Real People in Love: Katie & Merrick

Today is a good day. I am so incredibly excited to be bringing back the Real People in Love Series.
I know I have gotten a lot of new readers since I last featured some Real People in Love but I'm anxious to get back to sharing this series every week.

When Katie from Life on the West Side contacted me about participating I knew that she & her husband, Merrick would be a perfect couple to add to my long list of Real People in Love. They're still in the early stages of marriage and it's clear that they're madly in love with the world at their feet.

How old are you & Merrick?

He's 26, I'm 25 and almost a half.

How long have you been together?

We've been together 4 years, married almost 2.

What are your occupations?

He's a Chemical Engineer, I'm a Pediatric Nurse, currently in grad school to be a Family Nurse Practitioner.

How did you meet?

We went to opposing middle schools and high schools in the same city. We finally met when we went to the same college through mutual friends. We kept noticing each other and finally started AIMing (the old school days), texting and chatting. Then, as they say, the rest is history!

How did you get engaged?

On our one year anniversary (which also happened to be Easter), Merrick made me a nice Easter brunch, then we spent the morning and afternoon at Laguna Beach- the weather and day were perfect- sunny, 80s, and a lot of love. After a nice beach day, we went back to his place to get ready for our anniversary dinner at a fancy-pants restaurant in Dana Point. We had a perfect view of the harbor and ocean and of this gorgeous hotel next door. He kept joking about how "when we're married and rich we'll stay at this hotel, blah, blah, blah" and I didn't really pay much attention to it.
So after dinner we were going to head back to his place for the evening and exchange anniversary gifts, but when I got in the car, he said, "but first I'm going to blindfold you!" So, I'm blindfolded and he drives around for about 10 minutes, takes me out of the car and leads me into a building and up an elevator.
When he finally takes my blindfold off, we're in the hotel he talked about-penthouse suite! There were rose petals all over the floor, candles lit, our song (Lost in this Moment) on the iPod, fire in the fireplace and champagne chilling. Dummy me still didn't get it, so he says "let's open our anniversary presents" (which were also strategically placed by the fire... His roommate had set up everything while we were at dinner). I open up this huge 18x24 empty picture frame and I'm thinking he's going to give me a picture of us blown up or something that we can frame (but who wants a picture THAT big of yourselves? You can see every hair, pore, etc!). The next present I open is a puzzle. We've done puzzles together before and I made him a picture puzzle of us the year before, so it wasn't that odd. 
He says, "Let's do the puzzle, then we can frame it!" It took us almost an hour to finish it and the whole chunk in the middle is missing and Merrick "searches" around and somehow manages to "find" the missing pieces which we put together and they said "Will you marry me?" When the puzzle was finally all put together I just stared at the puzzle and at him, then he brought out the ring and finally said, "So will you marry me?" I cried and jumped up and down and of course said yes!

Tell us about your wedding day (not necessarily elements but feelings too):

It rained all morning and I was nervous the day would be ruined, but God shined down on our day... the moment we walked out of the church as husband and wife it was sunny and bright. The whole day was just so full of love and I was so peaceful. There were a few special moments throughout: my Mother in Law crying when she saw me; my daddy's last few words before he walked me down the aisle; keeping my eyes on the prize at the end of the aisle; Merrick & I giggling to ourselves throughout the ceremony and then onto the party!
The reception was bomb-great band, great friends, a lot of people dancing and a lot of fun. Only thing I would've changed- EAT on your wedding day, bride! No food+ a lot of boozy= not a good wedding night combo! 
But all in all, it was the best day of my life!

Define Love:

We have the definition of love engraved on our wedding bands- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind, etc... but our favorite is the last verse, "Love never fails."

What is the toughest part of being in a committed relationship?

Not being selfish, sheesh, that's hard. Always thinking of another person's needs over your own has been a learning process, that's for sure! Plus, getting adjusted to the other person's idiosyncrasies and loving each other despite them!

What is the best part?

Waking up every day next to your best friend, coming home every day and he's there. Being able to share everything with each other. Marriage is awesome!

What is the best day the two of you have had together?

We spent our first anniversary weekend on Catalina Island and did touristy, islandy stuff, but on the Sunday of our anniversary, we ditched the tour guides and hiked up a cool mountain and explored the area by ourselves. We took in the scenery and just enjoyed the time together. It was an inspiring, love filled, happy day.

What makes you different from other couples?

Well, we just get each other (most times). Plus, we're just fun. We play and dance and are silly together, it keeps us young and keeps us different. It's not a stuffy relationship, that's what I love about us!

What is your favorite thing to do together?

I asked the Hus this and he said, "I love doing everything with you! I love our craziness, like dancing to Disney music or having Wii competitions." We've got our own little world, we're silly and have weird words that would be way embarrassing if anyone ever heard. So I'd say our favorite thing to do together is to just BE. But I also love our long walks and talks.

Do you have a song?

Really, almost every love song we hear we liken towards our relationship. The ones we danced to at our wedding were, "Save a Dance" by Kelly Moneymaker and "Lost in this Moment" by Big n' Rich. Others that are close to us are, "Then" by Brad Paisley, "Refuge" by John Legend and "Safest Place to Hide" by the good ol' Backstreet Boys.

What is the most essential element of making it?

Not even considering that we won't make it. Not even mentioning the "D" word and CHOOSING to love that person every day. Every day, and man, sometimes you do have to actively choose love).

What are your hopes for the future?

Well, when I graduate next June is going to be a big time changing discussion... Babies, new jobs and possibly moving are all on the horizon. So check back with me in a year and a half, then I'll let you know what our "future" plans are.

Anything else the world needs to know about love?

Love is a lot of work, but it's worth it.

As always, if you'd like to participate in the Real People in Love series, just shoot me an email!