our love story is long, and shorter with pictures

When Chris and I met, he was 13 and I was 14. I was friends with his sister. He had cooties. We looked like this:

A little while later, here we are again. Chris 13 (looks 9), Yana 14, (going on 21). He was still young, annoying and had cooties. Amy (my now sister in-love, with some killer Brooke Shields calvin klein model eyebrows) is on the left of me , and my dad (with long hair) and my mom in white. She looks good in white.

2 years later, Chris is taller, 16 and plays the drums, and I the bass guitar. I love myself a musician, but when asked "Why don't you like CHRIS" by some of his friends, my reply- "He's 16!?! Since I'm so mature for my age it would NEVER work. I need an OLDER man"

4 years later, Chris 19, Yana just turned 21, came on a missions trip to Bulgaria with my family. It was there that I saw him a new light, as a mature and hilarious dude and I began to like his cooties. When we sat down in Turkey he told me "I like you" and I was excited, scared, and thought, 'but you're amy's younger brother!?' We began a long distance phone relationship from Cali to Maine.

As most long distance relationships go- we had majors ups and downs, and eventually faltered completely. The next year on another missions trip we had another 'talk' in Turkey. I apologized for our relationship not working out and said "but we're still friends, right??" and he said "No, I'm still in love with you, and I'm not going to stop pursuing you". We were 21 and 22. After that his sister asked me to be her Maid of Honor, and I spent a lot of my summer in maine, planning her wedding, and falling in love with Chris.

By October 2006, the wedding, I knew Chris and I were perfect for eachother. My journal entries from that summer are so fun to read. We went to the coast for our first 'date' and watched the waves crash. It was there that we talked about our history, feelings and hopes for the future. He asked me to court him.

A year later, 2007, in Turkey, he asked me to marry him. I don't have a picture from the engagement, because he forgot a camera (!? i know. I'm still sad about it) but here's a good one from soon after.

June 8th, 2008 we got married in a park.

And the best is yet to come.