When we said "I do"

It has been 7 years since my wonderful husband and I stood at the front of Eastside Baptist Church and made a commitment to last a lifetime. As many of you know, our story started when we were teeny little 15 year old 9th graders. The path leading us to that day 7 years ago was relatively smooth and uneventful. We never broke up. We discussed separating a couple of times just for the sake of having other experiences. But when it came down to it, we couldn't imagine ourselves with any other person. So once we realized we really didn't want to be apart, there's really only one thing to do. We were engaged in December of 2002 with the plan to get married after our undergrad in th esummer of 2004. But why wait? And thus in the spring of 2003 we went on a steeple chase around Fort Smith and 7 years ago there we were ready to commit ourselves in front of God, our friends and family.


Since that day, we've acquired 2 undergraduate degrees, 2 master's degrees, 1 doctorate, 2 kids, 1 dog, 1 house, and an amazing life. We are so blessed in every facet of our life. We have jobs that we love. Our children are fantastic. Our families are so supportive and loving. We have a wonderful house. We have found friends that make Waco feel like our second home. We aren't in need and most of the time we can't even think of anything else we want. By all typical success measures, we are flying high. But there's one more thing that makes everything so much better. It's our dependence on Jesus Christ as the head of our household. By trying to keep the focus between us and in our home turned toward the eternal implications, we have avoided many pitfalls that typically affect young couples. So when we say we feel blessed, we really mean that we know that the way we are and the way things have worked out for us truly would not have happened if we were in charge. And I really subscribe to the old adage "When we plan God laughs." Any rules or ideas I had about what our future would look like (example: I had a rule that we shouldn't get married before we got our undergrad degrees - DUMB!, example: No kids until we're both settled into jobs.- Silly.)

So today, we celebrate our life together. I love my husband. He's amazing! He knows me better than I know myself. And I know that no one else on earth could take care of me better than he can. So here's looking forward to another 70 years with this amazing man.