I had tea to calm my nerves.
I took a shower.
I peeled potatoes and prepped a crock pot with pot roast.
I noted the FREEZING temps outside.
I made my walk down the alley to my church.
I shooed out men lingering after their morning Bible Studies.
I prayed and reflected.
I started to get really excited.
I got all fancy and made up. * (see below)
I smiled for many photos.
I laughed.
I cried.
I was prayed over.
I walked down a flight of stairs and met my daddy.
I watched my dear sweet friends walk down the aisle.
I heard our cue "... So here I am to worship..."
I was reminded by my daddy to take my time.
I was crying and smiling.
I hugged my daddy
I saw my incredible Brandon.
I experienced a lovely
I said "I do."
I married my best friend!
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| Classic wedding photo which shows my personality (and Brandon's quite well) |
It was a lovely day! It was a day when time stood still. It was a day that felt like a taste of heaven as we were surrounded by dear friends and family from every life stage. It was the beginning of something great.
The last ten years had its share of miracles, blessings, laughter, and joy. I am so thankful and blessed. I have grown so much more deeply in love with my husband than I had the ability to comprehend ten years ago. He is my partner in life and in love. The way I think and live and talk and reason has been forever changed.
The last ten years had its share of hardships, deaths, losses, trials, temptations, and weariness. Many of these things I wish we would not have been asked to walk through. Many of these valleys were deep. Many of these trials seem endless. BUT We have grown as a couple through these harder things. We have come to rely on each other. We know what they other needs and doesn't need. We know what to say and what not to say. We know how to support the other through the trials. We have learned about accountability. We have grieved together. Our faith has been tested and it has sustained us!
The last ten years have showed us that there are THREE in this marriage. Without God where would we be? He has been our life and marriage sustainer. He has been our teacher in loving one another and in putting others needs above our own. He continues to author a story that we never would have believed ten years ago.
The last ten years have been life changing. We went from newlyweds in the safety of the college ministry setting to grad school and City (or suburban) living 12 hours away from our first home. After four years near the City we left the grad school/nanny life and headed north to the Lake. Again we crossed to a different state and very different lifestyle than what we had gotten used to. Besides the moves we crossed the seas several times sometimes for pleasure and other times to grow our family. Each move and travel and adoption drew us closer together and grew us an individuals and as a family.
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| 10 years later! |
In ten years we have grown older and wiser. We have become better communicators. We have learned much about empathy. We have become aware of how deeply we all need Grace every single day!
We had a lovely anniversary today! A touch of illness/infection caused plans to be changed a bit, but we rolled with it and ended up having an incredible day. Brandon filled my day with hidden notes of encouragement/affirmation (he knows my love language), flowers, and a lovely personal designed card. Friends watched our kids for a few hours and even with less than par health we enjoyed some bites of food, playing five different games, and looking at wedding photos! Sometime soon we will go out to eat and celebrate, but tonight at home was lovely. It was sort of a reflection of the last ten years. It wasn't what we were planning, but it ended up being wonderful.
And...
I am pretty sure that our marriage is really just beginning so the story isn't over friends!
If you want to hear about how the story began, click HERE!
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Notes from above:
*I was only fancy by my standards. I had a basic "Bob" cut and nothing was done to my hair. I had on no fingernail polish. I was wearing no extra jewelery.
** We had a full band. We had 8 or 9 songs throughout and 5 of them were audience participation. The service was a full hour and had every element typical of a service with an added wedding bonus.
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