Weekend of Celebrations!

 May 29 we celebrate 12 years of marriage and the next day, this hunky monkey husband of mine turns....ummmmm, a very "special number" on this birthday!

I don't think either of us ever imagined what God had in store for us when we said, "I promise"! David, I love you more today than the day I married you.  I treasure that day, and I treasure our covenant.  I treasure you and all of our endless talks.  I remember when we first started dating that's one of the many things that I adored about you.  We sat and talked about everything under the sun, debated about everything under the sun, and solved tried to solve all the worlds problems!  I love sharing our dreams and fears, adventures, lessons learned, hard times, great times, funny times, raising and training our daughters together, following you 1/2 way around the world with your career path, sharpening you, and you sharpening me.  I'm so thankful we actually like to run errands together and do goofy things together like yell "banana" at the locals here (and they think we're saying something in their language!).  I love that in this season of our lives those "errands" are on a motor bike with four people on it!   I love that we're a team and that we make decisions together.  We've experienced joys, death, tragedy, career changes, moving states, moving countries, sickness and health.  We've been privileged enough to experience the miracle of birth through natural means and through the miracle of physical adoption plus witness the spiritual adoption of both of our precious daughters-what blessings!  Thank you for your patience, support, prayers, humor, spontaneity, leadership and unconditional love.  Thank you for sticking with me and holding my hand especially these past few months in this very unexpected illness.  You are a great husband, and you are a great daddy to both of our girls!  It's hard to imagine how different our lives when we first met.  Same dreams, different careers, different cities, different countries, no kids, family business at the time, etc.  WOW, has God changed and ordered our steps...together!

Remember this song: "Tell Him" ? Well, actually, you may not because it's the song that my sister sent to me while we were dating (and I played in private many, many times...hee hee) when she kept hearing me talk about this "really great guy and I think I really like him!, but I was bit too shy to give you my heart quite yet!   Well, I finally told you and let you into my little world...and I gave you my heart, finally.  I'm glad you chased me, and I'm glad you chased pretty long and hard!  Bless your lovin' heart....you were so patient!  I love that you are a renaissance man.  I loved that I always knew where you stood each time you took me out on a date.  You were so polite and asked, "may I take you out again?....such a gentleman!   I can't imagine my life without you. THANK YOU, for still asking me out on dates, and thank you for surprising me with an anniversary dinner and arranged childcare with Jill and Jason without me even knowing it! Looking forward to a nite out on the town tonight with you!  I might even wear heels on the motorbike : )

Happy Anniversary today and Happy Birthday tomorrow to my favorite man in the world.... I love you so much!  I'm sorry you're on a 28 hour flight on your special birthday though!  I'm so thankful you get to make a quick trip back -even though it's for training- because you've been blessed to have a career that you love!  I love you, sweetie, and I can't imagine a better match for me.  God knew what he was doing, don't ya think : ) 

Okay, so sorry if I've completely embarrassed you , but you know me....I like to have the details recorded.  It one of the reasons you love me , right?!?!?!

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.   Love never fails."   

OH, how I have laughed and cried over this picture through the years.  This is the ONLY full length picture taken of just us at our wedding (thanks to a quick snapshot my best friend took as we were about to leave our reception!).  Our professional photographer forgot that one....boo hoo!  Kristina, at least you got this one for the record books!