Best Love Story Ever

The longer I'm married, the more I understand why God bound my heart to my husband's when I started dating Zach.
The Lord knows that I was in no place to be finding my husband when Zach and I met. To say that I was a mess at the time would be an understatement. I was even worried about myself at the time.
I was at a point where I recognized something needed to change, but I was entirely surrounded by the consequences of my mistakes, and no life experiences thus far had taught me how to pull myself up by myself. I was lost in shame and did not turn to the Lord because although I knew he was there, waiting and full of forgiveness, I had no faith in myself that I would stop my behavior. Why would I ask for forgiveness if I felt like I was doomed to make the same mistakes again.
I never stopped believing in the Lord, but I was at a point in my life when I was learning the heaviness of consequences from my mistakes, and this is something my church never could have prepared me for.
So when I met Zach, I knew the timing could not have been worse, but it didn't stop me from falling in love. I was attracted to him not because he made me laugh, though he did, but because of his loyalty to the people he cared about. Ironically, it was that same loyalty that drove us apart, but more importantly it brought us back together after our separation. I also loved the sense of adventure in him, I knew that life with him would never be dull.
Honestly, looking back, although those are great reasons to love a man, I think I loved him for reasons I didn't even understand. I have no idea how those qualities about him that I loved were enough to keep us together despite our bad relationship habits, but I knew two months into our relationship that he would be the man I married someday.
Our relationship was fun, exciting, and passionate, but most weekends were spent partying, and having drunken arguments about things that would never have existed had we been sober. But we would sober up,  make up, and do it again the next weekend. I think everything in us wanted to "live the life" and stay "wild and free" but for whatever reason we just needed each other despite all of that. I think we can thank God for that.
We stayed in this pattern for a long time, until it came to the point where it just had to stop. We were hurting each other too much, for the sake of the party. We broke up. It was ugly. I couldn't understand how I was supposed to marry him if we weren't together.
We tried to stay apart, but we did the typical,  "together, but not together" deal. I needed him. He needed me. The situation was down right stupid, but looking back, it had to happen this way. Our friends and family thought we were crazy (they were right) and after a month or so of being together, but not, I just severed the cord. I couldn't do it anymore. I loved him so passionately, but our relationship was toxic, and it definitely wasn't headed to marriage at that rate anyways.
We didn't speak for one week. We simultaneously tried to lose each other in the party. We both failed. As it turns out, we did need each other.
He broke the silence and texted me. I was sitting with my best friend, who is the only person in my life who would have given me the advice that she did. It must have been a combination of her life experiences, how well she knew me, and definitely a little bit of God turning her heart, because everyone else on God's green earth would have told me, "no way, Carol, don't you dare go to coffee with him." But my best friend told me that maybe Zach needs another chance. Maybe I should hear what he has to say. (Dustin you seriously have an incredible wife.)
So I found myself drinking a soda at a bar at 8 pm,because the coffee shops had closed, with a man who I'd never, ever, seen even a little bit nervous; awkwardly shifting in his seat, and trying to make small talk. I enjoyed watching him squirm, as he tried to bring up casually what a horrible mistake he had made. How he was wrong in thinking you cannot live life for your friends. He said everything a very convicted person would say to bring back the woman he loved. He put his shame aside, and apologized over and over. We talked about what we would have to do to save our relationship. It wasn't as simple as pick it up, and dust it off. So we picked it up, blew it up, and then sorted through the rubble of hurts. It's really hard to forgive. It's hard to kick habits. We were crazy for trying to sort through our disaster of our relationship. But we did it. We are still doing it. We are better people because of it. It doesn't make sense why we are together if you had seen us 4 years ago. There were a couple key players, and a couple key moments that have been defining for us.
The most important thing we have taken from our struggle is humility. Zach and I apologize to each other so frequently. We have learned that it is harder to forgive than it is to apologize, and neither are easy.
When Zach asked me too marry him a couple years ago, I knew that our marriage would be rough. I knew we would have to work so hard to not just stay together, but to love each other so passionately to inspire each other daily. No marriage is easy, anyone could tell you that.
Now we are looking back at a humble 2 years of wedded bliss, with this perfect child to raise, and I can tell you with certainty, that I am a better person because of my husband. He has challenged me to love when I don't feel like it, to dig deep inside of myself so I can help him understand me, and to challenge the deep rooted selfishness that was buried in me, disguised as pride.
I am wrong all the time. That's ok though. Zach doesn't hold it over my head, or throw it back at me, and for him to love me that much, that he graciously forgives me, instead of using it as ammo when he is hurt. Now that is something. And that sort of love is what we didn't have in the beginning. But here we are, 2 years, and we have so much to show for it. We don't just stay married. We don't just simply love each other. We freaking rock at being married. We work at it every day, and are constantly improving.
I used to be embarrassed about where my husband and I came from. But this love is way too special to be ashamed about that. I am so proud to be the woman I am today. The wife, the mother, the daughter, the sister, the friend I am today. I have my sweet husband to thank for that. My sweet, sweet, loving, caring, more handsome than any person I know, husband. I love you so passionately Zach.