I met my 1st husband when I was in high school. At the time, we were perfect for each other and became best friends. A year & a half later, at the disapproval of my parents but the approval of his, we got married.
Fast forward 7 (mostly happy) years- I'm about to graduate with my master's degree, have a wonderful job lined up, and budding hopes of becoming a national-level cyclist. He's still going to college on & off (as in signing up, going to classes, then dropping them when they start getting too difficult) while trying to survive financially with growing debt (student loans and various irresponsible purchases) and hopping between jobs in retail. I had been trying to support him however I could for so long, but finally decide that my future looks brighter without him in the picture. We get divorced. It's very, very painful to see someone that you still care about spiral down to the lowest point in their life as a direct result of your actions. It was tough, but I kept telling myself that my hopes and dreams no longer deserved to be compromised.

Around the time that marriage was hitting the rocks, I started training and bike racing a LOT. I was somewhat poor at the time, and found another local racer that wanted to split travel costs to go to more races. We became friends, though I didn't really reveal much about my personal life. Turns out, I left my hubby the day before a race weekend. Subsequently had a HORRIBLE race, and finally told my race pal what was going on (he was very understanding... he let me borrow his race wheels that day, too...). In the following months, we continue to be great friends- racing, training, and generally spending free time together.

We eventually became more than friends... and that's where I am now. He bought a house, and me & the kids (the furry type, of course) moved in. Life is better now than I could ever have imagined it. We balance each other perfectly. He is so understanding of me- my personality quirks, my dedication to training/racing (that can be really hard on a relationship)... and he doesn't mind them... which makes me so grateful to have found him.

As for marriage... I can say I don't know if it's in my future or not. Unlike a lot of unmarried couples, he would probably agree to get married tomorrow if I suggested it. I'm just not sure about it. Marriage seems like such an imposed value of society to me now. It's like a requirement- you must get a job, a spouse, and have 2.5 children, white picket fence, etc... Furthermore, going through a divorce was one of the most stressful things I've ever been through. Not that I see another divorce in my future if I were to get married again... but who ever does?

So that's my story. I am with someone who is, as far as I can tell, a perfect match for me. Where it goes from here? No idea- I'm just playing things as they're dealt right now