Our journey began in 2002 on a school bus. This was the first time I met Carl, my mother went on a trip causing me to stay down the street and around the corner at my Aunts house. 

Carl was a senior and I was a sophomore, we didn't run in the same circles but after riding the bus together for a week we began to see more and more of each other either at school or around the neighbor. 

As time went on we began talking more and eventually started dating. In 2003 Carl graduated and joined the Navy. We wrote letters, emailed and talked when we could, on his limited visits home we would always make time to see one another. In 2005, I graduated and moved out on my own, while Carl was traveling around the world with the military. Yet we kept in touch regularly and met up every time he came home. 

In 2007 he came home, we went on our usual date and he took me to the jewelry store and asked me to marry him and let me pick my ring out. From there we wasted no time planning a simple courthouse wedding. Later that year I moved to Jacksonville, FL where he was stationed. From there our journey really began. 

As a young married couple life was definitely lifeing, but through it all we always remained friends first. Needless to say, here we are over a decade later still going strong. We always said we would have some type of vow renewal, at first it was supposed to be our 5-year anniversary then the 10th then the 15th... Well, here we are going on our 18th anniversary and we have decided to just do it, life is always going to happen and we have to live it as it come. Why wait till tomorrow to do what you can do today... 

We are excited to renew our vow April 12th, 2025 in Turks and Caicos.