Happy Anniversary, Love

Nine years ago we said our vows looking out over the sparkling lake in front of our family and friends.

I’ll never forget that day and how much love and anticipation was dripping from those two young people.

Twenty-three and twenty-five years old.  Practically kids.  Thinking we knew everything and were the best couple that ever was.

The naivete was no doubt a blessing in the beginning.  We were walking on sunshine and no one was gonna bring us down to reality.

Those early days at the apartment felt like playing house.  Using our new dishes and towels was so much fun.  Cooking, cleaning, entertaining and laying under the trees in the front yard all felt like something out of a storybook.

Looking back on that time in our lives feels like watching an old movie of people I don’t even know anymore.

Some might say that’s sad, but I like the people we’ve become so much better.

You may have less hair and I may have more curves but our souls have grown and blossomed.

We’ve been through the good and we’ve been through the bad.  The highs have been high and the lows have been scary low.

But here we are.

Nine years later.

Three thousand, two hundred and eighty-eight days together.

I know you better and I love you more.

You’ve been so patient, kind and generous with me.  You’ve been gentle with me when I’ve ached from the pain of my wounds.  You’ve stood up to me when I’ve needed to be put in my place.

You’ve loved me so deeply even when I’ve not deserved it at all.

I’m ashamed at how I’ve taken you for granted and I’m determined to love you with every ounce of my being until the day I die.

I take so much comfort in knowing that our marriage will not end when we do.  We have all of eternity together, and it doesn’t seem long enough to be by your side.

I love you, Andy.

You’re my everything and I’m grateful for each day that I’ve had the privilege of being your wife.

Happy Anniversary, love.