On Wednesday, The Captain and I celebrated our three year anniversary. We didn’t really do anything fancy or super special, but that’s kind of the new normal for us now. All we did was go out for dinner at Olive Garden, treat ourselves to some wine, and have a delicious meal together and reminisce about how much has changed in three short years, and especially how much happened in the last twelve months.

The Captain and I got engaged, but nothing really changed. We’re broke college students after all. The most we did was set a general budget and date, but then the evolving and revolving world got rid of even that. I went to a wedding expo and tried on wedding dresses at David’s Bridal, but it’s not time yet. There are a million and more things to do before I can eve n think about getting married.

We dealt with loss together as The Captain’s great-grandma passed away. It was a tearful and poignant moment that I’ll never forget. I made a promise to her that I would love and cherish her great-grandson and it’s a promise I intend to keep. We dealt with more loss as two of his friends also passed, but we came together and grew.

Lenin got his tail jammed in the door and had to get it amputated and—since it was my fault—I took the blame and paid the bill. It was stressful and expensive, but we made it through and dealt with two weeks of our cats hating each other and life in general. We’re happy to say that everyone is fine now, and you can barely tell that Lenin’s tail is shorter than it should be.

We went to Reno’s Comic Con and enjoyed three wonderful days of cosplays, nerdy art, and tons of merchandise. We bought too much stuff that we have no space for currently, but someday it’ll be up on the walls.

In November, we rolled The Captain’s truck on an icy rural highway and managed to walk away (mostly) unharmed from a totaled car. It’s scary moments like that that make you realize how much you love someone, and how much they love you. I mean, The Captain attempted to lift the truck up to get to me (it landed on my side). He then spent the next few weeks feeling guilty and taking extra care of little-old-concussed me even though he was aching and bruised up too. He’s been with me every adult step of the way as I figure out this insurance drama.

We’ve had to face the reality of an uncertain future. The Captain’s graduating in a month, but his GPA isn’t up to scratch for the Navy. So he’s going back to raise his grades up and get where he wants to go. It’ll be interesting when I’m graduated and he’s not, but we’ll get there when we get there.

This past year has definitely felt like the most important one yet in terms of adulthood, but it’s also been filled with the most mundane aspects of being a couple. We argue about housework and the division of labor. We spend a substantial amount of time trying to figure out what to eat for dinner. We love our cat babies so much it hurts.

The things I love most about us are the little things:
-when we’re driving somewhere, listening to music and singing along.
-when he holds our boys close and plays and cuddles
-the way he smiles when I (finally) get absorbed in a video game
-the fact we order the same thing every time we go to Red Robin
-how he listens to my rants about roommate drama and saves my psyche
-the perfect way my head fits against his chest

I used to think that relationships were fairy tales full of Prince Charmings and princesses, but they’re not. They’re pieces of life where someone gets you more than most people, laughs even when you’re not that funny, and smiles at you when they think you can’t see. It’s being able to imagine a life without them, but wanting them there because it would make everything that much better.

I know that things are probably going to change a lot in our next year together but, for now, I’ll just enjoy the little things that make my relationship with The Captain my favorite love story.