5479 days

Today Justin and I have been married for exactly 5479 days or 15 years.

Today we will renew our wedding vows in a beautiful ceremony with our friends and family present. I am so excited. This will be completely different from our first ceremony at the Justice of the Peace. Today we will be surrounded by our most cherished friends and loved ones. There will be lights and flowers and dresses (pretty ones). And I am sure I am going to bust out in the ugly cry. I don't know if I should have a box of tissues with me or just take a roll of bounty paper towels. I have the perfect music and the perfect boutonnieres, the decorators, the sound guy, the food. But most of all I have the most perfect husband for me! We decide to write our vows this time.

I am ending this post with my vows to my Wonderful Husband! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Justin,

You are my "Happily Ever After". I never dreamed that I would have a marriage filled with this much Joy and Happiness. You are my best friend, my life partner, you are the one I yearn to see every afternoon, the one who completes me.

I thank GOD for bringing us together to love and care for each other. You are a kind, nurturing, loving, devoted, husband and father. With all of my heart I thank you for your unconditional love, friendship, commitment, and sacrifice. You give yourself completely to us.

Our relationship has gone beyond anything I could have ever imagined. After 15 years of living with you, loving you, appreciating you, watching you grow in the LORD, my love for you has deepened beyond my wildest imaginings. YOU are still the man I crave!

Today as we stand here, before our family and friends, to reaffirm our wedding vows. I do so with a heart that is overflowing with my love for you, and once again I give you every part of myself. I promise to Love and Honor you in all things. Committing myself to you as we look forward to the wonderful years ahead.

14 Really Great Years

It's our 14th Anniversary can you believe it?
I am having a hard time believing it has been that long. I guess I should start at the beginning. I will try to keep this post under control.

Justin and I met when we were 17, sure we went to a very small private school together for 3 years before we even said a word to each other.( graduating class of 5) However in our senior year we became friends, he was working on a mural for Dory Anderson's Pilgrim's Progress. I was in the Honor's Room so I did not have the full time private school type of supervision. We had a lot more freedom than any one else. Any way after I would finish all of my work I would head into see if this new found friend of mine needed an assistant. We soon started dating and along with that came all of the typical drama. I ended up moving into Justin's parent's home after I turned 18 more drama blah, blah, blah. Here's where it gets good. One day in December of 1994, (still 18yrs. old mind ya) Justin's Dad caught us as we were about to leave to go out for a while and he told us that we were getting married on Monday, this was the previous Thursday, so we had all of 3 1/2 days to try to prepare. I mean we knew we wanted to get married someday but we were shooting for the next year sometime. So this was a great surprise. I am going to tell you now that I have never had a day of regret! I would not change a thing.
The night after we got married we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, my fortune cookie said "you will be happy in marriage" wow that was cool! I kept that fortune taped to the mirror in our bedroom for years and then it moved into the scrapbook and I just showed it to the kids a few days ago.
Then February rolled around and we got our first apartment, next thing you know it is 2 years later and we are moving into our little mobile home. Ashton came to make us a happy little family 3 years after we were married. I always worried that Justin would not be loving with His children because he had not grown up around other little ones as I had. I don't know what I was worried about the kids have him thoroughly wrapped around their little fingers. Elyssa came around and completed our family 2 1/2 yrs. later. We lived in our mobile home for 11 yrs. until last January, we decided to see if we could sell the place and buy a house. That part went so quickly within 2 weeks we had it sold and another 2 weeks saw us completely moved out. I would say this has to have been the hardest year we have ever had. It was very stressful on every one involved but we have very gracious families who took us in for 3 months. That was alot longer than we had anticipated being with out a home of our own. I have never seen Justin under so much stress. To a point where I was not sure I really knew this Justin. I am fairly sure I was not quite myself either. We made it though.... and we are still trying to find a place for all our stuff.

When I look back at us as kids, really just in love and having fun. I remember loving him, but I don't feel the same about him now as I did then. Now it is so much deeper, not the same kind of love at all. Our Love for each other has evolved to a much higher level. The kind of love that can communicate so much with just a look. You know, we have been able to read each others minds for years now. I always know where he wants to go eat and what he wants to do. I know he is trying to make a decision by just a simple hand gesture he makes when he is thinking. I know when there is a shift in his mood, with out him ever saying a word. All of this only comes from knowing some one so well for so long. After all we grew up together! Became adults together.

He asked me what I wanted to do for our anniversary. I told him a nice dinner out would be fine. He also said he wants to take me to see "twilight" the movie. I am really excited to go!!! I am having a hard time getting out of him what he wants to do. He keeps saying "what ever you want to do." I know how much he hates going to the movies. He really hates it. I tried to let him off the hook and told him that the girls and I would go out and see it but he would not hear of it.

This man who loves me so much wants to go see a girlie movie. He wants to warm me up at night when I come to bed and am freezing. He wants to put gas in my car for me every sunday afternoon. (I have never put gas not even once into my PTCruiser not since he bought it for me in august of 2005) He wants to empty the garbage for me so I never have t0 touch the can. These are just a few of the things he does for me..... I love this man with every thing in my being! I don't just love him but I can honestly say after 14 years I am more in love with him than I have ever been.
These are a few of the things that have helped us along the way:
1. GOD
2. For us divorce is not an option. WE are breaking the cycle. We both openly acknowledge it.
3. We always support each other in matters of discipline, even when we don't agree.
4. We never call names or belittle each other when we argue, the facts only.....
5. We Honor each other, that means going above and beyond to make sure we are thinking of the other person in every situation, We go out of our way to please each other.
6. Unity, together we stand but divided we fall.... we take a unified stance for our children.
7. Remebering that love is not only a feeling, it is a choice we make every day it is a verb....
Happy 14th Anniversary Honey, I love you!