Ten Years

To my husband,

 

What an incredible 10th year this has been.  It has been full of challenges, mountains to climb, and valleys to traverse.  But amidst it all, I feel closer to you than ever before.  One thing that I noticed this year is that we both had to sail a bit on what we had already built up since we were so stretched in virtually every area.  Yet, God proved to be the glue.  And even in that stretching, He blessed us over and over again with understanding, care and a depth of love we've never known before.  Every year we understand each other better, work together better, become better friends and companions.

These last ten years have been foundation-laying years and much sweat, tears and work have been sealed into that firm base.  I see the next ten as building on that foundation.  May God be glorified as we toil, together.  Thank you for loving me so fully and completely, and for never leaving me behind, but always right in step with you. 

You are my one and only.

  

I truly thank God, every time I remember you.

Part 12-Tying the Knot

Our engagement passed pretty quickly since we were both in school and working hard.  At the very beginning, since we had to wait nine months until school was out, we put some ground rules in place to keep us both in check and on track to "make it" to the end with our integrity and virtue intact.  It was actually pretty straight forward and easy to follow-not a big set of legalistic rules or anything.  Just simply, no being alone, unless we're in public.  Easy enough.  And many times that basic principle caught us and kept us out of trouble.

Through the months, we enjoyed reading books on marriage, fumbling at times but also learning a lot through our premarital counseling and dreaming about the future.  Things fell into place for a little apartment located within walking distance to Cal Poly and other little things from free furniture to generous gifts, set our home up.

In the final weeks before the wedding, we spent most of them apart.  Steve worked some of the time at Camp Hammer to stay busy and distracted, and I finished up wedding plans.  God provided in tremendous ways and over and over, we saw how much He cared for even the smallest details.

And then on July 20, 2002 at 10 am, we said our vows before family and friends, and were wed.