Our Story

Our Story
Verse 1
Back in Pinellas Park in eighty-nine,
In Mr. Egolf’s class,
You were the shy boy, one year behind,
Who knew our love would last?
You told my friend Kristina
You were going to ask me to prom,
Then she handed me that little note,
And that’s where it all began.
Pre-Chorus
We were just two kids in Pinellas Park,
With no way of knowing then,
That one little note in eighty-nine
Would be where forever began.
Chorus
And I’d still choose you,
I’d do it all again,
Every mile, every tear,
Every place that we have been.
Through the good, through the hard,
Through everything we’ve been through,
If I had one more lifetime,
I’d still choose you.
Verse 2
Our first date at the Lobster Hut,
We barely had a dime,
But you worked extra hours at Publix
Just to give us that little time.
From Publix on to Pace,
Then Sears became your next stop too,
We were young and working hard,
Building a life for me and you.
October nineteen-ninety,
We stood and said, “I do,”
Then our daughter Kristina came,
And suddenly our family grew.
We were young and learning as we went,
With so much still to prove,
But every year that came and went
Kept building me and you.
Chorus
And I’d still choose you,
I’d do it all again,
Every mile, every tear,
Every place that we have been.
They said that we might never make it,
But thirty-six years proved them wrong.
When life tried hard to pull us apart,
We just kept holding on.
And I’d still choose you.
Verse 3
January of ninety-four,
You joined the Navy with pride,
You raised your hand to serve our country,
And I stood there by your side.
Newport News was our first stop,
Then Pensacola called our name,
We packed our lives in boxes,
And learned that home could always change.
Then nineteen ninety-five brought Kyle,
Another piece of me and you,
Our little family was growing
As our Navy journey grew.
Gainesville and Fort Walton Beach,
Then Columbus down the line,
Richmond Hill and Columbia,
Each one a chapter in our lives.
Then Phenix City welcomed us,
And became the place we’d stay.
So many houses, so many miles,
So many hellos and goodbyes,
But home was never just a place,
It was you there by my side.
Verse 4
There were orders and deployments,
And so many long goodbyes,
So many moments you missed at home
For the life you hoped to provide.
You sacrificed your time with us
So your family could have more,
You went wherever duty called,
For the ones you did it for.
While I held things down at home,
You carried your burden too,
A husband and father far away,
Doing what you had to do.
Then June first, twenty-sixteen,
That chapter finally closed,
Twenty-two years and five long months,
And only we know what they cost.
Every deployment, every homecoming,
Every time we started anew,
You gave so much for our family,
And I walked those years with you.
Chorus
And I’d still choose you,
I’d do it all again,
Every highway, every new town,
Every place that we have been.
Through every move and every goodbye,
Through every dream we pursued,
Give me one more road to travel,
And I’d travel it with you.
Verse 5
And look at our children now, my love,
Look what those years became,
Kristina chose a life of caring,
A nurse who made her own way.
When I look at who she’s become,
I see a little of us too.
And Kyle looked up to his father,
Saw the pride you carried too.
He raised his hand and chose to serve,
Following a path he saw in you.
Now he serves as a paramedic,
Helping others every day,
He followed in your footsteps,
Then made his own way.
Verse 6
Somehow those two little children
We once held within our arms,
Grew up and built their own lives
And gave us six more hearts to love.
Riley and Abigail,
Jeremy and Andrew too,
Winnie and little Miles,
Another generation of me and you.
Sometimes I look at all of them
And think of where it all began,
One little note in high school
From one very shy young man.
Verse 7
Somewhere along our journey,
It became my turn to dream,
I went back to school believing
There was still more meant for me.
Through the long nights and studying,
When that PhD seemed far away,
You stood beside me through it all
And helped me find my way.
You spent so many years providing,
Doing all you knew to do,
Then when it was my turn to chase a dream,
I knew I could lean on you.
Bridge
We’ve had our share of ups and downs,
Some years were harder than the rest,
Love was never about being perfect,
It was giving each other our best.
There were times we could’ve given up,
When leaving might’ve been easier to do,
But somehow through the hardest times,
I kept finding my way back to you.
We grew up together, you and me,
Learning life side by side,
We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve struggled,
And sometimes swallowed our pride.
Our families didn’t think we’d make it,
But here we are today,
Thirty-six years of choosing us
When life got in the way.
Final Chorus
And I’d still choose you,
I’d do it all again,
Every deployment, every homecoming,
Every beginning, every end.
I’d choose Kristina, I’d choose Kyle,