Lifelong love: Julia and Andrew

The wedding day

Julia and Andrew have been together for over 10 years. Their romance has survived numerous military separations.

They met when she was 16 and he was 21, but they didn't start dating until three years later. Even then, she told him it "wasn't a date." But 2 weeks later, they knew they wanted to get married.

They had a whirlwind wedding less than a year after Andrew joined the U.S. Marine Corps ~ there were 5 weeks to plan it and pull it off. It was a tight-knit affair, with only 22 guests, and there was no rehearsal. It went off with only minor snafus. They did it!




Three days after the wedding, Andrew was off with the Marines, leaving Julia to work and wait until they knew where he would be stationed and where they would enjoy their married life:

Hawaii!

Wow, talk about living a honeymoon!

When Andrew returned home from a deployment in Iraq, Julia calculated that they had been married for 569 days.... and had spent only 153 of them together.

How in the world did they manage to keep their romance alive during all that time?

Julia knew that Andrew was often going to be in harm's way, so she leaned on her faith in God, and believed in His perfect will. She chose to not worry, and placed her husband in the hands of God.

Andrew and Julia now,
with their beautiful new baby girl!

She sent him a package every week, containing something she'd made, photos, things he liked, or things he was missing. Before deployments, she would write notes or Bible verses on the backs of photos of them and their dog, and hide them in his luggage and in his uniforms for him to discover once they were apart. They were able to talk about every two weeks or so.

Julia, now married six years, credits choosing to love, and God's grace, for keeping them together during difficulty. Her advice to you?

"Lasting love is not that warm mushy butterflies you feel all the time.That warm mushy butterflies feeling comes and goes in lasting love. Don't question your love when things are just the normal day to day.

Hardships and heartache will happen and those are the times that love must be a choice. Forgiveness is truly a cornerstone to make marriage work. To forgive your spouse and never bring it up again is difficult but must be done so you can move on in your life together. 

Be sure to set aside time to truly love and appreciate your spouse. A walk on the beach or in the woods together can make you pause and just be together without distraction. 

Have your life outside your husband/wife. Keep your own hobbies so you can nourish yourself and when you come back together you have been able to care for yourself and in turn, love your spouse all the more for it."

If you'd like to share your lifelong love story, please email me at foreversweetheartsbridal@gmail.com