love and marriage series: challenges...

This week's theme for the Love and Marriage Series hosted by Lindsey at A Dollop of Life and a bunch of other cool bloggers is CHALLENGES.  I thought I knew exactly what this post would be about, but it took a completely different turn than I expected.  This post is very personal, and was extremely difficult to write.  I considered not publishing it because it reveals so many of my flaws, and I don't know if I'm comfortable being this real online!  What I do feel confident about is that reading the other bloggers' posts in this Love and Marriage Series continues to be a blessing to me, and I hope that someone out there can read my stories and find something meaningful, too.

Depression

For me, the biggest challenge in my relationship with Mr. Q has been my depression.  I haven't talked about my mental health very much on this blog because it didn't seem appropriate, but here we go.  I experienced an episode of major depression during my third year of college, right around the time that my dad's kidneys failed and he had to start dialysis treatments - the stress of being away from my family and childhood friends, living farther from Grounds, and taking the max number of credits the dean would allow in order to get my dual degree was getting to me.

our story.

I met JQ in July 2006, the night after one of my best friends got married. We were introduced by a mutual friend and talked about everything from church to football that night. The only thing we didn't seem to have in common was that he was a Virginia Tech graduate and I was a UVa student. I loved his beautiful blue eyes, kind smile, and southern gentleman manners. We began dating about two weeks later and have been together ever since.

JQ has been there for me through final studying and family emergencies, through sickness and health and loss already. We are both passionate about our families, our friends, and the arts, and he is the most considerate person I know. I cannot wait to begin our lives together, to make a covenant with him and become the wife God calls me to be.

Our First Official Date: Mini golf at Bridgewater Plaza
Our First Movie Date: Pirates of the Carribean 2
Our First Kiss: July 22, 2006