My Side of Our Story

       Nathan and I never remember a time when we did not know each other.  You would be very much mistaken, however, to call us childhood sweethearts.  He was my twin brother's best friend and confidant; they were always planning some grand scheme.  You couldn't get those two to stop.  From pick-up soccer in the tennis courts to rock climbing in the canyon, every day dawned new possibilities.

Nathan and Kesh

 And of course, they involved as many of their family and friends as possible.  Every hour was not to be wasted, if the sun was shining, they were out catching snakes; when it went down, you could find them inside having a late night jam session.  As in music, not fruit. ;)

Kesh (my twin brother) and Nathan with our good friend, Alex.

I was the awkward tag-a-long.  Not nearly as athletic or energized, I was more at home curled up on the couch with a book.  Despite this natural introversion, I was often convinced to join in on their schemes.  The Gerhardt children were home-schooled, and thus a sort of enigma to the rest of us public-schoolers.  Add to this their amazing athletic abilities in soccer and golf, it is no wonder that all the girls my age were half in love with the Gerhardt boys.  Jasper, Nathan's younger brother, was a bit introverted himself, and so it was upon the much more extroverted Nathan that much of the adoration fell.  I was no exception.

Even from those earlier days, Nathan always held a special place in my heart.  I don't know that you can call a nine-year-old's adoration love, but I knew from the first that Nathan Gerhardt was special.  He was different from the boys at school.  He was more, better, deeper.  He was never cruel to others, he never made fun or mocked.  He was kind; even at that young age, he struggled to do what was right.  Oh, I'm sure he wasn't perfect, but in my young eyes, he could do no wrong.  As the years passed, I watched the cute little boy become a handsome young man.  My admiration for him only grew, he was always more of a man, in my mind, than any of the boys I had gone through school with.  I was never brave enough to tell him though, and I went through high school with my secret hidden deep in my heart.

Nathan, me, and a baby spotted owl.

It was not until my senior year that things finally got rolling.  Nathan and I had been growing closer, and I had hopes that he might even be interested in me, as more than just his best friend's twin sister.  My prayers were full of requests for guidance and wisdom.  Around the end of that last school year, Nathan and I went to Bend, (the big town down the road).  It didn't start out as a date. Nathan would often call after school and invite my siblings and I to go do something exciting.  But today, only I wanted to go.  We went to the rock climbing gym, ate pizza and went for a walk along the river.  On the way home we somehow ended up holding hands.  To some this my sound very silly and meaningless, but for us, it was the start of something wonderful. The months following this first "date" are a bit of a blur; things that stand out for me include our first kiss, the moment he said those three magical words (I love you), and the overwhelming joy I felt throughout that time.  Still feel that now, by the way.

Probably the hardest time we have and will ever go through, came when I went off to college.  It couldn't be helped, I had already committed to an out-of-state college and signed my name to some hefty loans.  Long distance relationships should not be taken on lightly, especially when you are young and unsure of yourself and your significant other.  The few short visits Nathan was able to make were rays of sunshine piercing through gloomy gray rainclouds, almost literally as it was always raining on the coast where I went to school.

In October of 2010; sitting on the beach surrounded by candles and the crashing of waves, with a brilliant sunset as a backdrop, Nathan asked my to be his wife and journey through this life by his side.  With tears in both our eyes I said Yes.  That mystical evening now seems so long ago, buried by the new memories we have created together and the storms we have weathered, but it was a moment that I will never forget. Perfect in it's simplicity and filled with such joy and hope.

Our engagement photo.

We were married two years later, on September 22, 2012.  For some, marriage is the end of a long journey.  We choose to see it as the beginning of a new chapter.  Our marriage is not the end, but the beginning of a life together.  A life we hope will be full of joy and adventure, of learning and growth, a life that will be more together than it could ever have been apart. 

Nathan and I

My Grandfather officiated the ceremony.

My mother, Nathan and I.

Nathan and Kesh

Oh and P.S.

Here is Nathan's side of our story.