bag. I carried that thing around all day, at one point she was carrying it.
Finally it was the time I’d been waiting for as we approached The Haunted Mansion, it was show time. We rode the ride just like before, and I snuck in my kiss. :) Then afterward it was time to take a photo. I had her stay put as I shared my plan with an unsuspecting line attendant. I remember telling her, “just keep taking photos!“ I dropped to one knee and asked the love of my life to be my wife. I was only afterward, by the roar of applause and whistles, that we realized how many people were witness to this event, one that I’ll never forget.
The wedding planning started quickly, we had a lot to do and we did it mostly on our own. The date, August 8 1998. (8/8/98) one that I could easily remember. The time High Noon! With the help of family, friends, and strangers we made it all happen. The days leading up to the wedding was full of excitement. Rachelle and her girlfriends stayed up late decorating the reception hall, I was up early with my guys to set up the wedding site, and rain was in the forecast. I made the decision to go forward and we did.
410,140,800 seconds ago the sun was hot, the humidity high and I was about to marry the girl of my dreams. Nothing would stop us now, especially the heat of the day! It was an amazing feeling to know that the future we’d spent so many long nights talking about was about to begin. The love of my life was walking down the isle to be my bride. She was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.
The wedding was a success, so many family and friends in attendance. On to the party! I could go on and on with details, as the day was certainly to remember. That night, exhausted from the planning and excitement … we slept!
The 13 years that have followed have been amazing, challenging, exciting, trying, rewarding, and loving. To say the least, marriage is not simple or for the faint of heart. We have been through many ups and downs. The good times and the bad, but in the end we’ve always come back to what is important. Our Love for one another.
We got or first cat "Bippus" in 1998, we bought our first home in Pendleton in 1999. On September 10th 2001 we found out that Rachelle was pregnant with twins. On April 19th 2002 Nolan and Jillian made their presence into the world. In July of 2003 we moved to our second home, August I started a new job and on September 5th 2003 Sullivan was born, and dealing with 3 hungry little mouths was not an easy task. Rachelle has always an amazing mother to our children, I’ve yet to figure out how she does it!
January 29th, 2007 brought our next little bundle of joy Brendan who came into the world smiling and hasn’t stopped yet. In 2008 we moved yet again. This move was followed by a new baby boy Adrian; born October 1st 2009.
Together, we’ve managed to continue to grow our family and our relationship. It’s funny when you look back and think about the dreams we shared so many years ago. We’ve achieved so many of them. I can say, that I know without a doubt, that these dreams would have not been possible had we not been such a team.
I don’t recall who to credit for it, but someone once called us “Team Eash”. It’s amazing how appropriate that name really is. One of the strongest features of our marriage is our teamwork. When we’re a team we are so strong. While our team is no longer growing in size, we’ll continue to grow in strength, trust and togetherness.
While we’ve enjoyed with all our hearts the family we’ve built today. There’s no better time than when the two of us get to enjoy each other alone. Some of the most precious times we’ve ever spent together have been while traveling and visiting those we love. We’ve seen tropical islands, desert resorts, Hollywood hills, and warm sandy beaches. The location changes, but the company is what makes it great. I can’t wait to see what life brings next. There’s few things I enjoy more than traveling with my wifey.
13 years later I love my wife more today than ever before. Without her I’d not be the man I am today. I know these things sound cliche, but when I look back I think about how different I’d be with without Rachelle in my life. She is my constant, my love and my life. I can’t wait to see what the next 13 have to bring!
Happy 13th Anniversary.
-matt-
