Rebekah Acosta wears her heart on her sleeve.

The tattoo on her right shoulder, a dove bearing the phrase, “”Amor Eternal,”” acknowledges the commitment she made just one month ago – marriage. Despite only knowing her husband for two days before their marriage, Acosta is certain that their love, too, will be an “”Amor Eternal”” – an Eternal Love.

“”I wish I had an explanation, that we have this and that in common,”” 18-year-old Acosta said about her decision. “”But I understand what they mean now, when they say you’ll just know.””

Acosta and her husband, who is currently stationed in Italy, met while she was working at Starbucks. After spending the next 24 hours together, they knew they couldn’t be apart, and he proposed.

Her family, though shocked, has been supportive of Acosta’s decision, which took even her by surprise.

“”I’ve always been the responsible one,”” she said. “”I really wasn’t sure if I ever even wanted to get married!””

Acosta’s story is not as uncommon on the UA campus as one might think.

Kristin Michael, an elementary education senior, has been married for almost five months to her husband, David, a pilot. Though she and her husband knew of one another since elementary school, they began seeing each other in high school, dating for nearly four years before they were happily engaged. Still, marriage has its challenges.

“”It’s definitely a lot of giving,”” Michael said. “”As much as they try to teach you that in premarital classes, you don’t realize it until you are actually there, how much sacrifice it is.””

Computer science freshman Jason Prock knows about sacrifices. He’s been married to Elizabeth, a UA alumna, for four years. Prock has found that apart from marital bliss, there are some tough adjustments to married life.

“”It’s not just me, me, me anymore; it’s me and you; it’s us, it’s the kids. Four years in, and I am still trying to find that balance. I still play my games a little too much sometimes … but she likes to do her scrapbooking. So I try to do my video games when she does the scrapbooking.””

The two met at church and share a love for movies, especially Monty Python. They have a 15-month-old daughter, Olivia, and hope to have more children sometime soon.

Acosta, however, said raising a family is still a long way off.

“”I want to get my degree, travel, do the things you can’t do with kids first,”” she said.

Michael agreed, offering advice for any young students like herself considering marriage.

“”Make sure you’re prepared,”” she said. “”Have a plan. As long as you have a plan and feel ready, go for it.””