Thank you, Universe.

Before I met Nathan, I was a lonely drama-queen who drank too much and didn't think it was all that important to vote.  I cringe when thinking back to my college years, because I felt sorry for myself and made terrible choices (if I could get myself to stop waffling enough to even make a choice, that is) and spent those years almost entirely in my own head.  I had no idea what it meant to live in this world and strive for happiness and was convinced that I was not qualified or talented enough to reach for any goal higher than getting "C"s.  In other words, good enough to pass and get the hell out of school.

Then Nathan came along and became the kind of person in my life I was so unfamiliar with, I was constantly telling him that if he "was getting sick of me, just tell me" until he finally said "Stop saying that.  That's not what's going on here.  It's not going to happen, so just get used to it."  He was the boyfriend I could stay up all night talking to and then the fiance who had as much fun planning our wedding as I did.  He patiently helped me find my love for living in New York City (a place I had always been terrified of and intimidated by) and started me on my journey of opening my eyes up to the rest of the world without a hint of condescension.  He encouraged me to challenge myself and put myself out there.  During my stage managing days, he endured my middle of the night, random declarations that "this is is the time I'm going to completely fuck up and ruin the show" and would remind me that I was good at what I did and that I was most certainly NOT going to fuck anything up.  Without his support and encouragement I would never have ended up with the sweetest gig on Broadway I ever imagined possible for a small town gal from Vermont.

Now we have these two kids together and I'm more and more grateful every day that our paths crossed and we had time to get to know each other and fall in love.  He's an amazing father, a supportive husband and reliable partner in this challenging, fun, maddening and hilarious chapter of our lives and I only wish that more people were lucky enough to find such a perfect fit for themselves.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATHAN!
XOXOXOXO

In the beginning...

8 years and two people later...