11 years....

I have been married now for eleven years. Saturday, August 22, was our anniversary. I guess I never thought time would, or could, go by so quickly. I remember our first year of marriage. So naive..lol...living out our lives from one week to another with so much bliss and few problems to think about. We were both still in college and working jobs that weren't anything special..lol. But, we were so happy to just be together in our little apartment. What a wonderful life we had. Nothing ahead of us but future success and all the wonderful-ness that we could envision.

As I look back over our many homes and trips and jobs and such I am reminded of a common thread that never, ever changed. God has always provided for us. He allowed us to have many vacations that were expensive or out of the ordinary. Right after we were married we WON a trip to the Country Music Awards. We registered on a whim at Pier One one evening and didn't think another thing about it till we got a phone call that we were in the running. Ryan went out to Pier One and stood around for hours with several other women hoping to win. The last one standing after they called several names was to be the winner. Ryan was the last one standing..lol. He called me at work and told me we had won and I just couldn't believe it. An all-expense paid, round-trip vacation to Nashville, TN to see country music stars and go to the awards...a week-long trip. I just stood there with the phone in my hand and very loudly proclaimed to all the people around me that we had won the trip. It was unbelieveable..lol...and a lot of fun. About a year later we were able to pay for a cruise to sail to San Juan, St. Croix, and St. Thomas. On our small salary it was incredible that we even were able to have this vacation, but it was so much fun and something we always wanted to do before we had children. With several other vacations and jobs and homes to come we were so blessed. God had given us so many wonderful things and blessed us with so much more than we could have ever imagined....what a wonderful God we serve!!!

Seven years into our marriage we discovered we were to have our first child. Yes, yes, I guess it was a little long to wait to have children, but we were just really enjoying our lives together and fear kept us from just letting go and allowing God to have His will in our lives as far as children were concerned. My clock was ticking and Ryan was just plain nervous (as I suppose most men are when it comes to having children) but Cade was on his way. When he arrived I just couldn't believe how Ryan took to him. It was incredible to just watch my new family just love on each other and come together so beautifully. Ryan knew more than me when it came to babies since I was an only child, but it was nice to have that knowledge around to teach me what to do and how not to worry too much. Our baby is now 3 1/2 years old and getting smarter every single day. He astounds me every time he speaks. Smart, smart, smart.

Now, it's 11 years into my marriage and I just couldn't love my husband more. I enjoy his company so much and love the fact that he is following after his Lord. His desire is to lead his family in a Godly way and teach his children truth. His love for me is unquestionable and I feel like the luckiest girl in the whole world to be married to him. He keeps me in line, lol, and isn't afraid to tell me to chill out or if I'm wrong or if I'm acting like a fool....I need that sometimes. He is following God into ministry. What an extraordinary and unexpected thing. If you knew Ryan long ago you would've gotten the story that it wasn't for him, not gonna do it, no way jose. But, here we are...waiting for the next step. Obedience was our first step and we are sure this is where we should go. I watch Ryan speak/preach to students and I see his passion and his emotional connection to what he is talking about. It's overwhelming....this is EXACTLY where he belongs. WOW!!! I still can't believe it, though...lol....it seems like a dream.

::::So, here's to my sweet and loving husband. I look forward to many, many, many more years in God's service with you. I have loved every minute of every day of every year of our lives together and I am grateful for God's hands molding us and making us into something beautiful for His ministry. It hasn't always been pretty or easy but it has been wonderful. I love you so much and can't wait for whatever is ahead.::::