Year Ten-Phase 4.

The next phase of our life would have to be newly married, but before kids, about 3.5 years total to be exact. This phase seems the most distant and vague to me. Before having kids, life was so very different. I remember Jared and I would get off of work and would go straight to the gym, go shopping at the mall, would sit on the couch and watch TV all evening, go out to dinner for nearly every meal. We would sleep in on our days off or stay up until the early morning hours with our friends goofing off. The world seemed to revolve around us. We could buy brand new cars, shop for just us, take trips. Before having kids, we were debt free(and carefree). Before having kids, I would work 50 hour work weeks and it didn't matter. If we weren't focusing our attention on ourself, then we could focus it on our work or friends. In that phase of our life, the fights were petty. "You didn't pick up this" or "you were rude when you did that" or.... Jared and I would fight just to fight. I remember MANY TIMES having a fun day planned together, but we would wake up on the wrong side of the bed, get in an argument about something stupid and would spend the rest of the day, being angry with each other. We would miss out on having fun experiences, because we were too caught up in being the one that was right. I remember one situation, I was so annoyed with Jared. It was early in our marriage and I got in the car to head back home to my parents, because I was so tired of our marriage. I remember calling my dad to say that I was going to drive all the way to their house and I remember my dad saying something that sounds pretty harsh, but exactly what I should have heard at the time. He said, "Coral, we love you, but you can't come to our house. You chose to marry Jared and there is no way out now. You need to deal with your problems in your marriage." At that moment, he hung up the phone and I made my bitter trip back to work things out with Jared. Toward the end of this phase, we bought our first home and our first pet (Calvin) and began to prepare for expanding our family. To be continued.....