I think that the more relevant question is, “What did you know on the day that you got married?"
A short list of things I knew on August 13, 2011:
- I had to turn down acceptance to my number one choice for graduate school in Fort Collins, CO to be with Owen in Iowa City.
- I did not want to live in Iowa.
- The divorce stats regarding people who get married straight out of college don't bode well.
- No one knows me better or appreciates me more than Owen.
- Owen and I complement each other well; my weaknesses are his strengths and vise versa.
- We are equals in our relationship. I may not be able to give you a strict definition of what I mean by this, but we both believe it to be true on emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and practical levels.
- Our relationship is the number one priority for both of us.
- Despite my qualms surrounding marriage at such a young age, barely 22, I had no doubts that I wanted to marry Owen. My desire to marry him was the single strongest desire that I have ever had.
- The fact of not being married made me irrationally sad.
- Owen loves me as much as I love him.
Our marriage was inevitable. I didn't choose to marry Owen, but at some undefined point we fell into marriage.