Dani

There are many lessons we learn in life. Give to receive doesn't always work, but it's always worth it. Good manners really do make life easier. The most important one for us, though, has been that, to truly love someone, you have to accept them for everything that they are, without question. Colin and I met at work, shortly before he deployed to Afghanistan. We had our first date just three weeks before he went to Fort Bragg for his mobilization training. Instead of the typical flowers-and-wine romance that turns the heads of so many couples, Colin and I got the chance to know one another based on personality alone. For almost a year, all we had was each other's thoughts and expressed feelings. By the time Colin came home, in November of 2008, we both knew that this relationship was where we wanted to live and, later rather than sooner, die. It isn't easy. Colin's desire to stay in the military means that we face many more deployments before he retires from service, and this isn't something that I would change, even if I could. He has accepted me for everything that I am, and I have done the same for him. Both of us have found what we always hoped for: an equal, someone who is neither superior nor inferior. For this, we know that we are amazingly blessed. Now, we have been engaged for close to two years, years full of "When are you two getting married already?" from friends and family alike. Well, here is the answer: October 17, 2010, we will say our "I do"s. I'm trying not to go completely insane before then.