Nine Years Ago

Nine years ago, I was up late like I am tonight. I was up late writing letters to each of my bridesmaids. Looking over my vows. Nervously awaiting the next day, my wedding day. I was up with Gina talking. Making sure everything was set and going over all the details of my Big day. The next day I married my boyfriend of two years. My love. The most romantic man. A man who loved Jesus and desired us to be a couple who would serve Him. A man who desired the best for me. Who always put his needs beneath mine. I married a man who made me feel safe...and so pretty. He could look at me and melt me. His touch sent tingles down my spine. What a beautiful day that was, when I married the love of my life. I remember like it was yesterday the butterflies in my tummy as the doors to the church opened and I stood waiting to walk to my groom with my Daddy beside me. The church was silent and Aaron and I locked eyes and there was peace. He smiled at me with tears in his eyes. He still smiles that smile at me. We promised forever to each other in front of a church full of our loved ones. (Picture is one we took about 10 years ago. We look SO young and thin! We don't have a scanner so forgive the flash spot on the picture!)

Tonight I am reflective on my relationship with this man. I feel like I really know what it means to love because of the love we share. It is deep and real. Nine years ago I promised forever. I feel that today I have a better understanding of forever and all that it entails. And that excites me. I look forward to growing old with this man. Over the past nine years we have gone through ups and downs in our relationship. And to me this is good...we are stable. We are honest, sometimes brutally. Through it all things have only gotten better...and some good things have remained the same. He is still the same man I fell in love with in that he still makes me feel like the 17 year old girl with a crush. He everyday kisses me like he loves me and this still gives me butterflies. He everyday puts my needs before his own. He still loves the Lord with all his heart and allows that relationship to be the anchor for ours.

There are elements to our relationship that have changed. The biggest being both the most challenging and the most rewarding and that is becoming parents. We knew we wanted children. I of course wanted five and then wanted to adopt a small country. And we would live on a farm and have cows as pets....so some things change. I also wanted our kids to be Rainy Day and Rose Flower. Some changes are good! Aaron everyday amazes me at the Father he is to our Babies. He is gentle and tender in the way he loves them. He again puts their needs first. He bends over backwards to ensure they are taken care of and happy. He is patient and takes time to teach them about Jesus. He does not shove his God down their throats but shares his relationship with them like it is so exciting, like you would share about one of your most favorite things. This is beautiful in the way I see Taylor really loving Jesus as her own. He is a great Father. And one thing Aaron has always said makes a great Father, even before we had kids of our own is a great husband. This is true of him.

Aaron. My love. You are my bestest friend and my lover. To have both in my husband is a dream come true. On top of that you are an amazing Father. Our family is another huge dream come true for me. Thank you for everyday loving me and caring for my needs. All my needs even little ones like making sure I have creamer for my coffee and get to the gym. Also that spiritually I am where I need to be. I am reminded of the summer I spent in Hong Kong and we set our watches to be in sink with an alarm each day. We prayed God to be the third strand of us. That with Him as our glue nothing would break us. This perhaps was the best thing we could do. We allowed God to be our foundation. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for telling me you love me everyday and for making it a point to kiss and touch me everyday. Thank you for holding my hand when we drive and take walks. Thank you for laughing with me everyday. I love laughing with you, it is absolutely one of my most favorite things. I am so excited that we have a lifetime left to love each other. I am excited for our future. I know that no matter what lays ahead with you by my side we can face it. If I could marry you again today, I would in a heart beat. I wouldn't be as nervous but I would be more excited. I would want to shout to all the people there how in love with you I was. Yeah for another nine years...another 100 years and marriage only getting better! Love you Baby.

(this is the song "Amazed" that we danced to at our wedding)