We met when I was still a teenager, & got engaged the year I could legally drink. Nursing school & the Army separated us after only 4 months of marriage, and of the next 4 years, only 18 months were spent together. We made sure to spend as much of those 18 months together as possible.
This year we will celebrate our 11th year of marriage; we've been together for 13. During that time, we've felt the effects of war, including a yearlong separation & losing friends before they even reached the quarter mark of life. We've dealt with infertility, only to be blessed with the most beautiful gift God could ever give us. And most recently, & most painfully, we've lived with the incredible grief of losing my mom much too early.
Through all of this, and through all of the wonderful moments too, he has been there. When I feel like the latest obstacle we face just might be too much, he reminds me of his love for me and God's love for us. He is strong for me when I cannot be, & while our daughter, babies, and pride of country can move him to sentimental tears, I've never seen him show weakness.
He wakes every morning with a mission to better himself for his family. He is the fun dad, the handy husband, the friend who will take you to the shooting range one night
only to invite you to Bible study the next. It makes his eternal state of messiness almost forgivable...almost. ;)
Xoxo
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Valentine's Day 2013. He took her on a date before our dinner together :) |