To The Love Of My Life {Happy 15th Anniversary}

Today my husband and I celebrate 15 years since we said, "I Do".  My first thought is how in the world did 15 years go by already!?  It has been a whirlwind of adventures and I'm reminded that this life really is like a vapor or mist as the Bible talks about in James 4:14.  Many times it feels like someone pushed the fast forward button on our lives and we are moving at full speed. My second thought was 15 years from now we will most likely be empty nesters learning a new season of life together.  And this thought prompted me to think about how quickly our children are growing up.  It is true what people say, "Don't blink or they will be all grown up" and that is exactly how it feels.  We are in such a precious season, an exhausting one, but a precious one that I want to hit pause on every now and then.  I am blessed beyond measure to be on this journey of life and marriage with you and I would choose you, Titus, over and over again.

We were just babies when we got married; me at 19 and you at 22.  I've come to appreciate the fact that getting married young has allowed us to experience growing up together.  We encouraged one another through college and celebrated when we both got our bachelor degrees.  I was right beside you the night God called you into full-time ministry and walked through the process of ministry certification, licensing and ordination with you.  We have grieved the loss of our first baby by miscarriage, discovered together how much love our hearts could hold when our first son was born and placed in our arms, walked through a very difficult and yet beautiful journey with our daughter who was born at 24 weeks and spent 4 months in the NICU, we experienced God's graciousness when we were blessed with a healthy full term baby boy just shy of our 10th anniversary.  We have experienced the highs and lows of parenting, pushed through exhaustion and frustration, challenged one another to be better as parents and individuals and discovered that parenting is definitely not for the faint of heart.  We have stepped out in obedience on a crazy and wonderful journey as US missionaries to MT Tech.  We have shared passionate moments and less passionate ones.  We have laughed and cried together.  We have loved and had moments where we have not liked each other. We have discovered in greater depth who God is and who He has created us to be.  15 years has been a journey, a breathtaking journey.

Thank you for loving me when I am at my worst and my best.  Thank you for serving me and showing me selfless love over and over.  Thank you for choosing to love me when I am unlovable.  Thank you for supporting me in my photography and telling me to "go for it" even though it means sacrifice on your part.  Thank you for leading me to fall more in love with Jesus and people. Thank you for being a man that is humble, honest and trustworthy and that has been faithful to me and to the vows that we made before God, our family and friends on our wedding day.  You are the love of my life and I am honored and blessed to be your wife.  I pray that the years before us are as good to us as the years behind us.  I love you babe.  Happy 15h Anniversary and the beautiful journey ahead!

Photo Credit to Cecil Durbin