It’s funny, when I think back about it, three years honestly doesn’t feel like 1,095 days. Can you believe we are coming up on our third year of marriage (09/17/16)? I know it’s cliche, but it feels like only yesterday we were meeting each other for the first time. A story which you never miss an opportunity to remind me of because you swear up and down that I never formally introduced myself (although I’m about 85% sure I did). We were just friends who worked together at the time, even though you thought I was your manager for a few months but that’s besides the point *cough* I’m still the boss *cough*. The simple fact of the matter is, we established our friendship before anything.

You always ask me when I knew I loved you. I can’t quite put my finger on the exact day. If I’m being honest, I think I fell in love with you the first time we really got into a legitimate conversation. I don’t mean to say that there were butterflies dancing around and rose petals falling from the sky (Oh wait, there were butterflies dancing around, and not metaphorically, there was literally butterflies flying around because the company we worked for reared millions of them). I knew you deserved to be looked after and loved intently by someone with the same passion and energy for life as you. You always made me search for something greater within myself, simply because I wanted to be something greater for you.

In our first several months of dating, I was dying with Bacterial Meningitis. It was agonizing, and something most people would’ve seen as a message from the universe to run for the hills, but I will never forget the way you sat there every day by my side until I got better. Even when the doctors and nurses had me in quarantine, which required you to wear some uniform that looked as though you were heading into a reactor core just to stay with me. It never shook your faith in us, you never questioned your faith in me. You knew I was going to be fine, even when I didn’t. When the doctor came in to discharge me, he said, “If this would’ve happened to you 15 years ago, you wouldn’t be alive” I knew I was here for a real reason.

Flash forward to the January of 2018. We have only been married three months when the doctor tells us I have a leaky valve in my heart, a birth defect that could potentially kill me. He says that I’ll require heart surgery immediately if I want to live beyond the next couple of years. You looked up every article, you changed the way we cooked, you made me join heart communities, you accompanied me to every appointment, you changed the way we approached life because you wanted to make me comfortable every step of the way. When the day finally arrived and I had to go into the O.R. you were the last person I saw, you followed me until the very last moment, until the very last doorway. When I closed my eyes, I was prepared for the future, no matter the outcome, because I was loved by you.

You were the first person I saw when I came to. Was it really so surprising? It has always been you. Without going into every last detail, you are the reason I was able to recover from everything so quickly. You challenged me to challenge myself. You made me laugh on the days when I was down about my progress and you always were there to offer help. Sasha, you have always been my guiding light in life. At times I genuinely ask myself if I survived the surgery, because I can’t be deserving of the beautiful life I have been given with you. There is only one explanation for it, I have slipped into a deep sleep and this is a dream.

I can never be a perfect man. I can never be completely mature, it’s just not in my nature. I will however, continue to hurl compliments your way and always go that extra step if it means I can see you smile. You’re the one for me (I couldn’t think of anything clever or witty to say because it’s true). I believe we were meant for one another. How incredible is it that we get to spend the rest of our lives documenting that same feeling for other people? It’s unreal. I thank God every day for giving me more time with you and our family.

So here is to a happy three year anniversary Wifey! Let’s travel off the beaten path and see where we wind up. This love may not be pretty 24/7 but that’s only because it’s genuine. Every moment together is a lifetime of memories, and I can’t wait to look back at them from our retirement home in Mexico as we overeat tacos and yell at Bachelor in Paradise together someday. You make this crazy love worth every second of the day. Te amo mucho mi amor.

Your best friend and husband,

-Vic