5,475 days

5,475 days

780 weeks

15 years

1.5 decades

That's what we celebrated yesterday

It's an accomplishment I'm really, really proud of. Because you know what? It has been a lot of hard work. A lot. And I know we have a lot of work in front of us. Ben made a video of pictures from all our years. We sat together on the couch last night and cried over God's faithfulness. Because we know the stories behind all those pictures. The tears, the fights, the joy, the hope, the struggle, the good, the bad, the heartache, the victory, the fear, the redemption, the story that God has woven and is weaving. And you know what that is? Living life together.

At every wedding he officiates, Ben tells the bride and groom to turn around and look down the aisle that they will walk down in just a minute. There's no way they know what will happen after they walk down that aisle. But whatever life throws their way, they get to do it together, hand in hand with the Lord. It's my favorite thing he says. He's right.

At the risk of sounding overly sappy (which I am usually not), this was on a card we exchanged:

For the one I'll always love

still love waking up to you every morning

still want to call you to just share the day

still need your kiss before I go to sleep

still thankful for all you do for our family

still happy with the life we've created together

still love you

still want you

still need you

still thankful

and i'm still so happy to be yours

My friend Betsy posted this the other week on her anniversary. I can't stop thinking about it. (She was chosen to pre-read Jen Hatmaker's new book. I'm not salty or anything that she got picked and I didn't.)

"Thousands of times during a life built together, you walk up to a moment and choose. I choose your happiness, your health, your well-being. I choose to build you up rather than strip you away. I choose forgiveness because otherwise we're hopeless. I choose to believe in you. I choose this life we've built together, these kids we've created, this legacy we're forming. I choose God in you and in us making us more like His Son, writing a lovely story with our life together. I choose you and would choose you all over again."  - Jen Hatmaker "For the Love"

 In the words of Brad Paisley: 

Now you're my whole life
Now you're my whole world
I just can't believe
The way I feel about you

 We'll look back someday
At this moment that we're in
And I'll look at you and say
And I thought I loved you then

We've come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then