21 Years and More in Love than Ever

My Senior Year of High School, when I was 17 years old, I met Lee.  He was interning at my church while finishing up Bible College.  I was way too serious and Lee brought so much joy and laughter into my life.  It seemed as if we were madly in love immediately.

October 22, 1991, after FOUR months of dating seriously and exactly one week after my 18th birthday, we were engaged.  We told my parents (truly believing it) that we would wait a few years to get married.  I was a freshman in college and planned to graduate first.

But the story goes that by Christmas, we were planning the wedding, and on August 8 of the next year, we became man and wife.  We had little money and truly "lived on love" those first few years.

Those first few years included no exotic vacations or fancy dinners, but we truly felt blessed.  The Lord took care of every need we had.  We were blessed with two beautiful children that only brought even more joy into my heart. 

Somewhere in the Seventh Year

Even in the tough seasons of our marriage, I have found now that the Lord uses those experiences for me to minister to other women.  For them to know, it is worth working through, praying through, figuring out this marriage thing...because now, at 21 years in, it is worth it.

Somewhere around the Thirteenth or Fourteenth

Not every anniversary have we been able to get away or do something fun.  Two of them we have spent in the ER.  This one above, we were at Family Camp for Foursquare.  We went and enjoyed a nice lunch, but were called back to camp to the hospital, as one of our children from the church had gotten very ill.  Another year, Erika's first day of Kindergarten Homeschool fell on our anniversary.  We had planned to go to dinner, but instead spent the evening getting her little heel stitched up.  I was not willing to leave her, so we had pizza as a family.  Tonight, we will have forty teenagers in our house.  We will postpone our anniversary dinner until tomorrow.

Nineteenth

Tenth

There have also been some amazing anniversaries along the way.  Like the time a family was going to Cancun for their anniversary and blessed us by paying for us to join them.  What a blessing to enjoy our tenth anniversary at a beautiful resort...and have parents who pulled together to care for our children.    And right before we went on the mission field, we were able to get away for a relaxing night in Downtown Houston.  Just what we needed.  And last year, for our Twentieth, we also were able to take a special trip that my heart will never forget. As well as many other anniversaries that we have taken even just a meal to just get away just the two of us:)

Twentieth

I am so thankful for any time I get with this guy.  He has taken such good care of me over HALF of my life.  He has always provided.  He has cared for me though sickness.  He has loved me when I was unlovable.  He has helped my dreams come true.  

When my Thyroid went CRAZY (Eighteenth)

Standing by me in my Dream to Adopt

Lee has truly lived out Biblical Love to me.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.  (1 Corinthians 13)

Sometimes it is really hard to have to share my husband with a whole congregation of people.  But I am blessed that he is my husband.  My kids are blessed that he is their Daddy.

Twenty-one years ago, when I walked down the aisle with this guy, I had no idea where our lives would go. 

 I had no idea that we would be living in the tiny country of Belize.

  I had no idea that I would be more in love with this guy than I was at that moment twenty-one years ago.

Happy Anniversary to the Love of my Life :)